Page 38 of Cold Curses

My screen rang and Alexei’s name appeared. My heart began to beat faster, worry potent as the magic in the room.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“He won and he’s okay,” Alexei said, and the first wave of panic passed. “Asshole bought magic from a spellseller and tried to use it on Connor. He deflected the worst of it and shifted, but he needs a ride home.”

Shifters who were injured while in human form could shift to heal their injuries; unfortunately, the magic didn’t work in the reverse, which was why shifters usually fought in human form.

“I’m going to be busy for a while,” Alexei added, voice very low and very determined.

“The cheater?” I asked.

“Will be taken care of.”

If he was with the Pack…“Where’s Lulu?”

“Here with me.”

“Then I’m on my way.” My work apparently wasn’t over; I just had a different crisis to deal with.

“Go,” Theo said, before I could ask. “Take an Auto, and you can drive Connor home in the Pack’s vehicle. We’ll get the van back to the office.”

“You guys are the best,” I said, and put my screen away.

“Give him some scratches for us,” Petra said.

“And I’ll be online later if he’s up forJQ,” Hugo said.

He and Connor were both fans ofJakob’s Quest. Hugo was a well-known expert, and they’d played a few campaigns together. I didn’t get the appeal, probably becauseJQ—with its quests, supernatural fights, and human rescuing—was too much like my actual job. I was still searching for the hobby that complemented it.

“I’ll let him know,” I said, and went to find a wolf.

* * *

The North American Central Pack had transformed their skill with meat, booze, and barbecue into a successful commercial enterprise. Their headquarters spread through a glass-and-steel building in Ukrainian Village, not far from the Keene house.

The Auto dropped me off in front, where shifters mingled and the magic was a mix of fury, shock, and disgust. Nice that it wasn’t directed at me for once.

Dan waited near the door and handed me a key fob for the SUV that waited at the curb. “You’re Princess Charming,” he said, “and this is your carriage.”

“Understood. He’s inside?”

Dan nodded. “I’ll take you to him.”

The crowd parted to let me through, and I felt none of the usual condescension. Maybe meeting an actual Pack enemy, a shark in wolves’ clothing, had finally made them realize I was an ally.

I stepped inside; the residue of nonshifter magic was pungent. It smelled like burning plastic. Like somethingpretend.

“What did the magic do?” I asked as Dan walked me back to the back rooms used by the extended Keene family.

“Messed up his vision,” Dan said. “Went from blurry to pinhole to nothing. His dad wanted to call it, but Connor insisted on finishing the fight. Refused to shift, even.” Dan smiled mirthlessly. “And he kicked the guy’s ass. Then he shifted afterward, and I think that cleared up the worst of it. But the magic took a lot out of him.”

I wondered if the cheater was still breathing, and thought it was better not to ask. “Alexei said the challenger bought the spell?”

Dan nodded. “Claims it was an anonymous online seller. Guy had a little blister pack of the potion hidden in his hand. Barely landed one shitty punch, and that was enough to transfer it to Connor.”

“You call the CPD?”

Dan gave me a flat look. “We called you. That was enough.”