"I have never met a werewolf and have no desire to do so. Until tonight, Garrett was the only vampire I had ever spoken to. He is most honored among my people, but I believe that he is not typical of his species. We have shifters who work for us in Faerie, so I am familiar with their limited abilities." Her tone was matter-of-fact, but I was shocked.
"WTF, Liam?"
"Noriene is behaving as she believes you expect her to behave. She thinks, as do most fae, that you've taken her on as a guard for Charlie because of her strength as a warrior and her confidence in her ability to overcome ALL supernatural groups. She feels that she cannot speak of them as being her equal because she thinks that you'd send her back. Believe me when I tell you, these two are the best fit."
"Am I allowed to tell her off?"
"Privately. But remember that she is slightly overwhelmed. She has never been outside of Faerie."
"Is Aislin the same?"
"Aislin is a more careful observer. She'll watch and learn and take her cues from you and Garrett. Once she's comfortable, she'll share her thoughts readily. She's an excellent strategist and will be a great asset to your household security."
I asked Aislin about her experience with other supernatural groups.
"I have had a few conversations with Garrett in Faerie," she smiled in his direction, "and your sister, Bridgett, also. She is lively and makes me laugh, although I do not always understand her when she speaks. I have never met a werewolf, although I would be interested in doing so." Her light blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders in thick waves, making her look very young and eager.
We talked for another half an hour and then I asked the two of them if they'd sit with me out on the front porch to talk privately for a few minutes. They followed, their expressions curious. Aislin perched on the railing while Noriene and I sat in the Adirondack chairs.
I decided to speak formally so that they'd understand the importance of my words. I directed my question toward Noriene. "Do you know what I am? My bloodline?"
Noriene nodded. "A cheetah shapeshifter, a rare healer with a small amount of demon blood." She looked away, as if dismissing the last part.
"My grandmother is the Bassilissa Naberia, a full-blood archdemon." Her eyes widened. "My mother was half-demon. I have the birthmark." I touched behind my left ear and she nodded in understanding. As Liam had predicted, Aislin watched the two of us carefully, not saying a word.
"How do you feel about what I am, Noriene?"
She didn't speak for a moment, then answered slowly. "You are the mother of a fae child. The rest does not matter." She lifted her chin and met my gaze without fear and perhaps a touch of arrogance.
"It does matter. My cheetah blood attracted my mate and then helped me rescue him when he was kidnapped. My healer blood helped me save Aedus' life and my demon blood saved me from Lord Kennet. Every bit of what I am is important. Charlie will be all of what I am plus part of what you are and every drop of his blood and his heritage will help him as he grows.
I shifted my gaze from one to the other. "I need to know that you're both here to guard all of him, not just the fae part. I will expect you to accept him as he is and not encourage him to favor only his fae heritage."
They stared at me for a moment in silence, then Noriene spoke."I have just now sworn an oath which it is my duty and my privilege to honor. Do you believe for a moment that I would not lay down my life for him? Or for you, his mother? If you do, then I will return to Faerie and Liam will choose another."
"I trust Liam to have chosen you for the right reasons. He understands the danger my son is in because of his bloodline and will have picked the two fae who can protect him best. But please understand me. I am his mother. I will fight to the death to protect him against any creature who attacks his body, but also his spirit. Intolerance and prejudice against another species is wrong. The fae are a noble race, perhaps magically superior to many others, but I need to be certain that you'll accept him for all of who he is, his demon blood included. Not just protect him because he is half fae, but because he is Charles. Sinlae predicted that the mixture will make him stronger."
Her shoulder muscles relaxed as she finally understood. "You are indeed worthy to be the mother of a fae child. Excuse me, a... supernatural child...with the blood of many powerful races in his veins. Liam is half fae and half human and in some ways I have seen that he is stronger because of it. I apologize if I misspoke. I did not truly understand. I will honor my pledge to guard Charles and you, Jacqueline, and I will encourage and challenge your son to be all that he is."
Aislin, slid gracefully off the railing, smiling. "The mix of your blood with our fae blood will be an incredible blend. Charles will be a warrior most worthy of any opponent." He gave Aislin a playful punch on the shoulder. "My cousin can sometimes appear arrogant, but she is a fine warrior and has a true heart."
Noriene pushed back and they both laughed. Suddenly Liam's choice became clear. "Charlie will need you both. He'll trust you and depend on you and love you as a child loves his early teachers."
They glanced at each other and smiled. "We will do all in our power to deserve his trust and yours," Noriene said. I believed her.
"There's another thing. Garrett and I have many friends and team mates who come to our home often. You'll meet alpha werewolves, sorcerers, witches, a wide variety of shapeshifters and also my demon trainer. You'll need to learn who they are and treat them as equals. Many of them have been instrumental in saving my life and Garrett's."
"We understand." Aislin was grinning like a monkey, probably excited at the chance to meet such a wide variety of supernaturals. Faerie was lovely, but isolating.
They left a little while later, leaving me feeling much better about the whole fae guard thing.
Bridgett and William came to Garrett looking nervous and excited. Garrett approved the match with a formality necessary in rituals such as these. Sash had already traced the initials they'd chosen to mark permanently into their upper arms. They'd wracked their brains, but in the end chose to honor each other simply by wearing the other's initials written in Sasha's amazing calligraphy. BVBC, for Bridgett Violet Brownlow Carlyle, and WMC, for William Matthew Carlyle.
When it was done, they shared a little blood, which colored the letters in dark yellow and blue, the colors of their auras. Bridgett threw herself into Will's arms and they kissed with the abandon of a couple newly sealed. After all, this was a union that would survive for centuries. I couldn't have been happier for them.
CHAPTER TWENTY
"Yeah, yeah. Sinc, I know all that. Would you stop already? I swear, I'm hanging up. Oh really? Well maybe you should get your gimpy ass down here and... What did you call me?" Kyle tossed me the phone. "You talk to her."
Kyle and I were standing in the living room of a three bedroom ranch-style house located in a quiet and picturesque neighborhood. It was the scene of the second and most recent murder, both shifter females found dead within a week of each other.
Kyle's sterile gloves were on the floor where he'd thrown them in order to answer his cell, so he pulled on fresh pair from the box on the kitchen table and marched back into a room at the front end of the hallway. He and Ethan were working the scene, or at least that's what Sinc had asked them to do.
I held the phone away from my ear as she screamed, "Kyle you get back on the phone this instant." I walked out to the back porch, trying my best to keep from laughing out loud, definitely unprofessional behavior when working a crime scene. There were a couple of reporters in the front, and I avoided them at all costs.
"You giving K—Kyle a hard time?" I gasped, pulling out a tissues from my bag and blowing my nose.
"He's an idiot. He's supposed to be sending me pictures of the scene before he touches anything. He took the pictures but then started collecting evidence before I had a chance to look at them. I want to strangle him." She huffed into the phone. "Tell me how you're doing so I can get my mind off of the asshole leopard and
calm down."
I did, and she sighed. "I'm so envious."
"You wouldn't be if you saw what I have to do to get out of a chair."
"Yeah, you're probably right." We laughed.
"Other than wanting to murder a team member, how are you?" I asked.
"I'm great. Really great." It sounded so good to hear her this happy. She hesitated. "I need to tell you something. I may not come back to Crescent City."
"You'll quit the team?" I was struck hard by that news. Sinc had become a good friend.
"No—well, sort of. I mean, I'll continue to work as a consultant, just from a distance."
"It's Gabriel." I was surprised by the coldness of my tone.
She sighed. "Look, I know you don't like him and I don't blame you at all. His pack tried to kill all of us, and he only stepped in at the last minute to save me. But he testified against them and because of his testimony, his dad and brother were executed. He had to watch them die, Jackie. It was horrible for him."
It was on the tip of my tongue to say that they deserved what they got after killing all those children and women, but I knew it wouldn't change how she felt.
She continued, "It hasn't been easy for him here. Aaron works him until he's ready to drop and Franklin is a lot rougher than Sasha. Gabe walks around with bruises and cuts and sometimes even broken bones. He's trying hard to change his life."
I was losing her, and I didn't want that. "Sinc—please come home. Once you get some distance between you, you'll see that he's..."
"We had nine years between us, and when we saw each other again, all the same feelings were still there." I was silent, not really knowing what else to say. She sighed, her voice a soft appeal, "Give him a chance—for me. Please."
I shut my mouth and forced myself to think about everything that Sinc had experienced as a fifteen year old shifter. She was kicked out of her pack by Quentin and sent far from her parents and her first lover, Gabriel. None of them were allowed to contact her. If she could forgive him after suffering a life changing injury in the attack by his pack, then why couldn't I? I wanted my friend to be happy, and if he made her feel cherished the way Garrett made me feel, then I should be thrilled for her.
"Are you still there?" she asked, her voice shaky.
"Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking." I took in a long deep breath. "Do you love him?"
There was no hesitation. "Yes. I've loved him—forever. His parents and his pack pushed him to find a mate, but he couldn't imagine sharing his life with anyone but me."
"Is he good to you? Does he treat you..."
She interrupted, her tone a little hopeful. "He's nothing like his brother or his father. He treats me like—like I'm his whole world, like I'm the only woman alive." Then she laughed at me. "I love you for asking these questions, but I'm a grown-up, older than you."
"Yeah, well, I'm your friend."
"I can't remember the last time my life felt so perfect."
She was head over heels in love at a time in her life which could have been so difficult for her because of the injury. Could I mess that up for her? No way.
"Aaron's coming down for Christmas with Cathy and little Sammy. I was going to invite you and your mom, so you might as well bring Gabe too."
I heard the hiss of expelled air as she relaxed and started breathing again."Thank you. We'll definitely be there."
"Just so you know, I'll be watching him like a hawk, and if he gives you a hard time about anything, he's out on his ass." I was only half teasing.
"I'll give him a heads-up. Just try to keep your eyes green." We both giggled. I'd been so furious while I was interrogating Gabriel after the explosion that my demon magic had kicked in and my eyes had flashed orange. It kind of flipped him out. It kind of flipped me out too.
Then I remembered what Maya had threatened. "Actually we may not be living here." I told her all about the new law that might be passed regarding fae residents.
"I'm calling that bitch and giving her a piece of my mind." She sounded furious.
"Don't. Just leave it for now. It may be voted down anyway."
"I hope you're keeping a journal, this could turn into a best seller."
Before we hung up, I told her about Kellaine's request for our team to look for a fae child in the foster care system.
"I think it's unlikely. Even the half human ones have lavender eyes, don't they? And some powers right off the bat?"
"Maybe some of them are born with human looking eyes. I never thought to ask. Their full powers start coming in around ten years old. If anyone can find a child like that, it's you, Sinc. I only told her that I'd try, that's all. No promises."
"Okay. I'll check into it."
"Thanks. Try to lay off Kyle. He's doing his best."
"I know. He just sent me another batch of pictures. I get cranky 'cause I miss you guys."
"We miss you too."
"Not me." Kyle shouted from the other room. "Ow. Stop shoving me."
"Tell her hi from me." Ethan shouted in my direction, then he yelled at Kyle, "You liar. You told me yesterday that you missed her."
"Yeah, well she should be here working the case, not making hot monkey love with that two-faced wolf. Ow."
Sinc spoke loudly into the phone. "Tell Ethan hi back and tell Kyle to get back to work and stop gossiping like a teenaged girl." She and I said our goodbyes and I went inside to give Kyle his phone.
"I heard her." Kyle grumbled as he rubbed his arm.
"So what's the story here?"
"According to the ME, the cause of death for both women was blood loss. Each victim's jugular was severed by claws, definitely bear claws judging by the angle and the length. There's a lot of blood at each scene, but it also appears that some was either taken or ingested by the attacker. He told me there were no other injuries on the body.
"He's sent me autopsy photos. Do you want to take a look?"
"No thanks." That was so not my thing.
Ethan and I have determined that there was no forced entry in either of the victims' homes, so he or she might have had a key or a magical way to get in without breaking the lock. Their houses weren't warded against magic, but most shifters don't feel that's necessary. They died in their beds in the early hours of the morning.
"Why would they let someone in and then go back to bed? Unless the other person was sleeping over?"
"There was no evidence of a shared meal or even two glasses of wine or cups of coffee, like there'd be if someone was visiting. There's nothing to indicate that the victims had sex recently either. That was confirmed in the report.
"Maybe they talked and then the victim let the murderer out and went back to bed. The door might have been rigged so they could get back in. Or maybe the murderer stole a key while they were talking."
"That occurred to us as well. Nothing was taken as far as we can tell, so theft seems to be out as a motive. The victims weren't related, and most likely were strangers. The first female was a twenty-four year old cougar and this one was fifty-two, a lioness."
Ethan spoke. "I knew the cougar. Her name was Ronnie—Veronica. I'd been to her house."
I noticed for the first time that Ethan looked angry and upset. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you knew her. I'm sure Garrett wouldn't have asked you to work the scene if he'd known."
Kyle started complaining, "Great, then I would've been here totally alone doing everything myself." I whacked him hard on the shoulder. "Ow." He rubbed himself. "Your pregnancy hasn't affected your strength. I'm gonna have a bruise."
"You deserve one." I snapped.
Ethan said, "I'm fine, Jackie. She was a friend, a teacher. She used to play at the Wild. She was giving me guitar lessons. I'd rather work to find her killer than sit around."
"Are you two thinking it's a vampire?"
"There were no bite marks anywhere, but we haven't ruled it out." Ethan shrugged.
"Could a blood witch or a sorcerer have a bear working with him?"
Kyle s
hook his head. "Yeah, but it's unlikely. Bears aren't team players unless there's s strong bond. They're also resistant to blood magic."
"Are you testing the fur for DNA?"
"We've found no fur."
"None?"
"Nope."
"But a shifter can't grow claws without growing partial paws, which means fur should've been left behind."
An experienced shifter could change their hands into their animal paws without changing the rest of their bodies. Those paws made great close-up weapons, the main disadvantage being the absence of opposable thumbs. Shifters usually preferred to fight other supernaturals in human form using weapons, because their skills couldn't compete with a vampire's strength and speed, or a werewolf's often much larger and more powerful wolf form. A lone bear shapeshifter would have trouble fighting off weres who generally traveled in packs. I had the advantage of using magic when I fought,, so I always stayed in human form in a battle.
"No fur, but the throat was definitely ripped out with bear claws. I'm thinking someone got hold of claws and mounted them on something to use them as a weapon and make it look like a bear is doing the killing. We found some metal shavings that don't quite fit in. And there was a smell neither of us recognized when we first arrived on the scene."
"Show me where." My senses were more acute than most shifters, so I followed Kyle into the bedroom. Thankfully, the body had been removed the night before. although the disturbing odor of old blood almost made me gag.
"I don't smell it now, but it was something unusual." Unfortunately, I couldn't sense anything out of the ordinary, possibly because they'd opened the windows when they'd finished gathering evidence to air out the room.
I had an idea. "Can I try..?" I touched Kyle's forehead.
"Sure, witchy woman. Do your worst."
It only took me a moment. "Oh crap."
"If you just saw that website I went to last night...I was only curious..."
"It's demon." I interrupted.
"Holy shit."
"Yeah, exactly. I guess I have to talk to Isaiah."
"What about Garrett's sis? Can she help?"
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