by Holley Trent
He couldn’t take that stare. He always felt like she was seeing right through him and that she knew too much. Citlali had never looked at him that way. In fact, she’d never looked at him like she really saw him.
Being seen was a scary thing.
He looked down at his boots.
Punk.
“The Shadow seemed to be suggesting that what we need to watch out for is Necalli directing Los Impostores to get up close and personal with people we know,” Hannah said.
“Meaning?” Mason asked.
“Meaning, you’re talking to a woman who looks like Hannah right now, but I may not be Hannah.”
“Pretty sure you’re Hannah,” Tito said.
“How do you know?”
“I just do.”
The same way Ma always did.
Hannah’s presence and aura was distinctively Cougar … and distinctively Hannah. Even if he hadn’t known her well, he’d still know she wasn’t an outsider.
“Okay. I won’t debate your magic. Maybe you know, but maybe they wouldn’t.”
He looked up and saw her point to her brothers-in-law. “I see what you’re getting at.”
“All they need to do is create the illusion of safety. We let down our guards and separate ourselves during the course of normal day-to-day business, and they can infiltrate us and get closer and closer to who Necalli wants.”
“That’s why you told Sean you wouldn’t leave the ranch,” December said.
Hannah nodded. “Sean’s my mate and we’re psychically connected in ways I can’t explain. If he’s standing far enough away from me, I may not be able to quickly discern that he’s not an impostor, but they’re not going to make trouble from far away. They need to get close. If what The Shadow told me is true, all the shit they’ve been doing before now has just been noise—scare tactics so we prepare to fight in all the wrong ways. What’ll be hard is for those of us who don’t have extra bonds to prove we are who we say we are. I’m only connected to Cougars, so if something’s weird about Miles or Ellery, I’d need some other way of knowing the truth of them.”
“You’ve still got a huge advantage over most of us,” Mason said. “I may be Alpha, but I’m not linked to the glaring that way. The group’s leader has always relied on his mate to network and pass on information about the glaring’s wellbeing. Would I be able to tell Ellery apart from a bullshitter? Fuck yeah. But maybe Fake Ellery talks to someone who can’t tell that her energy isn’t quite right, and that person falls for whatever lies Los Impostores spew, and they get under our noses without us knowing? They wanted to take this group last year, and I’m sure they’d love to try again. I don’t want to risk that. My duty is to take care of the people in this glaring, and I don’t want even one scared that something else bad might happen to them. They’ve been through enough shit in the past few years. Things were getting better.”
“Maybe we should call Ellery in on this,” Hank said. “She and the rest of the coven might be able to devise some sort of spell that can help us distinguish friend from foe.”
“I don’t even have that kind of magic,” Tito said, “and we’re talking about my cousin. Also, Los Impostores have always had very neutral auras. That’s the way they were created. Helps them slip in and out of the shifter groups they try to take over. They weren’t designed to do that, though. Uncle meant for them to be in discreet service to people, but his witch didn’t like that, I guess. By the time anyone knows something’s not right about them, they’ve already taken over.”
“Why bring magic into the conversation?” December asked.
Everyone turned to her.
She put up her hands. “Okay. Look. I’m the newbie here, and maybe I don’t know enough about the backstory to even qualify to wear the dunce hat, but maybe me not knowing enough helps me think in different ways.”
“Go on. We’re listening,” Hannah said.
“Okay. When I was little,” December said, “my mother used to take my sister and me to this really crowded amusement park every summer. She always assumed we’d get separated. Of course she tried to prevent that from happening, but I think she knew that eventually, one of us would wander too far and get swept away by a group that wasn’t ours. She wanted to make sure we could easily recognize each other, even from a distance, so she bought us neon-colored shirts, and we’d all wear the same one. That made us all easy to see, even when I was less than four feet tall. I’m not suggesting you have everyone in the glaring wear the same shirt, of course. But there’s got to be some simple, non-magic way to know in an instant who belongs to you.”
No one spoke for a moment, and Tito’s silence was probably for a different reason than the Foyes’. While they were likely wondering what that thing could be that would keep them from trusting liars, Tito was wondering why he hadn’t seen December’s capacity before. She wasn’t just pretty and sweet. She didn’t just soothe his frayed nerves and feel so damn good just to stand near. She brought unique perspectives into the glaring—an outsider with no magic of her own, but who’d been raising a demigoddess without knowing.
Her being his mate wasn’t just about Tito—her role was just as much about the people he’d chosen to put around him as a sort of family. She’d have to take care of them just like he would, and she actually had the capacity. For as much as he’d loved his wife, she hadn’t had the capacity.
She wasn’t supposed to.
“Maybe you could have more than one layer of proof,” December said. “Obviously, you can look at each other, and sense each other in ways I’ll probably never understand. Maybe also have specific things we can say to each other, or questions we can ask that won’t arouse anyone’s suspicions.”
“So anyone on the outside of our posse wouldn’t know they’re being tested,” Tito said.
“Exactly.”
“We can figure something out,” Hannah said. “I’ll text Steven and see what he’s got to weigh in. He’s good at thinking outside the box.”
Tito rubbed his chin and swiveled in the chair he’d commandeered. “He’s also good at sensing entities that aren’t human. Might not be a bad idea to pair folks who have extra senses up with folks who don’t. Tell folks to clump.”
“Not like there’s a Were-Cougar email group we can blast that shit out to,” Hank said. “How do you propose we deliver all this information?”
Mason gave his brother’s back a hard slap and reached for the phone December was guarding. “We do this the old-fashioned way.” Mason dialed a number Tito thought was Mrs. Foye’s. “We’ll call the Sentries and let them do the footwork. They should probably start with the old ladies.”
Old ladies.
Tito closed his eyes and curled his fingers tightly against his palms.
Old ladies.
For the rest of his life, that phrase would probably trigger memories of goddesses circling around the calpulli to erase and leave nothing behind—not even ghosts of the victims.
At the press of cool hands to his cheeks, he opened his eyes and found December staring up at him with her brow furrowed.
“You’re vibrating,” she whispered.
“What do you mean?”
“Almost too fast to see. Like you’re going to disappear.”
“I’m not going to disappear.”
“Are you sure?”
He wrapped his fingers around her wrists and pressed kisses to each of her hands. “Yeah. I guess, for once, I’m pretty sure.”
Mason set down the phone. “Mom’s gonna call the Sentries first, and then the witches and see if they can lend a hand.”
“Smart. In spite of my cousin’s descent from a witch, Los Impostores in general try to avoid them.”
“Most shifters avoid witches,” Mason said. “No one was more surprised than I was that my mate was one.”
“What is it about them?” December asked.
“Their energy is colder and hard to be around sometimes, depending on what kind of witch you’re dealing
with.”
“But you and Ellery get on fine?”
“Yeah, but not without some effort. We try to keep our tempers from flaring too much when we’re in the same space, or else we could accidentally create weather events.”
He wasn’t exaggerating. There’d been far more dust storms on the ranch since Ellery had arrived, but so far, everyone had been careful not to state that observation in front of either of them.
December narrowed her eyes and peered at Tito. “What kind of witch was your cousin’s mother?”
She asks all the right questions.
It was like she was looking at a crossword puzzle from a different angle and saw words that he couldn’t.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’ll ask Ma. If she doesn’t know, I guess I can ask Uncle.”
She giggled and pulled him along to the door by the hand. “Uncle Shadow.”
“Yeah, well. We try not to evoke the true names of gods. Usually not a good idea.”
“So your mother’s name really isn’t Lola?”
“Nope. And where are we going?” He was just moving along, going where she led him, and maybe that was for the best.
“We’re going to town to knock on doors. Can’t leave all the work to the Sentries.”
“Technically, I’m a Sentry. I’ve just been less active in the glaring since I took the new job. This shit with Nec is important, but I’ve gotta go to work, at least to clock in. Can’t take off, and besides—I don’t want him to get suspicious that my routine has changed.”
“So we’ll hit everyone on your patrol route and others when you’re on break. You’re allowed to do ride-alongs, right?”
“Well, yeah. Sometimes.”
“I’m just riding along.” She pulled open the passenger door of Tito’s truck and climbed up into the seat. Over his shoulder, she called out, “You’ll call me when you figure out how you’ll I.D. folks?”
Hannah sidled around Tito and leaned into the truck doorway. “Yeah. Keep your phone charged. We’ll probably have the system worked out before you get back to town.” She gave Tito’s arm a hard poke.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“Find Miles and Ellery first and make sure they don’t get diverted. They’re at work. Make sure whomever you’re talking to knows the score. Ask them if they’ve talked to me and see what they say.”
“Come on, give me some credit. I haven’t forgotten about the girlies just that fast.”
“I would do it myself.”
“Sean wouldn’t want that.”
“Which is why I said would, not will.” She twirled the end of her long blond braid around her index finger and blew a raspberry. “I’m not gonna drive him to an early heart attack like his father had.”
Hannah headed back toward the workshop with her phone pressed to her ear, and Tito shut the truck door.
By the time he got around to the other side and put a foot up to climb in, December’s expression of cautious optimism had faded.
She swiped her thumb across the screen of her phone and shook her head.
“Dee, what’s wrong? Cruz okay?”
“I … I don’t know. I just got a weird text from my sister.”
He slid the key into the ignition and got the old truck cranking. “What do you mean, weird? Like, gibberish? Accidental typing because the phone’s in her pocket, or whatever?”
“No. She said our mother sent her a freaky text message saying that after all these years, she’d hope I’d say hello in other ways than smashing out her car windows. She was going to call the cops.”
“What?”
“Look.” She held the phone screen toward Tito. There was a picture of December, baseball bat mid-swing in front of a newer sedan’s headlights.
“I shouldn’t have to ask, but—”
“That wasn’t me!”
“Shit.” Tito put the truck in gear and spun tires trying to turn out of the Woodworks lot. “Ma was right. We’re over here spinning our wheels, and they’ve found a smarter way to lure you out.”
“I need to go to Rhode Island.”
“Nah, Dee, you don’t need to go to Rhode Island right now, not if one of those fools is waiting for you to turn up there. I know you’re aching to go home, but by the time all is said and done, maybe the car will seem unimportant in the scheme of things, but you need to wait and let me find out for sure where her head’s at. I don’t want you to get your hopes up that she’s gonna be nice once that guy’s out.”
“What are you talking about? We were talking about my mother’s car.”
Shit.
He pounded the steering wheel, and then gripped it tight. “Look, I didn’t want to say nothing with all the other mess going on. We were going to fix things, but hadn’t had a chance yet.”
“Fix what? Why are you talking in riddles?”
“Tarik. When Tarik went to check on your folks, he found out something unsettling.”
“He told you about my family? I asked you countless times if you’d heard anything and you said nothing. Are you trying to hide things from me, or are you afraid I’ll grab up Cruz and go home without a word?”
“No! It wasn’t like that. I hate to say ‘I told you so’ about shit like this, but I was right. There’s bad stuff happening in that house. There are entities in the household who thrive on negativity. They sow hatred and I guess hate tastes best when families are torn apart.”
“Oh my God, what’s happening in my parents’ house?”
“I think you know who the problem is.” He careened around an armadillo as he turned off the ranch drive onto the county road. The truck was kicking up so much dust he couldn’t tell if he was successful in avoiding it. He had too many other things to freak out about, than whether or not he’d provided dinner for the local scavengers.
“My uncle?”
“Yeah. He ain’t who he says. He’s … a demon. We were going to deal with him.”
“A demon? I—” She growled. “You didn’t think that was a big deal? You didn’t think I had the right to know?”
“Yeah, actually, I did.”
“You knew if you told me, I’d go home.”
“Well, no, I’m not particularly geeked out about the thought of my mate trekking halfway across the country, but that’s not the only reason.”
“That wasn’t your choice to make.”
“Why are you using that tone on me? I’ve been doing nothing but giving you choices. Choice after choice for six years. You yelled at me about that, remember?”
“This is a hell of a lot different than you not telling me you got cold feet because you were a demigod with baggage and commitment issues.”
And here we go.
“That … is not fair, Dee,” he said through clenched teeth.
Tito gripped the steering wheel even tighter and kept his foot pressed to the gas. If he let go—if he stopped the truck—he’d get out and run, and that would be exactly what she expected him to do because she was right. He was fucked up and had issues. He wasn’t going to run anymore, though. That cat seared into his forearm served as a powerful reminder of why he shouldn’t. Ma hadn’t said that his job would be easy, only that it was his.
“Honesty’s not fair? Well, then I don’t know what to tell you. I’m never going to lie to you, Tito. I don’t have that drive in me, and I don’t like carrying the guilt around. You had no right to keep that from me.”
“I admit that I should have told you, but I worried about the circumstance breaking your heart. I was trying to protect you in one of the small ways I could, because you’ve been through so much, too. You can even include me in that accounting of too much, and I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing. I can’t take it anymore.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that you have to allow me to fall apart if I need to. I have ways of putting myself back together. I always have. You’re so worried about protecting me from what you are, that you won’t stop to re
member that I can handle you. Haven’t I shown that?”
“You have, and I know you can.”
“Obviously you don’t, or you would have told me what Tarik found out.”
“I’m a demigod, not a saint. I’m not perfect. My head’s a mess, I’ve got more magic ping-ponging around in me than I know what to do with right now, and I suspect my little girl has her shit together better than I do. Don’t know if you know this, but that’d fuck any guy up. I don’t want to be this, Dee. I don’t know how to be everything everyone wants to be, but I’m trying. That’s all I can do. I swear, I’m trying.”
“Tito … ” She blew out an exasperated breath and reached across the seat, grabbing his thigh. “You trying is more than I expected.”
“But you came anyway.”
“Because—”
“You didn’t have a choice. I know.”
“Neither of us did, but I’m okay with that. Just tell me things. I’m more scared when I don’t know.”
“I know that feeling.”
He let his foot up off the gas a bit and wrapped his hand around hers. The speed getting into town probably didn’t matter. They would need to regroup, anyway, and cast a farther net.
He’d have to take her home, and not to Tucson. They had a mess to clean up in Rhode Island, and family to draw into the chaotic magic world along with December. Keeping them ignorant was dangerous and reckless, and he’d do anything spare his mate any more heartache.
He’d just hoped that December’s family would recover and that she could have them back. He’d spent too many years on the outs with his mother, and every single one had hurt.
He didn’t want December’s last memories of her parents to be of them casting her away. No one deserved that.
chapter SEVENTEEN
“What’s he gonna owe you for this?” December asked Tarik. He’d done Tito and her the “favor” of teleporting them to Rhode Island, and he was nowhere near as gentle with it as Tamatsu … and Tamatsu hadn’t been at all gentle. She felt as though she’d hit the surface of water, hard and facedown, from a thousand feet up.
