Your Money's Worth: Seattle Elementals, Book 1

by Connie Suttle

  "But she's got scrapes and bruises," I began.

  "Which will heal fast if she goes to prelim. Problem solved."

  "Fuck," I breathed, rubbing my forehead with my free hand.

  "Parke, do you love her?"

  "I do, it's just that there are so many things in the way," I attempted to wriggle away from Mom's accusing tone.

  "Good. Go tell her, and follow that up with showing her that you love her. This is the worst honeymoon story I've ever heard."

  My head snapped up at that. Cassie wasn't getting any kind of a honeymoon. I'd just shoved her in the directions I wanted her to go and left it like that.

  "Has she handed your ring back?" Mom persisted.

  "No, I don't have it," I began.

  "Then she's giving you room to make this right. Go make it right, Parke, or I swear I won't cook for you for a year."

  "I'm on it," I said and ended the call. By the time I was out of my temporary office, I'd broken into a trot.

  * * *

  Cassie

  I felt much better the following morning—physically, anyway. With Gina's help, my wounds were more than half-healed. Parke hadn't come to the kitchen for coffee while I was there eating breakfast; Daniel slunk in and out as if he were guilty.

  In my opinion, he was more than guilty. He and Parke both. Rob finally pulled me away from my spot at the kitchen table, where I'd sat while sipping coffee and steeping myself in moroseness.

  I stood in Cliff's makeshift office in the empty game room. Cliff stood by the window, framed by the light filtering through plantation blinds, to survey the room and decide where he wanted his desk to go.

  "It won't matter where you put your desk if you get a non-glare computer monitor," I pointed out.

  "That's true," Rob agreed. "You could set it here," he indicated a space perpendicular to the windows, where Cliff could see the door and the view through the windows by a turn of the head.

  "File cabinets here," I pointed to the wall adjacent to the door. "What else do you want in your office?"

  "Sofa opposite the desk?" Cliff moved away from the window and went to stand against the designated wall.

  "Sure," I shrugged. "Leather, maybe? That would look good."

  "I need a spot where I can bring in the rest of my Pack, if necessary," Cliff said. "We can meet in here if we have to."

  That's when Parke blew into Cliff's domain like a tropical storm. Rob started to say something but I never heard his words; Parke's mouth was on mine before I could move a hand to stop him.

  The next thing I knew, Parke was kissing me while carrying me toward the back door. The moment he stepped onto the grass of the backyard, he went to prelim. Turn Cassie, his mental voice begged. I want to love you until we're exhausted.

  If my mind said no, it wasn't loud enough to make a difference. My body was speaking to Parke's, turning to prelim in his arms. He grunted in satisfaction. Who needs a ready-made demon hollow if a rock and fire demon roll on the backyard enough times to create their own?

  If some of the grass caught fire when flames licked from my prelim's skin during my first orgasm, I didn't really care. Park's rock demon prelim rolled over the small fires and put them out while he laughed.

  * * *

  Robin Newbourne

  "I may have been mistaken," I sighed and placed a cup of coffee at Cliff's elbow.

  "About what? Oh, they're starting up again."

  "About that. Who knew he'd come to his senses?" I asked, lifting my own cup and drinking. I'd added half a cup of Scotch to my coffee; I needed it, what with the sound of demon sex going on in the backyard.

  "I hope they don't intend to make that hollow a permanent one," Cliff muttered and drank his coffee.

  One of my eyebrows rose before I could stop it; Cassie's prelim was screaming Parke's name. A nonspecific deity's name may have been added to the mix, too. "When's the last time you had sex?" I asked.

  "Not for a while. Why? You asking?"

  "Hell no, I just wondered."

  "Got more of that Scotch?"

  "Yes."

  "Good," Cliff held out his cup. "Pour until I say stop."

  * * *

  Cassie

  "I love you," Parke breathed against a nipple before emphasizing his words with a firm nip.

  I was exhausted. He'd been right before—he'd loved both of us into exhaustion. There we were, too tired and sated to move, while in full view of anybody who thought to look through a window inside the house.

  Like our first time, too, we'd made enough noise for everybody to hear if they hadn't looked.

  "Should we be embarrassed?" I mumbled, my voice weak and soft.

  "Fuck no, I'm not embarrassed. I'm happy," Parke breathed against my neck before placing a kiss there. "Please say you won't leave me. I love you too much. It will destroy me."

  He should have said that in the beginning, but that was before we'd almost set the backyard on fire. I was willing to give him slack—this time.

  "How about probation?" I traced the ridge above his right eye—it was where an eyebrow would be if he were humanoid. In his prelim, it very much resembled the rock he could become.

  "I'll settle for probation, if we can sleep together every night."

  Also something he should have said in the beginning.

  "Then we'll do that," I sighed and closed my eyes. Sometime, while I drifted in and out of sleep, Parke carried me into the house and put me to bed. For the moment, I was happy.

  Chapter 12

  Parke

  "I don't have good news, I'm afraid," Prince Alfred informed me. I was showered, dressed and back in my office when he called.

  "What news is that?" I asked, mentally preparing myself for whatever he was about to say.

  "The poison has turned into a disease, like a time-released drug," Alfred informed me. "A hospital downriver from Tyree is filling up with patients. They don't know what to make of it—it's not any plague they've ever seen. The CDC has quarantined the place until they can identify and treat it, but I'm concerned people will die before that happens."

  "Not good. Have you seen any signs of Shakkor Agdah?"

  "None, but that means nothing if they can do this from the shadows. Remember, there were no human records of their involvement before; only those records the vampires, sprites and demons kept."

  "True. I have a vampire here, and he says something similar. I'll ask if there's a way to see his Council's records on the matter."

  "Chancellor, I believe that when Shakkor Agdah comes into the light, it will be far too late—for any of us."

  "Then we have to hunt them," I said. I already had a good place to start, too; Claude Ullery. "Call back if the situation worsens. In the meantime, put your best investigators and trackers on this. See if they left a trail."

  "I will. Thank you, Chancellor."

  I shouted for Daniel the moment Alfred ended the call.

  * * *

  Cliff

  Kent was on his way with Gina; it was a rare day off for him; I'd asked him to bring two more wolves from the Birmingham Pack, too, so we could sniff around Claude Ullery's house while he was at work.

  I'd heard the Chancellor bellowing for Daniel Frank; he and the investigator would go to Claude's office. That presented the perfect opportunity for anyone with a decent nose to trace comings and goings at the Ullery home while he was occupied elsewhere.

  They'd made a late appointment with Claude on some trumped up legal case; pretending to hire the asshole was as good a ruse as any. It also gave them time to get the vampire up and ready to go.

  A part of me wished to see Ullery squirm under compulsion, but knew my time would be better spent at his home.

  If Claude had demon visitors, my wolves and I would know it by scent. Rob offered to stay at the house, watching out for Cassie and Gina and preparing dinner. He'd also called the previous owner to find out who did their yard work; until demon sex had occurred in the backyard earlier, the lawn h
ad been perfect.

  I laughed when Rob said he wasn't touching that grass for any amount of money; half of it was burned, the other half ripped out and flung in every direction. The dirt beneath was flattened into a bowl-shape, like any demon hollow would be after several uses.

  Rob didn't have much experience with lawn sprinklers, either, and those would need work before they were turned on for the summer.

  "Their guy is coming by tomorrow," Rob walked past me as I pulled on a jacket. "They told me he'd lived in their boathouse before they sold the place, because he was their handyman, too. They gave him a big thumbs-up, and said he worked cheap, since they provided housing."

  "Trustworthy?" I asked, stuffing truck keys in my jacket pocket.

  "One hundred percent, according to them."

  "Good. Work it out," I waved a hand. "We have demons to hunt."

  * * *

  Parke

  Three werewolves and the healer drove up just as Trey, Daniel and I were ready to leave for our appointment. Cliff walked out of the house, leaving the door open for Gina to go inside.

  "Grand Master," one of the new werewolves dipped his head to Cliff.

  I went still.

  No wonder Shakkor Agdah was so interested in killing him. Things were starting to clear up on that front. It was something I probably should have known or guessed. We'd have a talk when I got back, I decided.

  It was never a good idea to piss off the Grand Master. Daniel whistled low after Cliff and his wolves loaded into his truck and drove away. "Never saw that coming," he mumbled and shook his head.

  "I knew it," Trey offered. "I thought you did, too."

  "Come on or we'll be late," I snapped. I was Chancellor, dammit. People needed to stop keeping secrets around me.

  * * *

  Cliff

  Claude's porch light was on. No surprise, it was dark outside. I'd parked two blocks away, in front of a house that was being renovated. A roll-off Dumpster was in the driveway, providing partial cover for the three wolves that spilled out of my truck.

  They'd turned to wolf on the drive to Claude's house, to leave their clothing inside the truck. It wouldn't do to be caught naked if we were stopped on the way back; it was werewolf 101 not to be seen in human form without clothing.

  Hastily shucking shoes, shirt and jeans, I opened the door before making the change. Truck keys were on the floor in front of the driver's seat, ready for a hasty exit if needed.

  My wolf closed the door with his muzzle once I slipped off the seat and onto the street.

  * * *

  Parke

  Claude's receptionist was working late, too. "Have a seat, he's on the phone," she smiled at us when we checked in. I used the time to send Jon a text at my office; he was keeping me abreast of my caseload and I was beginning to trust him to get necessary paperwork done and filed with the court clerk.

  He also had a knack for soothing clients; I'd spoken to two on the phone earlier in the day, after he'd calmed their fears concerning their cases.

  I hadn't told Cassie, yet, but I needed to fly back to Seattle in two days for a court appearance.

  "He'll see you now," the receptionist, a middle-aged woman with hair such an unnatural color it looked as if it had clawed its way out of a bottle to attack her head, led us toward Claude's office.

  "Hello," Claude's greeting was as false as his smile. "Claude Ullery," he shook with Daniel, first, as Daniel had gone ahead of me to provide protection.

  "Dan Githens," Dan supplied the alias we'd given on the phone.

  Trey held out his hand next. "Trey Githens," he said. "You will tell us everything we ask, and you will forget we were ever here afterward."

  * * *

  Cliff

  Kent crossed into the yard first, slipping from shadow to shadow to hide his presence from Claude's neighbors. Claude lived on two acres of ground, but reported sightings of four large wolves or giant dogs in the neighborhood could bring the local police.

  We didn't want that. I wanted to sniff around, learn what I could and then beat a path back to the truck. I didn't trust Claude for a second; his smell alone could make any werewolf gag.

  It was my decision to divide the yard into quarters and assign those quarters to my posse. I took the quarter closest to the front door; the others spread out silently, heading for their own area.

  Claude's walkway curved from the driveway to the front door; decorative shrubs and dead or dormant flowers filled flowerbeds lining the walk.

  I supposed I should feel grateful that it was winter and the plant was dry and withered; instead of making me ill, it made me sneeze.

  And sneeze again.

  Aconitum Lycoctonum—wolfsbane. Claude had planted wolfsbane around his house, preventing exactly what I intended to do; sniff around his house for clues. In the distance, I heard Kent begin to sneeze, and then the other two.

  We needed to get out fast; the neighbors could be calling the police already. With a nasal-clogged yip, I let the others know to get the hell away.

  When three sets of paws hit the driveway and scrabbled toward the street, I turned and ran after them. Claude shouldn't have been smart enough to plant wolfsbane.

  Dalton and Morton King, however, would likely know exactly what to plant and where to plant it. Forced to breathe through my mouth, I raced as swiftly and silently as I could toward the truck, determined to get my people away before all hell broke loose.

  * * *

  Parke

  "Recognize this man? Word has it you passed a package to him recently in a local restaurant," Trey held Dalton King's photograph in Claude's face.

  "S-Steve Killborn," Claude hissed.

  An alias, Trey's voice whispered in my mind. It was rare for vampires to mindspeak; it only made me blink as I registered the words.

  "Who gave you the package to deliver to Steve?" Trey almost hissed the name.

  "Ray—uh, Ross' brother," Claude was sweating. At least he knew Ray, who hadn't bothered with an alias. It didn't matter, Ray was dead and of no use to us.

  "What was in that package?" Trey demanded.

  "I don't know. I was told not to open it or I could die."

  "But it was all right to carry it around in an envelope?"

  "Ray said it was safe that way," Claude whined. "I didn't handle it much."

  "How much were you paid for the delivery?"

  "Wasn't paid," Claude's voice betrayed disappointment. "Favor owed to Ross," he babbled.

  "For what, exactly?"

  "Hiding bodies." Claude shrank away from Trey as the vampire hissed in his face.

  I turned to blink at Daniel, who was just as stunned as I was.

  "A list of names, please," Trey pulled a legal pad and pen toward Claude. "Start writing. Who did you kill and where are they now?"

  "I don't know where they are," Claude's hand shook as he began to write. "Ross disposed of them."

  "Bloody, fucking hell," I breathed. The questioning had taken a turn I didn't like, and we still had nothing new on Dalton and Morton King.

  * * *

  Cassie

  Cliff, Kent and two other werewolves in human form walked into the house, all breathing through their mouths, their faces looking as if someone had punched them multiple times.

  They were puffy and purplish, especially around the nose and eyes. "Wolfsbane," Gina cursed the word and went to Kent, first. "Ice," she snapped at Rob and me. "Wrap it in towels. We have to get the swelling down before it spreads."

  While Rob and I handed towels filled with ice to werewolves to hold against their faces, Gina dug through her cloth bag of medicines until she found what she wanted.

  "Benadryl?" I stared skeptically at the box of human antihistamine in her hand.

  "It works, but it has to be in larger doses," she said, working to pop the pills out of the plastic and foil packets.

  I worked on a second packet while she did the first. "Six each, to start," she slammed pills in front of Kent while
Rob served him a glass of water. He was gasping for breath by that time; I was beginning to be afraid.

  More pills were handed to the others who took them quickly, between rasping breaths. No wonder they called it wolfsbane; even when the plant was dead it had a terrible effect.

  "I have no idea why they couldn't smell it until they were right on top of it," Gina muttered, placing the ice pack against Kent's face after he swallowed the pills.

  "It could be spelled to do that," Rob said, setting Kent's empty glass in the sink.

  "By whom?" Gina lifted her head. Flashing eyes betrayed her anger; not at Rob, but at the idea that someone could casually kill a werewolf by muting the scent of wolfsbane until it was too late.

  "Who are we currently fighting that can cast spells?" Rob lifted an eyebrow.

  "Shakkor Agdah," Gina muttered and went back to tending Kent.

  "You okay?" I lifted Cliff's ice pack away from his eyes and nose.

  "Hope so," he croaked. I could tell he wanted to say more, but his condition prevented it.

  "Cover up," I tipped the pack over his face again. Like Cliff, I wanted to curse Claude Ullery. If this had been springtime and those plants in bloom, Cliff and the others would be dead already.

  * * *

  Parke

  "Cliff and the others tripped over wolfsbane before they could smell it," Cassie informed me. "Claude was worried the werewolves would come. If the plants weren't dead, we'd have dead werewolves. They all had severe allergic reactions anyway; that's why Cliff can't talk right now."

  "Could this night get any worse?" I raked fingers through my hair.

  "What happened?" Cassie asked, concern in her voice.

  "I'm fine," I reassured her. "It's just that Claude is being booked into the county jail—on multiple murder charges. He's been killing and paying Ross to hide the bodies—in exchange for favors, now and then."

  "What kind of favors?"

  "Like taking a package from Ray and handing it to your grandfather."

  "Oh."

  I realized I shouldn't have said grandfather; I should have said Dalton King, so Cassie could have some separation from the criminal elements in her family.