Pack of Freaks: Beasts Among Us - Book 2

by Jennifer Zamboni

  “Yup,” I said, happy to have something to do.

  “Yes, all set,” said Doug.

  “Good. You have my number. Call if anything comes up. I’ll be in touch.” With that, Bob melted into the darkness of the tree line, presumably to check on his “charges.”

  I looked down at the borrowed gun in my hand. I had actually thought of buying a gun, for better protection during the new moon. It felt foreign to my fingers. Cool hardness at odds with the warmth of my wolf magic. Tucking it away into the holster now attached to my belt, I took Doug’s hand and headed for a quiet evening in the library.

  I worked on my knitting while Doug read. Evangeline and Emery poured over picture books. I was happy to see their excitement, their newly acquired knowledge currently outweighing their frustration.

  The square I was working on was shaping up nicely and was almost ready to be bound off. I contemplated taking a break from the blanket to try a new project. I’d have to peruse the books I’d bought to see if any other patterns struck my fancy. Glancing at the clock, I decided to head to bed instead.

  “G’night, everyone.” I stood and stretched, then stowed my knitting in the bag beside my favorite overstuffed easy chair.

  “I’ll be up soon,” said Doug, glancing up from his book.

  The pups didn’t respond, so I let them be.

  The tension was high in the salon as a young mother informed me that she would no longer be using me as her, or her family’s, stylist.

  “I just don’t think it’s safe having children around you,” she said with a firm hand on her 5-year-old son’s arm.

  “If that’s the way you feel,” I said stiffly. I’d been required to post a notice on my mirror, informing what I was.

  “You understand, don’t you?” she asked, clearly fearful.

  I said nothing in reply. Inside, I was seething. It was my second walkout of the day. Others had called the salon and canceled appointments so long as Percy, who people viewed as normal despite having permanently dropped her glamour, chose to employ me.

  The mother, my last client for the day, walked out. I’d only had three on the books, and none of them let me touch their hair after reading my sign that had “Werewolf” printed in bold red letters and a brief description.

  Percy’s sign said “Goddess.” How was that fair? Who wouldn’t want a goddess working on them? Yes, it screamed magic, but sparkly, wonderful magic. Mine screamed monster, no matter how benign the smaller lettering was.

  Percy stared after the departing mother, then over at all the cancellations on the books. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.” She bit her full lower lip. “The salon can’t afford this loss of business.”

  “Good thing I have another job,” I stated, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

  “Oh Gretchen, I didn’t mean anything by it,” Percy attempted to apologize.

  “No, I’m losing the salon business. If it were just you, you’d be attracting more, not losing it.” It was true, she’d lose some by herself but she’d gain so many more because of her superior label.

  “What are you saying?” she asked, her face falling and her voice developing a slight shake.

  “I’m saying I quit. It’s for the best, for the business.” My shoulders slumped in defeat. “I’ll pack up my station.”

  “But what will you do?” Amanda asked.

  “Well, I’m working security for Hades. I’ll stick with that for now. Hopefully, I’ll be able to go back into business someday, but I just don’t know.”

  Amanda’s demeanor was woebegone, like I was abandoning her.

  “Don’t look so sad. Business will be better with just you and Percy. Besides, you’ll still have Tony and Fern.”

  “I heard my name!” said Tony as she escorted a client to cash out.

  “Gretchen is quitting,” Amanda pouted.

  “Oh honey, why?” asked Tony, laying a hand on my arm.

  “Trying to save all ya’ll’s business,” I said, patting her hand.

  “Oh honey,” she said again but didn’t go on, understanding.

  “I’ll still be around,” I said. “Just out of sight of the public eye.”

  I thought for a moment. “I’ll post my notice on the barn, I guess. Not many will see it there, but it will still be within regulation if we get checked up on.”

  Amanda still looked as if she was ready to burst into tears at any moment. I knew that one of the reasons she’d looked for a job at Olympian’s was so we could hang out more.

  “Don’t cry for me, Amanda!” I sang to the tune of “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.”

  She cracked a smile at that.

  “That’s better,” I said.

  The first thing I did was pull the sign down. I’d hang it up later, but not having it there would probably improve things for the afternoon.

  Percy found me an empty box, which I dutifully filled with all the junk in my drawers. I had to wait a bit for my irons to cool, so I pulled out the basket of dirty capes and towels to start a load of laundry in the back room. I could still be useful at least.

  After that, I finished my packing and folded down the top of the box so it wouldn’t pop open on its own.

  “I’ll see you ladies later,” I said, then carried the box up the stairs to my room. It would be weird not working at the salon anymore, and still living there.

  The box got deposited in my dressing room, then I flopped down on the love seat. I’d worked for Percy for a good six years and had lived there just as long. It was the end of an era, and I didn’t quite know what to do with myself. Without working full time, it didn’t feel right to spend all my time on the premises. Perhaps it was finally time to strike out on my own. It was a scary prospect but one I needed to consider.

  My pack needed to be able to be wolves and it just wasn’t possible on Percy’s farm. The kennel wasn’t enough. To be truthful, I wanted to get away from Percy before she made herself our mistress. I’d like to think she had good intentions, but it would be too easy for her. I wanted to separate before there could be hurt feelings, and I didn’t want to lose her friendship. I needed to do it soon, find a new place, then break the news to Percy.

  I took a deep breath, thrust myself back up onto my feet and marched out to search for Doug. He wasn’t hard to find, resting against the side of the barn as he watched the comings and goings of the salon folk from a distance.

  I tacked up my sign next to his and above Evangeline’s.

  “So I need to talk to you about something, if you have time,” I said.

  “Go ahead.” He motioned for me to continue as he spoke.

  “I quit the salon, and I think we should move.” I blew out my breath, rushing the words.

  “Is that all,” he said with a laugh. “No, I think it would be good to move, get a space of our own. It doesn’t feel right living in someone else’s territory.”

  “Glad you agree. Um, I’ll see you later?” I sidled closer, pressing my body into his suggestively.

  “Yes, I must get back to work.” Doug pretended to be all serious, then curled his arms around me, pulling me even closer.

  I kissed him and left him to his duty.

  There was an hour to kill before my patrol shift started, so I grabbed some lunch and headed to the library to peruse properties for sale on the computer. We needed a place with lots of land, space for a kennel, and a sizable house, possibly with a good setup for a salon of my own. There were a few likely prospects, so I printed them out and left them in my room on the bed for Doug to find, then headed out to stand guard.

  “Should we go check these out?” Doug held up the handful of housing prospects.

  “We should get a real estate agent to work with. They might have some other ideas.”

  That’s how we found ourselves spending the weekend looking at houses. I was right, our agent had found something I hadn’t.

  We rode in Sally Green’s car up a long, paved driveway through the woods. “Now try to
keep an open mind, this place does need some work, but I think it fits your wishes beautifully,” she warned us before we saw the place.

  “Needs some work is fine, so long as it doesn’t need a complete overhaul,” I said. “We want to be able to move in as soon as possible.”

  The house that came into view was huge, though not as grand as Percy’s mansion. The towering colonial style house wasn’t the most eye-catching building, in fact it almost blended into the landscape with its weathered gray paint and a shingled roof that seemed to be growing moss. What really caught my eye was the expansive barn with an attached indoor arena.

  “Whoa,” I said, taking it all in.

  It was a beautiful property, wild and full of character. The lawn was groomed and edged in wild flowers that had gone by. I could see a garden off to the distance and an old well that looked in good repair, complete with stone wall and a hand crank to hang a bucket from.

  “Let’s have a look, shall we?” suggested Sally, getting out of the driver’s side.

  Doug and I climbed out of the back and we all headed into the house. We entered at the side, which boasted a comfortable porch, leading into the kitchen through a mudroom entryway.

  “The appliances work, I’m told, but they’re old, and I’d suggest a replacement.” Sally patted an ancient refrigerator affectionately, and I wondered how well acquainted she was with the property. The stove was at least as old, if not older.

  I was pleased to see that it was propane, which meant the top was usable even if the electricity went out. The rustic cabinets were of aged, well-cared-for wood, and there were plenty of them.

  “In here is a pantry.” Sally opened a slim door and flipped a switch so we could see a room the size of a walk-in closet lined with shelves.

  We moved on from room to room, almost all of which had fireplaces, some functioning, some not so much, as the house had had several renovations over the years, including the addition of the two woodstoves in the kitchen and the larger of the two living rooms.

  “The previous tenants mostly used the woodstove in the living room for heat and blocked off the upstairs,” she said.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” said Sally, leading the way.

  We followed her up the wide, creaky staircase, and she showed us the five bedrooms and two bathrooms up there. There was also a bedroom and bathroom downstairs that we hadn’t gotten to yet. One of the upstairs bedrooms was still furnished, complete with a four-poster bed.

  “So now I have to let you in on one of the downsides of this house, and the reason why it’s so cheap and often on the market.” She leaned in towards us conspiratorially. “I’ve been the agent for this house on and off for the last 10 years. Every tenant has moved out, convinced this place is haunted. This is supposedly the ghost’s room and no one has been able to change anything in here, except the ghost.” She spoke as if she believed what she was saying. “But given your, um, status,” she pointed at us, “I’m betting you’d have no problem with him.”

  We had been upfront with what we were as it pertained to the type of property we were looking for.

  “So the ghost is male,” I said.

  “That’s what I’ve been led to believe,” said Sally.

  “Hm . . . Can we see the barn now?” I asked.

  “Certainly,” said Sally. She seemed to be happy that we were still showing interest, even though Doug had yet to express a single opinion.

  She led us back downstairs and out through the mudroom. We followed at a slower pace so we could talk a moment.

  “Well, I like the house, besides the ghost. Do you think it’s true?” Doug asked me, keeping his voice down so Sally wouldn’t overhear.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I think it’s a great deal, haunted or not. It doesn’t look like it needs much work to move into.”

  “Agreed,” said Doug.

  We caught up to Sally in a few hurried strides.

  “Now this I really think you’re going to like.” She threw open the double doors of the cheerful red barn, revealing large, neat box stalls. “I know this will probably need quite a bit of renovation to convert it into a wolf kennel.” She didn’t even stumble when she said wolf, and I liked her for it. “But the structure is all here, and it’s solid. Let me show you the arena.”

  We strolled down the wide aisle, and I looked into the stalls as we went, happy to see cement floors.

  Sally pushed open the doors at the other end with a flourish of drama. “Sir and Madam, may I present to you, your home, right next to home.” She stood to one side and let us enter first.

  It was enormous. I could have fit three of Percy’s barns inside.

  “There are automatic waterers all hooked up. The people who built this liked to turn out their horses in here during bad weather.” She pointed at two waist-high waterers.

  I looked at Doug and smiled, he smiled back and bounced his eyebrows.

  “So what do you think?” Sally asked.

  “I think we’ll take it,” I said, my mind racing as I considered how to renovate the barn. It shouldn’t be too bad, the stalls would mostly be converted into changing rooms, perhaps with a couple decked out as time-out boxes.

  “Really?” she asked, returning my smile, then looking at Doug.

  “Absolutely,” said Doug. “Where do we sign?”

  “Do you want to make an offer?” she asked. “I’d suggest asking—”

  “We can pay the price,” I cut her off.

  “Fabulous! Let’s get back to my office and we can get the paperwork started.”

  We just needed to tell Percy.

  I thought Percy was going to cry when we told her that we’d put a bid on the house.

  “If you really think it’s best,” she pouted.

  “The pack is growing. It would be safer for everyone if we got some space of our own, a territory,” I pointed out.

  “Well, feel free to use the kennel for as long as you need,” she said, laying a hand over mine on the table.

  “About that. I’d like to hire Robert to do the renovations on the stables. Can you spare him?”

  Percy nodded. “He did a wonderful job with the kennel, didn’t he. I’ll ask him if he has time for another big project.”

  “That’d be great. Can you ask him for a price quote as well?”

  She shook her head, giving me her stern goddess stare. “You don’t need—”

  “Percy, come on, I can afford his time just fine.” I wasn’t about to let her get away with making me owe her anything more.

  Her shoulders slumped. “Oh all right.”

  “Good, thanks,” I said, then removed myself from the kitchen before she could draw out the conversation any further.

  Doug was upstairs, telling the kids, so I headed out for a run on my own. I’d done it, I was buying my first house at 180-odd years old. Who knew what else the future would bring? I had moved around a lot during my younger days, so I’d only rented.

  Excitement powered me as I ran in my human form. Soon, I’d be running in my own woods. Two hundred acres were nothing to sneeze at for sure. I contained my urge to chase a frightened deer and headed back. It was a short run, but I didn’t want to miss dinner.

  “May I see the other properties you pointed out?” Sabrina asked me later.

  “Sure. Why?” I asked.

  “Well, I think it’s time for us to move on as well. If I could get a loan from you,” she asked shyly, “I think I can make enough money to support the others.”

  “I think I can do that. Let me draft up an agreement, and you see if it will work for you.”

  “That would be great.” Sabrina heaved a sigh of relief. “I looked at the house you’re buying online, did you know it’s haunted?”

  I nodded.

  “The fae things are coming out of hiding, there seem to be a lot in Romania.” She named the town we were moving to.

  “I noticed that when I read the list. Looks like we’ll be moving to the other side of the tr
acks,” I said.

  “The fae side,” agreed Sabrina.

  I smiled. I liked the sound of that. I might actually fit in.

  The paperwork went through without a fuss, and we closed on the house in a month. Soon, I was standing in my kitchen, with its brand new non-fingerprinting stainless steel appliances, watching the kids do their schoolwork.

  I had plenty of work to do. I’d gone out and bought all sorts of salon equipment and decor. I even went so far as to pay for rush delivery. I needed to install a door, heat, and upgrade a part into a bathroom. It wasn’t a large area, but it would do the job. A large wardrobe, purchased at an antique store, served as my storage.

  Midway through renovations, my cell phone rang, Amanda’s name flashed up on the screen.

  “Hey, pretty lady!” I said, answering her call.

  “Hey, so question, are you still planning on going back into business?” she asked.

  “Funny you should ask that, I’m putting my salon together right now.”

  “Awesome! So, you’ve had quite a few calls in the last few days, and so have I, wondering if you were going back into the business. I took down all the names and numbers. They’re all on the list. A lot of them live in your area.”

  I pondered that for a moment. “So why were you getting calls?”

  “Because they were my clients, wondering if I’d be joining you. Apparently, they don’t feel too comfy coming to the human side of the tracks, but they still want me as a stylist.”

  “Um, so what are you getting at?” I had my suspicions, but I’d let her have her say.

  “Is there room in your new business for me?”

  I took a breath. “You do realize that you will probably lose more clients than you will retain by moving your business here, right?”

  “Of course I do. But I think it’s the right thing to do. I have enough saved to keep me afloat for a bit.”

  “Hm . . .” I said.

  “And if you have a room I can rent or know someone close to you who does, I can save on gas.”

  An idea struck me. “Why don’t you come over for tea, and we can discuss it?”