Page 16

As Jasmine drove me back to Sylvan Serenity, I spotted Duncan’s Roadtrek by the pond behind the convenience store. Had more trouble found the place?

“Uh-oh. Let me out here, will you?” I didn’t see any motorcycle thugs in the parking lot, just a few teenagers loitering around a car, probably waiting for an older friend to come out with alcohol. That didn’t mean Duncan hadn’t sussed out something about to go down.

“You’re having an urge for a slushie?” Jasmine signaled to turn into the store’s parking lot, but I pointed her toward the handful of spaces by the pond’s small dock. “Oh, you’re having an urge for a Duncan.”

“To see what he’s up to, anyway.”

“It’s a moonlit night. You two should go for a hunt.”

“In Shoreline?”

“No, nobody should hunt in Shoreline.” Jasmine pulled into the spot beside the van.

The pond wasn’t lit at night, and there weren’t any other cars present.

“I remember you catching a rabbit and eating it on my apartment’s doorstep,” I said.

“Only because I got bored waiting hours for you and needed a snack.”

“You could have raided my fridge.”

Duncan stood at the end of the dock with a couple of his magnets. He gazed back at us and lifted a hand in greeting.

It appeared to be a calm moonlit fishing session, nothing suggesting he expected trouble, but he’d already investigated this pond.

Other than grime-coated car keys and a rusty shopping cart missing wheels, he hadn’t discovered anything that would prompt a return visit, at least not that I’d witnessed.

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” Jasmine said. “Do you want me to wait?”

“That’s okay.” I slid out of her car. “I’ll get a ride back with Duncan.”

“Or you two could stay here and check out the bed in his van. The stars and moon are out, and there’s a pond and romantic ambiance.”

One of the teenagers in front of the store belched, then laughed loudly.

“Romantic,” I said.

“Well, maybe you could drive somewhere else.”

“Good idea. Thanks for the ride tonight.”

“No problem. Sorry we didn’t learn anything more useful. Or get job offers. Though I think that MacGregor would hire you. He was into your female attributes.”

“I’d rather be hired because I do a good job in a professional capacity than because of my ass.” Or because I could turn into a wolf in someone’s bedroom closet.

“The world doesn’t work that way, Aunt Luna.”

“You’re being cynical for a twenty-something. Maybe you should go for a hunt.”

Jasmine looked out the window toward the moon. “That does sound appealing. Either that or sitting in my parents’ hot tub.”

“Are you sure you want to get your own place? You’ve got a lot of nice amenities there.”

“True, but I’m ready to be independent. Besides, condos have hot tubs too.”

“Even barebones condos overlooking the freeway?”

Jasmine made a face. “I might be lucky to even get a bathtub there.”

I waved again, then walked toward the dock, the chilly breeze making me pull my jacket close. January wasn’t the most appealing time of year for romantic moonlit interludes.

“Are you rescuing more fish from coin toxicity?” I asked when I reached Duncan.

“No. If there are coins down there, they’re too deep for me to pluck out by hand, and, as I mentioned to you before, your American currency isn’t magnetic.” Duncan held up one of his fishing implements, a long rusty nail attached to it, to demonstrate what his tools usually attracted.

“You could get out your SCUBA gear.”

“If you drink another of those unappealing potions, and I deem it necessary to buy beverages for you, I’ll consider it.”

“Are you short on funds? You’ve been here quite a while without…

” I turned my palm upward and decided not to say doing any productive work.

After all, he’d found my pack’s missing medallion.

That was plenty productive. But I hadn’t seen him do anything that people paid for.

Few of the rusty objects that he’d extracted in my presence had any value, even at a pawn shop with low standards.

“Working?” Duncan smirked, probably reading my thoughts.

“Being paid.”

“You’ve paid me numerous times.”

“If you’re talking about the gas money I’ve tucked under the bobblehead doll on your dash, that’s not a living wage.”

He hadn’t spent any of it anyway. He’d spoken of saving it all to buy me a gift.

Duncan waved airily and plopped his magnet into the water again. “My funds are fine. I enjoy the hunt for treasure. I’ll admit I don’t usually raid koi ponds for my finds, but…”

“You’ve been sticking close to me.” I suspected he’d resorted to investigating such anemic bodies of water because he hadn’t wanted to be far away if trouble found me.

“You’re in danger often.” His voice was grave. “I trust nothing untoward happened at your networking event? I did consider sneaking into the party in case enemies found you.”

“Nothing too major happened, no. Unless you count an Arizonian werewolf from my past coming out of the woodwork to attack me in a billionaire’s bedroom closet.”

Duncan blinked.

“He might only be a multimillionaire,” I said. “We didn’t get into his financials.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, but I don’t think I’ll be invited down to visit his sister in Arizona anytime soon.” I decided not to bring up Raoul.

“Hm.” Duncan slowly dragged his magnet alongside the dock. “There aren’t many excellent bodies of water to investigate down there.”

“There aren’t many bodies of water of any kind. I’ve also heard you get cactus thorns in your paw pads.”

“Quite.”

“When I’m forced to get a new job, I will ideally keep the employment hunt to the Pacific Northwest.” Technically, since my kids were grown and gone, I didn’t need to remain here, but my stomach knotted at the idea of leaving the area.

Even though I hadn’t, these past couple of months, kept up with friends I’d made during my years of attempting to be normal, I’d started reestablishing relations with members of the pack, and getting to know Jasmine had been fun.

“I don’t want to leave, damn it,” I whispered.

The words were more for me than Duncan, but he paused at dragging his rope and raised his eyebrows. Enough moonlight shone upon his face to see the sympathy and concern there. That touched me, soothing some of my anxiety. It was good to have met someone who understood what I was and cared anyway.

“I’m grousing again about the apartment complex being for sale,” I explained. “I know I need to be proactive and look for work and a new home, something affordable, but it’s hard.”

“You have been busy with other matters. And it’s your most foul nemeses who are attempting to buy your home, so you’re understandably distracted by trying to figure out what nefarious acts they’re plotting.”

“Tell me about it. But when their deal falls through, as I’m sure it will, someone else will put in an offer. Despite a few snide comments about the place at that networking event, there’s been interest.”

“It’s well-maintained, and the parking-lot unit has a lovely view of the woods.”

“There’s no parking-lot unit.”

Duncan smiled.

“Unless you mean your van.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t attempted to charge me rent for that spot yet. Were I situated for so long in one of this country’s RV campgrounds, I would expect weekly charges.”

“I did notice that you attached your hose to one of our spigots yesterday morning. I should send you a water bill.”

“I should think so.” His smile faded as he gazed at the pond, the silvery moonlight reflecting on the surface, shimmering with the movements of his rope.

“What brought you over here tonight?”

I’d obliquely asked that already but not directly. Of course, he could avoid answering questions, either way. And, as the silence stretched, I assumed he would do exactly that.

After a few minutes, Duncan took a slow breath. “I’ve had a few… twinges.”

“Twinges? Like from the injuries we got when that house blew up?” I touched my bandaged ribs.

“I’ve mostly healed from those, but I’ve been getting some headaches—stabbing pains, you might call them. Back behind here.” Duncan touched the scar on his forehead.

My earlier anxiety returned, a heavy pit in my stomach.

“And I’ve felt less hale than usual. I woke up nauseated and threw up this morning.”

“I don’t suppose it was just a hangover?”

“I haven’t been drinking the questionable concoctions at El Gato Mágico.”

“Have you been back there?” I didn’t care about the paranormal bar, but I was afraid to ask for more details about his illness.

“A couple of times. After Francisco got less skittish around me, he learned to mix up one of my favorite drinks. But I wasn’t there last night.

I haven’t been there this week at all.” Duncan shrugged.

“Maybe it’s nothing. A wee bug.” He pinched two fingers together, almost touching the tips. “But I don’t get sick often.”

“Werewolves have hardy constitutions.”

“Quite.” Duncan lowered his hand and repeated, “Maybe it’s nothing.”

I gripped the cool, splintered railing of the dock, certain that it wasn’t nothing .

“Or maybe it’s what Abrams suggested?” I whispered.

Duncan shrugged. “He’s told me that tale before, that I am— was linked to that device.

Supposedly, he made the magical connection in my youth, earlier than I can remember.

Abrams wanted to ensure my good behavior, to make sure I wouldn’t steal or destroy the control device and run away.

I never knew if he was telling the truth or not, and when I escaped…

Well, I got away, so I assumed he’d been lying.

Of course, I believed at the time that he’d died in the burning of his castle.

Even though he didn’t, he must have been injured, too injured to call me back with the device until I was out of its influence.

So, you see, I never got a chance to find out if its destruction would affect me the way he promised. ”

“Until now. I’m sorry, Duncan. I didn’t mean— Like I said, my plan was originally to take it, not destroy it.”