Heroines and Hellions: a Limited Edition Urban Fantasy Collection

by Margo Bond Collins

  “Colloidal silver is the only thing that will get into a werewolf bite and clean it. You know that. Unless you want me to go all lupine at the next full moon?”

  “It doesn’t work that way,” I said, some cowardly part of me preferring to nitpick the details of her comments instead of dealing with everything underneath them.

  “It does, too. The first shift after a human is infected always happens on the full moon. Uncle Ronnie taught us that. What does he think about your new traveling companion, anyway?”

  “It’s none of your business what Daddy thinks about Wolf.” We were nose-to-nose now, almost shouting, but we still hadn’t gotten to what was really bothering both of us.

  “So he’s just fine with you running around all over the country with the same kind of monster that killed Gracie?”

  There it was. The real reason Cass was so pissed at me. The reason I was so pissed at myself.

  When in doubt, deflect. “Yeah, well, at least I’m not rolling around in bed with him—and two others.”

  “That’s what you say. Anyway, don’t change the subject.”

  “I wasn’t. The subject is you slutting it up with monsters.”

  “No, the subject is you getting Gracie killed.”

  We shouted the last two sentences. And then we stopped to stare at each other, breathing heavily. The silence fell around us, burying us in all the words we’d just said, all the years of anger underlying them, all the pain of losing Gracie—of losing the person who had tied us together, made us a family.

  Part of me wanted to stomp out right then, leave Cass and her fairy problems behind. But I knew I would regret it. Gracie was gone. We might not have the same kind of bond that we used to—and with Gracie gone, we might never have that again—but no matter how stupid she was being, Cass was family.

  And if nothing else, the werewolf attack on her proved that there really was something going on in San Francisco—something to do with werewolves, something that endangered Cass.

  I slumped back into the desk chair and dropped my head into my hands for a second. Running my fingers through my hair, I twisted it up behind me, then let it fall again. “Okay,” I said with a heavy sigh. “Can we start over? If we’re going to get your boyfriend back from the wolves, I need you to tell me everything you know about the local pack—structure, behavior, local hang-outs, anything.”

  After a pause, I asked the one question that had been niggling at the back of my brain ever since she’d told me what had happened.

  “Why would the wolves want a fairy?”

  5

  Cassidy

  I glared at the abomination that sat in my apartment, the monster that my cousin called Wolf. I bet she thought it was cute calling him that, like some sort of demon-hunting Breakfast at Tiffany’s thing. If Audrey Hepburn could have a cat named Cat, why wouldn’t Blaize have a werewolf named Wolf?

  Why not indeed?

  The werewolf was wearing a turquoise rhinestone collar, like it was domesticated or some shit. I wondered what my landlord would think, having a wolf sitting in my four-hundred square foot studio.

  I decided I didn’t like Wolf. Especially since he couldn’t—or wouldn’t—speak. Did he know anything about why his kind would kidnap my boyfriend? I hoped—wanted to believe—that he would say something if he knew.

  But you never could trust monsters.

  “So...three boyfriends?” Blaize asked for the umpteenth time, and I turned my attention toward her.

  “Yep.”

  “How did you meet them?”

  I shrugged. “You hunt one fairy prince and turns into making out. You hunt another, and the same thing happens. Repeat another time and, well, you have three boyfriends.” That was gross over-simplification, because Orin had been the first boyfriend, one that I tangled with across my many, many fairy hunts. Flirting after a fight was always exhilarating, so I think it was just a matter of time before we fell into bed together.

  Drake and Avery joined us quickly after that.

  Blaize sat forward, and I was struck by how country my cousin looked in that moment, with her gingham shirt tucked into her jeans with her belt buckle flashing in the light, her cowboy hat cocked over her eyebrow. Then again, I wondered how different I looked to her.

  We’ve drifted so far apart since we were kids.

  She quirked an eyebrow in disbelief. “And they’re okay with sharing you with two other guys?”

  I chuckled. “You always told me I was a lot to handle. I guess you were right, and it took three guys. They’re fine with it—a bit of a rivalry because they’re from the different courts. But they behave.” I thought about the fight that Drake and Orin got into. “For the most part,” I amended, feeling the blush in my cheeks.

  Blaize took off her hat and combed a hand through her hair. “Wait, you said one was a fairy prince? Was that the one who was kidnapped?”

  My blush deepened. “They’re, uh, all princes.”

  “You’re fucking three fairy princes?”

  I sighed. “I thought we went over this, or do I need to bring up this asshole again?” I thrusted my thumb toward the monster sitting next to her, who growled in warning. I probably had enough colloidal silver in me, that if he bit me, he’d die from poisoning.

  Maybe I should piss him off then and kill his mangy ass.

  “No, no.” Blaize’s jaw tightened as she considered my words. “Three fairy princes. Can you refresh my memory about the fairy realm again? It’s, uh, been a while.” She motioned with her hand, like she was thinking. “Like about what they’re princes of?”

  I smirked. “Been hanging out in the middle of nowhere too long?”

  Blaize rolled her eyes, which was the exact response I was hoping for. “Look, fairies are your expertise,” she said.

  I hid my chuckle. “And werewolves aren’t mine, but who knew about colloidal silver?”

  Her frown deepened.

  “There’s four courts,” I explained. “The Spring Court, the Summer Court, the Autumn Court, and the Winter Court.”

  “So four courts,” Blaize held up four fingers, “and three boyfriends?” She bent her index finger to hold up three.

  I crossed my arms and sat back, unsure of what she meant. “You’re saying I need to date the king of the Winter Court?” Not that I would ever date anyone from the Winter Court. The other three courts had their dark sides, sure. Like the Autumn Court had some nasty ogres, and the selkies of the Spring Court would rather drown you than talk. But for the most part, they were lovely places, filled with lovely people.

  The Winter Court, however, was pretty much all evil. As Gracie would have said, they were the Dark Side of the Force, and the other three were the Light Side.

  Damn, I missed my cousin, and my eyes watered at the sudden memory.

  Blaize’s nostrils flared, oblivious to my inner thoughts. “I mean, maybe we found a motive. Maybe the Winter Court has something to do with your boyfriend going missing.”

  I thought of Kellan, the king of the Winter Court and all his haughty asshole ways, and I laughed. “What, you think he’s jealous that I’m not dating him?” She let out a low, irritated breath, but I pressed on. “That would be all well and good, except for the fact that it was werewolves who took him, Blaize.”

  She stroked her chin in thought. “And there’s never been a history of the Winter Court and werewolves working together?”

  I opened my mouth to say something snarky, but I stopped as I remembered something that I stumbled upon weeks ago. “Wait…”

  I rolled my chair over to my desk and flipped through all the different papers, trying to think about where I would have seen it. Something about…

  My hand fell upon an old book, one that my ancestors have carried with them for nearly 150 years. I flipped through it, landing on the page in question. I cursed as I handed it to Blaize, who looked down at it curiously.

  “I hate it when you’re right.” Because it always seemed like she was r
ight, in one way or another, even if she didn’t know how or why. She just had this intuition which made her great at this demon hunting thing.

  “What am I looking at?” Blaize asked.

  “This.” I tapped the page.

  She rubbed at her eyes. “I’ve been driving for twenty hours.” She looked up at me, and I noticed how tired she looked. “You’re going to have to throw me a bone.”

  The wolf made a noise that sounded like a laugh, and I shot him a glare that seemed to shut him up. He shifted uncomfortably in his spot, but didn’t lose his wolfish grin.

  I really didn’t like him.

  “I’ve been doing research about fairy history,” I explained. “The four courts haven’t always gotten along together. And when you’re both hunting and dating fairies, you have to know all about their pasts.”

  “And what does that have to do with werewolves?”

  Blaize never did have much patience.

  “This,” I tapped the passage again, “tells the story about how one of the past kings of the Winter Court used familiars to gain footholds in the human realm.” I leaned toward her to meet her eyes. “He used werewolves at one point to do his dirty work.”

  My words hung in the air for a few heartbeats as Blaize took this in. “Werewolves?” she asked incredulously. “As in, like Wolf?” She nodded towards the beast in question.

  I nodded.

  “Aren’t werewolves and fairies, like, enemies?”

  “Maybe that’s the reason why they are enemies,” I said softly. “You know how wolves can hold a grudge. Maybe that’s the reason why. They hate fairies for using them like slaves.”

  “We never met a werewolf familiar, though,” Blaize protested. “Do you know anything about this?” she asked, looking at the monster. He gave a very human-like shake of his head.

  Negative. As I expected, given how old the story was.

  “There’s only one mention of it,” I said, taking the book back from Blaize. The book was old, filled with lore that was part fiction, part truth. And I never could figure out where one piece ended and began. “It’s over three thousand years old, part of an ancient magic that very few kings can tap into. That’s why I didn’t think of it first.”

  “Three thousand years old?” Blaize blinked. “But we didn’t even know about it. How would werewolves know?”

  I shrugged. “Prejudices run deep. Not just in human circles. Shut up,” I added when Wolf gave me a pointed look. “They don’t have to know why they hate fairies, only that they’re supposed to.”

  Blaize was still unconvinced, although I was willing to give her a reprieve since she had been awake for who knew how long. “And we’re supposed to believe that, if it were possible, fairies haven’t used it since then? That we haven’t encountered fairies controlling werewolves in the past?”

  I sat back and crossed my arms as I watched her. “According to this book, it took a Winter king of exceptional power.”

  I thought about Kellan, a gorgeous, proud man who stood at least six and a half feet tall, corded with muscle. None of my three fairy princes had a high opinion of him, but they all conceded that he could use magic like none other.

  Was he strong enough to command a bunch of werewolves as his slaves?

  Based on what I saw, yes. Unless a pack of wolves just suddenly decided to take the Autumn fairy prince, which was very uncharacteristic of them.

  Plus, I really wouldn’t put it past Kellan to pull some shit like that.

  “I think they have someone powerful enough,” I said softly.

  Blaize paled as she considered that. “Shit. So what we do next?”

  “You’re asking me?”

  She pointed to me. “Fairy hunter.”

  I flipped her off. “You’re the werewolf hunter.”

  She started laughing tiredly, combing her hand through her black and red hair. She shuffled her feet before resting her elbows on her knees and shaking her head. “Well, aren’t we a pair then? World’s worst supernatural hunters ever.”

  Despite my worry, I cracked a grin. This almost felt like old times. Except instead of Gracie, we had a wolf with us. But I missed this. Camaraderie with one of the few people who knew how fucked up our lives could get.

  My phone rang, and I froze, recognizing the ring tone. They’d called me in the past before, somehow getting my number from Drake. Those conversations never went very well, and I dreaded what they would say when I answered.

  “Whose ringtone The Imperial March from Star Wars?” Blaize asked.

  “Drake’s parents,” I muttered, picking it up. “They must be in our realm if they’re able to call me.”

  Just the worst luck ever. I’d been hoping to avoid contacting them at all, because as soon as they knew their son was kidnapped by werewolves, they’d unleash a war on the pack, destroying San Francisco. At the very least.

  If I talked to them, they’d know what happened. Then again, if I didn’t pick up, they’d send the entire Autumn Court to my apartment looking for him. Still the same outcome.

  Better answer, then.

  Fuck.

  “Hello, this is Cassidy,” I said with fake enthusiasm.

  “Cassidy.” It was a man on the other line, meaning that it was King Aelfdane, Drake’s father. Even worse than if it had been his mother, who I at least had a smile from once. No such luck from Aelfdane.

  “Hello there, Your Majesty,” I said, wondering how I should speak to him. I never picked that up from my three fairy princes—you don’t ever call your boyfriend “Your Highness” or “Your Majesty.” Even when you had three of them.

  “Where’s Drake?”

  His harsh words cut through me, and I flinched.

  “Your Majesty—” I started, hoping to soften the blow.

  “Where. Is. Drake?” Aelfdane asked, icily punctuating every word. “He hasn’t been answering our calls, and we need him to come home. Immediately.”

  I looked up to meet Blaize’s eyes, who watched me questioningly. Wolf’s lip curled, meaning that he could hear every word, but there wasn’t anywhere I could go in my apartment.

  “He’s busy,” I said finally.

  A pause. “You know what I dislike about humans, Cassidy Irons?” he rumbled, his voice vibrating through my teeth with his power. “You creatures are so bad at lying. One of the many reasons why I don’t approve of his little...charade with you and the other bastard princes.”

  I closed my eyes, and sucked in a deep breath through my nose. I literally bit my tongue to not spew a long line of curses and insults for his views of those I loved.

  It was hard to keep my mouth shut.

  “Now,” Aelfdane said, his voice lilting just a bit with sugary sweetness. “Where is Drake?”

  I steeled myself and groused. “He’s between my legs right now, fucking this human. In other words—busy.”

  Now there was shocked silence on the line. Blaize looked at me like I had just lit myself on fire, and with how hot my cheeks were, it certainly felt that way. I hurriedly licked my lips and turned away, unable to believe that I said that.

  Drake’s going to kill me for saying that. If I could get him back.

  “Well,” Aelfdane finally, his voice slightly strangled. “Have him call me back. Better yet, have him come home.”

  I shivered. “For what?”

  “None of your—”

  “Tell me, I’ll pass it on to him,” I lied. With my lewd comment earlier, I could probably get away with telling him the human realm’s sky was purple and he’d believe me enough to get me to stop talking.

  I heard Aelfdane’s sigh. “There’s a meeting. The Winter Court has summoned us for a challenge.”

  My ears perked at that. “Winter Court?”

  My mind reeled through a thousand different possibilities. I learned a long time ago that there were no such things as coincidences. If the Winter Court was summoning the courts, it had to be connected to Drake’s disappearance.

  “Just
be sure to pass it on to Drake,” Aelfdane said icily. “He’s needed at the court by time the moon is full.”

  The line went dead. The bastard didn’t even have the balls to tell me good-bye. I cursed as I looked down at the phone. I knew better than to call him back and demand answers. He was probably on his way back to the Autumn Court even now, out of cell phone reach.

  If only I could get a message out to Orin and Avery.

  “What is it?” Blaize asked. “You look like that didn’t go very well.”

  I shook my head, trying to calm my whirring thoughts. What did Aelfdane mean?

  I flipped through the book again—it turned out to be very helpful today—and I stopped on a page.

  “Fuck,” I muttered. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

  “What?”

  A slightly hysterical laugh escaped my throat as I read the passage that told me all I needed to know with too sparse of details. “Drake needs to be home by the full moon. The Winter Court has issued a challenge.” At my cousin’s blank look, I sighed. “They’re challenging the line of the Autumn Court by having a vote. And if Drake isn’t there, he’s a no-vote.”

  Blaize’s eyes narrowed. “And what happens with that?”

  I chewed on my bottom lip. “Unless it’s a unanimous no, the Winter Court will get the Autumn Court’s lands.”

  “That doesn’t seem right.”

  “Fairies don’t make a lot of sense.” I shuddered as I read another passage. “But according to this, it was meant to be a way of peacefully ceding power to the different courts. Fairies live so long, if one became crazed, then it was an easy way for them to usurp a ruler.”

  “That’s...screwed up…” Blaize admitted.

  No worse than our own government, I thought dryly. I glanced out my window, overlooking the sunset over San Francisco. “When’s the next full moon?”

  “Well, that’s one question I can answer,” Blaize said. “Two days. Why?”

  I stared at her, the icy fingers of dread making their way up my neck and nearly choking me. “Drake has to be back by the full moon. Or else the Winter Court will overtake the Autumn Court.”