by D D Mathews
Before Tamara could add some comment, Nox knocked on the office door.
“Come in,” Nuri said. Tamara tensed up.
Nox entered in a brisk manner, placed a folder on the desk and stood at relaxed attention, saying nothing. Nuri opening the folder, letting Tamara see everything she saw. The folder was a simple report about gang crime in Krakow. It looked like two men had been murdered, quite gruesomely. Nuri, before her change, would have balked and pushed away the photos, now she knew with a hundred percent certainty she could have killed with more brutality. The information was clear and direct, clearly Nox wrote it.
Nuri had learned soon after joining her Were sisters that they were manipulating politics in the city including dangerous human criminals. Nuri was shocked at first. Her overly cautious aunt hung out with the worst criminals in Krakow. Now she knew her initial worry was foolish, her aunt was a werewolf and these criminals were frail men.
Tamara pointed out a name, Piotr Kozlow. He moved things around Krakow and Poland, quite the smuggler. The clan used his services often. Nox was point when dealing with him, but Nuri suspected Tamara or Gretchen worked with him somehow as well. He also seemed to be the main suspect of these murders.
“Do we know either victim?” Tamara asked.
“Lowlifes from out of town, possibly competitors. Most likely a smuggling deal gone bad.“
Tamara nodded slightly to Nox and she returned a nod. Nuri noticed, but let it go. If they wanted to keep something secret, fine, for now. Nox left as suddenly as she entered. The woman was hard, obviously. However, since her combat lesson, she was also respectful. Nox demanded her leader, her duchess to be strong and cruel if needed. And Nuri had proved herself capable. No need to talk about, teach it again, or dwell on what it might mean for either of them. Nox wasn’t simple; she just saw the world in harsh blacks and whites.
“What should we do with Mr. Kozlow?” Tamara asked.
“Nothing, it’s below us at the moment. We should keep interacting with him when we need him. And let him do his thing as long as our relationship stays the same. And more importantly, ensure our true identities stay hidden. It would be nice to know a little more information to see if there is any trouble on the horizon.“
Tamara nodded in agreement. Another knock at the door put an end to the discussion.
“Come in,” Nuri said.
Justine entered with a flourish. She carried a tray with coffee and cups with sugar and milk. She busied herself setting everything up while speaking constantly, “I’ve been working on a couple of those old contacts you wanted me to try, Tamara. So far I’ve been unsuccessful tracking down any of those names, but I have some new contacts who might point us in the correct direction. I made this from those beans we got from that Russian girl, what was her name? She was with the Ukrainians, I think. She has the green stripe in her hair. What was her name? Anyways she said this gift would help relax you. And I can smell in here a little relaxing coffee might help. Who wants sugar?“
Nuri nodded yes as did Tamara. The domination of the conversation continued as Justine babied them both. “A little sugar and a little cream too, I think. I wanted to also tell you, Nuri, that Gretchen is busy this evening so you’ll be on your own finding food. But you’re a big girl now, aren’t you? You’ll be fine, I assured her. That sweet girl worries too much. In a few days, I should have some numbers we can call to further our plans. But right now I think you both need a little talking to. You both need to fix this thing going on between you, it’s affecting everybody. Gretchen is worried about putting a single foot wrong with either of you. And Nox is the angriest I’ve ever seen; more so than when her ex-girlfriend was attacked. Tamara, you remember that right. She was impossible to live with, now is worse. I know you both are having some issues, but guess what,” Justine’s sweet grandmother façade broke and she hopped up and down, yelling, “I don’t care, Fucking fix it!”
She left without serving the cups of coffee she had prepared. It was a stark reminder others were being affected by the leadership struggle between Nuri and Tamara.
“Duchess,” Tamara started. It was the first time she had called Nuri by the title. “I’m sorry. You should lead the Rite of Judgement. It makes sense to make the change formally for everyone, including us.“
“I’m sorry too, sister. I know I wouldn’t be here without your guidance and I still need it. I will be a better student.“
Tamara collected up the two cups of coffee and handed a cup to her niece. Tamara took a full gulp and instantly started coughing. She hollered out the open office door, “Jesus, Justine! The coffee is half whiskey.” She finished coughing as Justine laughed maniacally from the front room.
***
Colin was having second thoughts about dinner with Ryan and his family as he strode up the dirt road to their farmhouse a few miles outside of Dublin. His father had dropped him off with a bunch of flowers for Maire Riley. He wore his best clothes, which weren’t much. At least they were clean. He had no idea what was about to happen. He knocked on the door.
Chaos erupted. He heard at least two dogs and maybe a dozen voices. Some hollered, “He’s here,” and “Get the door,” and “I’ll get it.” The wall of sound was overwhelming. When the door finally opened, Colin was met by four Rileys and a mutt. The dog started sniffing around his crotch.
Phillip was the youngest, while Ryan was the same age as Colin. Colin believed the rest of the Riley children were older but not by much. He recognized Phillip and his older sister Breena and the oldest brother Daniel. The other girl, Colin didn’t know. Two more Riley girls emerged with Mrs. Riley in the background; Colin didn’t know either of their names. They all had the same dark hair and brown eyes, except for one girl near her mother who had bright green eyes. The onslaught of sound before the door opened was nothing compared to after it was opened. Mostly what Colin heard were welcoming words like “Hello,” and “Come in,” along with a dozen questions. He couldn’t answer the first before the next was lobbed at him.
The other girl at the door introduced herself, “I’m Blair, you fought very well.” It was the only thing he heard from her with all the other voices.
“How did it feel to win all the contests?” asked Phillip.
The girl with green eyes asked, “How did you beat that witch Colleen?” Her question created an argument between her and another voice from around the corner of the hall.
Breena guided Colin past the kitchen, which was open, into a den, while asking, “Are you really going to Scandinavia?”
Another Riley girl appeared holding hands with another Were, Colin didn’t know. She introduced herself and her male friend, “I’m Haley, and this is Tybalt O’Rinn. Do you know the O’Rinns?“
“I met Juliet and I kind of spoke to Rosaline on the phone,” was the first question Colin answered which started another barrage of unanswered questions and arguments.
“I don’t like Juliet, she talks too much,” said one girl, while a male voice said, “Rosaline’s okay when Juliet isn’t around.”
Followed by another girl who added, “Or boys.” The Rileys laughed. Colin snickered too.
“It will be nice to have a friend amongst these crazy Rileys,” Tybalt said over the laughter. A couple wadded up napkins, including a wet one, tossed from the kitchen hit Tybalt in the chest and face. The playful chaos was like nothing Colin had ever seen.
The green-eyed girl introduced herself and her sister, “I’m Fiona and this is Kennedy, we’re twins. She’s the shy one.” Kennedy waved as she hid behind her mother.
“Thank you for inviting me over Mrs. Riley, my Da had me bring a gift.” Colin held out the flowers for his host. Breena grabbed them and handed them to Fiona who passed them to Kennedy who handed them to her mother. The movement took half a second and Maire Riley sniffed the flowers.
“Thank you, Colin. And thank your father for me. Here Kenny put these in the vase on the table.”
Kennedy took back the flowers and started her task. T
he dizzying chaos started again when the entire family swirled around each other. Breena held tight to Colin and led him past the kitchen into the den. It wasn’t spacious but had a couple of chairs and an oversized sectional sofa. A little hearth was on one side of the room with a family photo above it. Tybalt and Haley moved aside. Another wet napkin hit Tybalt so he went after Phillip who he assumed threw it. Fiona followed Colin talking almost as much as Juliet, which Haley mentioned which caused a little shoving match between Fiona and Haley.
Daniel broke it up after a moment while asking, “How did you get Colleen to morph? Before her match with Ryan I was fairly certain no one could beat her and after what she did to my brother I was dead certain she was going to wallop you, no offense.”
Breena held him as they sat down on the sofa and she added, “She is a cold cold fish.”
Phillip asked, “Yeah, how did you do it?“
“I’m not sure…” Colin started as the room became quiet for the first time since he knocked on the front door. A dog barked setting off the other dog at the same moment the front door burst open again, Ryan and his father Brian entered.
Colin only heard Mr. Riley’s voice from around the corner, “This can’t be my house. It’s way too quiet.“
Colin heard Ryan complain before the crashing wave of his family smashed into him and his dad. Breena let go and rushed to her dad along with Kennedy, Phillip, and Haley. Tybalt stayed with Colin while Fiona took the absence of her sister Breena to slip next to Colin, taking his hand. Brian walked into the kitchen, he was a big man who dwarfed the rest of his family, only Ryan and Colin were near his height, but he out weighted them both by double. He gave his wife a kiss on the lips which the room mocked or acted disgusted. Brian didn’t care.
“Has the MacDermott lad arrived?“
“He’s in the living room,” Maire said which was echoed by Phillip and Haley.
“He might be a bit overwhelmed, dear,” Maire added before sending her husband along into the living room.
Colin tried to stand, but Brian waved him off and Fiona held him firmly to the sofa.
“Thank you for inviting me into your home sir. You have a pretty piece of land out here.“
“Wasn’t my idea, son. My wife and daughters conspired against me. I was afraid they would murder me in my sleep if I didn’t give in.“
A choir of girls yelled, “Da, Stop it,” in an almost sing-song way.
“Sure, it was my idea to invite the only winner of the Ephemeris in seven generations. You all know how crazy for the boys I am,” Brian said sarcastically.
The vile looks he received from every girl in the house should have stopped his heart.
Speaking up, Colin hoped to change the subject, “Big news with the Flannigan and O’Rinn marriage. I’ve never been to a Were wedding.“
Haley had returned from greeting her father and sat down with Tybalt, “We’re also getting married,” she said beaming.
“Maybe,” added her mother from the kitchen.
Fiona asked, bluntly, “Are you thinking about getting married, Colin?“
Colin started coughing.
“He might not quite be ready lass,” laughed Brian with most of the men.
Ryan finally entered the living room. He didn’t laugh at his father’s joke while fingering his deformed ear. The mood got tense. Even though Ryan and Colin hadn’t completed directly in any event, Ryan still held contempt for Colin. Before, Colin had thought all Rileys were like Ryan, but clearly he was the black sheep of the Rileys.
“I see you’ve made yourself at home MacDermott,” Ryan said snidely.
Still smiling, Brian cautioned his youngest son, “He’s our guest and you know how important this is to your Ma. Right, Ryan?“
“Yeah Da, I know,” sullenly he answered and sat down on the opposite side of the room, by himself. He watched everything but said nothing.
“Are you ready for Sweden?” Brian asked Colin. “That’s very exciting. Off on a foreign adventure. Blair and Daniel went on foreign adventures at about your age. Where did you each go?“
On top of each other, they answered and the tense feeling Ryan brought into the room disappeared, “New York City and Boston,” said Daniel while Blair said, “I went to Berlin and Prague.“
Conversations broke out between everyone. Everyone tried to include Colin and he was asked dozens of questions. He heard bits about Prague, rumors about Killian, a snippet of Tybalt talking about falling in love with Haley, a nasty thing Breena said about Ariel O’Rinn, a bit of advice from Brian about Vikings, a weird joke about another clan of Weres, and many compliments about Maire’s cooking. Colin hadn’t been invited into other Were families before this. The only one he remembered was Colleen’s and that was more of an obligation than an invitation.
After talking and laughing with the Riley’s, the entire mob moved into the dining room which was two mismatched tables snug into a long room at the rear of the house. Maire and her girls carried the food from the kitchen in a choreographed dance, while the men took up every other seat. Ryan sat as far from Colin as possible, oddly Brian sat opposite Colin leaving a chair next to him at the corner. After the food was set, the girls sat and Maire took her seat at the head next to her twins, Kennedy and Fiona. Fiona sat next to Colin, while Breena took the seat on his other side. Tybalt and Haley sat together.
Grace was said before the food was served, exchanged, moved, and handed over, and moved again. The chaos of this home was friendly and fun, they never took anything too personal. It was different and Colin liked it. Even the overwhelming pressure from the Riley girls was playful and friendly. They took it seriously, between each other, but no one else did. He didn’t encourage anything, he didn’t know how to and they didn’t need it. After food and some parlor games, the evening came to a conclusion. Colin said goodbye to everyone there, hugs and handshakes were exchanged. A couple of the girls goosed him when the others couldn’t see. He even shook hands with Ryan who had thawed some. It was a good night.
***
Colin walked north past Trinity College, dozens of people moved in random patterns like bees. Most of the people looked like tourists from one place or another. He used Fleet Street to get to O’Connell and marched over the quay to meet Mandy.
He had asked his dad and granddad about girls. His father mentioned girls loved to laugh and his grandfather said girls like strong men. Along with American movies teaching him to buy her something he was sure he had no idea how to act.
Colin saw the Spike up ahead. It was a modern art thing, beyond Colin’s understanding, just like girls. Mandy was a nice girl, but was she more than that? Was Mr. Nygaard’s daughter the one for him or some other girl he hadn’t met yet? Would he know who was right for him when he saw her or was it more complex than that?
As he came closer to the giant silver spire, he saw Mandy. He held his hand up to his mouth, breathed out hard and sniffed his own breath. Everything smelled okay.
She saw him and approached carrying two bags. One was from the Gap, another was from a store he didn’t know. She smiled at him and took his hand. She didn’t say a word and started guiding him through the shopping district. She smelled like moss and ointment. He felt safe with her. Maybe she was right for him.
“Thank you for helping me with this,” Colin said, “I don’t know anything about clothes.“
“That’s okay.“
“I don’t…I’m not even sure what would impress a McCarthy.“
“Nothing impresses Colleen. Don’t even bother,” Mandy said with a smirk.
“I meant her grandmother.”
“Oh.”
“What do you mean by oh?” he asked.
“Nothing,” changing the topic she explained, “My mother says clothes tell a story. If you want people to believe you belong somewhere, wear the right clothes.“
“What kind of story?” he asked.
“If you want to look confident, you must dress confidently and look comforta
ble. If you want to hide and protect yourself, the clothes might be darker or black. If you want to attract attention…”
“I didn’t mean those things I said during instigator boxing,” Colin said interrupting her.
Mandy stopped and stared at him. After a pause she said, “I know. But to make it up to me you must tell me what you said to Colleen to get her to Pop.“
Colin still didn’t know how to tell the story about how he got under Colleen’s skin. He knew she wouldn’t like him talking about it. It felt like a secret between them. Even though he was comfortable with Mandy, he still deflected, “I never liked Colleen, but she must be under a lot of pressure. Imagine if Sarah McCarthy was your guardian.” Colin fake shivered as they started walking hand in hand down the street. “I still can’t believe everything that happened. It still seems like a dream. Hell, last night I ate with the Rileys and it was fun. I don’t know if I should say this or if you’ll understand. Growing up MacDermott, I felt like dirt, less than dirt. I didn’t feel any clan loyalty, but now it’s different somehow. I thought I knew my place, now I’m certain I don’t know my place at all.” Colin dumped all of his thoughts out at Mandy who calmly listened. She squeezed his hand and he turned to look at her. She placed her finger to his lips and shushed him.
“I think we should start with the clothes basics.“
Colin had forgotten why he was here, “Right, clothes basics.“
Mandy looked into Colin’s eyes as innocent as a babe, “Do you wear boxers or briefs?“
Colin stammered and blushed, which made Mandy smile again.
“You can buy your own underwear you silly dog,”
They ate lunch together, shopped all afternoon, and talked a lot. Colin used some of his funds to buy underclothes, a dozen shirts, a couple pairs of pants, two suits, a nice pair of dress shoes and proper socks. He even remembered to buy Mandy a gift while she was off getting something for her mother. He purchased a nice silver makeup case. They had returned to the Spike as the evening sun turned the sky purple.
“Thank you for helping me with all of this. I wanted to give you a gift.” He handed her the shopping bag with the silver treasure inside, “I thought you could use it for your healing things, gauze and stuff. I never would have survived the Ephemeris without you.“
