CHAPTER 6

We were too close to sunrise to do much else, so Alex drove me home.

As we sat in the Range Rover in front of my house, he reached out and took my hand. “Shimmer, I want you to know that I’m not going to press you on the question I asked tonight. I just want you to realize how much you already mean to me.” He lifted my fingers to his lips and slowly kissed them, one by one. “But I know that you aren’t used to this. I understand that you’re not sure what you’re getting into. And I never want you to feel that—because of the situation—I expect anything out of you. If you were to say to me, ‘Alex, back the hell off,’ I would.” He turned toward me, his gaze searching my face. “You know that, don’t you?”

I let out a long breath. “Yes, I do. And thank you. I promise, I’ll be straight with you. I’ll think about it . . . I just don’t want to rush things. I don’t want to hurt you, in case I realize I’m not cut out to be anybody’s girlfriend. I have no clue who I really am, Alex. Not over here. Back in the Dragon Reaches, I knew my place. It sucked, but at least there, I knew who I was. Here? There are suddenly so many possibilities.” Very softly, I voiced a thought I hadn’t wanted to even say aloud. “I don’t know if I’m going to want to go home after being here. I think . . . I think I could get used to being respected and liked for who I am. I don’t feel . . . thrown away . . . here.”

He leaned in, his lips touching mine for a long, luxurious kiss. “I know, love. And I realize just how confusing this is for you. I don’t want to complicate matters. So, take your time. Answer now, or answer next year. I’ll be fine either way.” And with that, he stroked my cheek, and I slid out of the car, watching as he drove off. My heart told me to make him smile, agree to be exclusive. My head told me to wait, to not take a chance on hurting him if I realized I couldn’t be the person he hoped I could.

As I entered the house, Snookums came running, with Chai right behind him. The cat had something in his mouth and I realized it was one of my favorite scarves. As I watched, Snookums leaped over the back of the sofa, catching Chai off guard. The djinn twisted to keep from barreling into it, tripped, and landed at my feet. My mood shifted and I laughed, reaching over the back of the couch to scoop up the cat, who was kneading a seat cushion while purring and looking mighty proud of himself.

“You’re home early. How did it go at the Seattle Vampire Nexus?” Chai rolled over on his side, still on the floor, propping himself up on an elbow.

“Frustrating. We’re getting nowhere pretty damned fast, but at least we have an idea. I’ll tell you about it while I eat. Any messages?” I headed for the kitchen and Chai leaped to his feet, following behind me.

“You mean did Stacy call? Yeah, her cold has morphed into bronchitis and she’s down for the count. I took her a bowl of soup.” Stacy had finally met Chai and she knew what he was. Even though she was leery of a lot of the Fae, she had taken to him. People generally did—Chai was a pretty likable guy. But then, all djinns could be charming. That was part of their danger.

“Wonderful, not.” I rummaged in the refrigerator, finally coming up with some leftover pizza. I stuck four slices in the microwave and, while they were nuking, I munched on a couple of brownies that had escaped Chai’s notice. “So, any clues about the whereabouts of the salamander?”

“Nope. Not at the moment. But I’m working on it. You look tired, Shimmer. What else happened?”

I didn’t feel like telling him about Alex’s request—that we be exclusive. Chai was protective and he was also on the side of sleeping with the boss is a bad thing. He liked Alex, but he hadn’t come around to approving of our relationship yet.

“We think we’re facing a doppelgänger, and that makes everything just so much worse.” Before he could speak, the microwave beeped and I held up my hand. “I’m just tired. Maybe I need some extra sleep. I think I’ll take my pizza and go to bed early, for once.” Under Chai’s watchful eyes, I gathered up my food and a bottle of water and headed toward my bedroom. Surprisingly, I did exactly what I had said I was going to. I polished off the pizza, then slid under the covers and crashed hard.

*   *   *

Bette called and told me to meet her outside early. When she showed up, she hustled me into the car. “Alex called. He said we’re to get into the office pronto. No dawdling or stopping for doughnuts. You can bet that something’s going on.”

By the time we reached the agency, Alex was waiting by Bette’s desk, car keys in hand. “We have to get out to the U-District. That salamander has been causing havoc there, and if the FH-CSI is called out on it, Lydia could find herself in trouble. Bette, hold down the fort. Ralph is in his office, trying to figure out some sort of triangulation of coordinates or some such thing. I have no clue, so don’t ask.” He impatiently glanced at his watch, then at the door leading to Ralph’s computer sanctum. We jokingly referred to it as his cyber-fortress.

“I’m going to call Chai. Give me the address and I can send him directly there. He’ll be able to help us and he knows enough that I won’t have to ask.” I grabbed the slip of paper from Alex and stepped to the side. Chai picked up immediately.

“Salamander is on the loose.” I cleared my throat. “We’re heading out.”

“What’s the address? I’ll meet you there.”

I gave him directions. “Be careful. We don’t know how strong that thing is.” As I hung up and turned back, Alex was halfway to the door.

“He’d better not go and stir up things. Come on, we’ll have to take the Range Rover. Get Ralph up here now, would you, Bette? We don’t have any more time to wait. What the hell do you use to fight a salamander, anyway?” He patted his thigh, then frowned. “Oh bother. Hold on, I need to get Juanita.” His voice trailed off as he stomped toward his office to fetch his knife. Juanita was a wicked bowie knife. I wasn’t sure if the blade was magical or not, but Alex loved her dearly.

“Chai can probably figure out something to do with the critter.” Bette cackled, her cigarette hanging off her lip as she slipped behind the receptionist’s desk and punched a button on the intercom. “Wolfie, get your hackles up here. Alex wants to get on the road. Don’t forget your jacket—it’s chilly out there.”

I snickered. Bette teased everybody as much as she mother-henned us, and we all loved it. She was the one constant in this job, and she made coming to work a lot more fun than it would have been otherwise. I leaned over the counter and swiped one of the chocolate Kisses she kept there, popping it in my mouth as I crinkled the foil wrapper between my fingers.

“Earthside has a lot of pluses to be said for it.” I grinned. “Candy being one of them.”

“I thought you weren’t big on sweets.” She handed me another.

“I wasn’t, but chocolate is growing on me. Alex keeps buying me boxes of it—what’s that all about anyway?” I wasn’t sure what chocolate had to do with relationships, but he seemed to show up with a box every few weeks.

“Chocolate is to romance, at least among humans, as what . . . oh . . . I have no idea what you dragons do. There’s a saying among humans. Sweets for the sweet. Chocolate’s considered an aphrodisiac, a way to make up for an argument, a mood soother—especially for women. It cures what ails you.” She leaned back, puffing on the cig. “I know you’ve never had much of a relationship before—except with the half-Titan . . . and gods help me, even I can’t imagine having a go at him. You are braver than I, my girl. But seriously, you need to learn about the cultural mores. Have you given Alex any special gifts?”

I frowned. “I’m supposed to give gifts for no reason?” The thought made sense, though it wasn’t something I would have thought of on my own. Hell, I didn’t even know all the cultural mores of my own society, let alone one alien to me.

“Yeah, see, it’s kind of a thing here. Tell you what.” She leaned in close, lowering her voice. “I happen to know Alex’s weak spot. Since he can’t eat food or drink, he’s developed a weakness for crossword puzzles. He keeps it hidden—doesn’t think it’s manly, I guess. But truth is, he loves them. Buy him a couple of crossword puzzle books. You’ll see.”

“Won’t he think I’ve been talking to you?” I still wasn’t getting the idea of how a random gift was going to help.

“Not if you tell him you saw them at the bottom of his underwear drawer. That’s where he keeps them.” She laughed. “And that way, he’ll think you cared enough to sneak a peek through his things. Alex is an odd duck. He may seem independent, but he’s really not all that happy being on his own.”

I frowned, thinking about our conversation earlier. “Bette, he asked me if I would consider being exclusive . . . I told him I thought it was too early.”

Bette shrugged. “For you, you’re probably right. But I’m not surprised he asked. And, he’ll probably ask again in a few weeks if you haven’t answered. I warn you—eventually, he’s going to want to hear a yes. So make up your mind one way or another. But please, don’t tell him what he wants to hear just for the sake of shutting him up. Alex has been hurt a lot. If you can’t fully give yourself over to the relationship, do the right thing and back out. I don’t want to see you break his heart.”

I nodded, silently thinking over what she said. She knew Alex better than anyone, and I realized that even though he said he could handle it if I needed to wait, he might be fooling himself.

At that moment, Ralph appeared, jacket in hand. Bette returned to her paperwork, and I grabbed another fistful of Kisses from the bowl. She smacked my hand lightly and I dropped them back onto the counter as she rummaged through a drawer and handed me half a bag.

“Here, take my stash.” She glanced up as Alex entered the room.

“Ready to go?” He held up his keys.

“So, we’re off to see the Wizard?” Ralph slipped on his jacket.

“Yeah, and the yellow brick road leads directly to a big bad salamander. Let’s just hope we can work a little magic that isn’t illusion and ship it back to the Elemental plane of Fire before Lydia’s blunder goes all Godzilla on the U-District. Chai is on the way there.”

And with that, Alex led us out the door, into the night.

*   *   *

The U-District was so named because it comprised the vast swath of city where the University of Washington sprawled. Composed of sixteen actual colleges and schools, the UW—pronounced “U-Dub”—was also the home of the Huskies, western Washington’s beloved favorite college football team. With a massive number of buildings spreading out over block after block of the city, the UW was commonly called one of the “public ivies”—a public version of the Ivy Leagues.

I didn’t fully understand the hierarchy of education among humans, but I knew the University of Washington was considered an excellent university, and that they had an incredible medical college. In fact, it was widely accepted that the best place in the world to have a heart attack—and survive—was Seattle. Whether it was the EMTs or the medical facilities, I didn’t know, but the city had a good reputation, and the school an even better one.

But a salamander the size of a large, magical Komodo galloping through a bunch of college students wasn’t exactly in the same risk category. In fact, it was one of the worst ideas ever. Images of Godzilla—which I’d recently been exposed to thanks to Stacy and her love of old movies—raced through my mind.

As we wound our way into the U-District, my phone rang, startling me. I didn’t know many people. Who could be calling me? I glanced at the Caller ID. Tonya? Surprised, but pleased, I answered.

“Hey, good to hear from you!” I poked Alex in the arm as he drove and mouthed, Tonya. He nodded back.

“I’ll be in town tonight—well, late night, early morning. I thought I’d drop by and say hello.” She sounded tired, her voice strained.

“Are you staying long?” I had to admit, after working with her on the peninsula to cope with ghosts and forest wights and all sorts of nasties, I had a newfound respect for humans who worked magic. Plus, I just really liked the woman.

“I’ll be there for a couple of days. At least through the week. I have some . . . well, I’ll tell you about it when I see you.” She sounded even more depressed. My empathy took over. Something was seriously wrong—it echoed through her voice.

“Tonya, are you okay?” I narrowed my brow. “I can tell something’s happened.”

“You’re right, but wait till I get there. I’m coming in on the last ferry, so I’ll be in Seattle by around two A.M. I have to find a hotel, but I can meet you for breakfast, if you have the time.”

I relayed the info to Ralph and Alex, both of whom immediately began shouting invitations to drop by the office. Ralph grabbed for my phone, but I wrestled it away and brought it back to my ear.

“I take it you heard the guys?”

“Yeah, and tell them I thank them. Feels nice to hear friendly voices who want to see me.”

Yikes. Something had definitely gone down.

“Come straight to the office when you get in. We should be back by then. Bette will be there if we aren’t. Just introduce yourself and tell her we told you to wait for us. And you’re not going to a hotel. You’ll stay with Chai and me. That’s final. So don’t even think of looking for a place to check in.”

She laughed then—though I could still sense her worry behind the laughter—and agreed.

I stared at my phone, wondering what was wrong. “I miss her. I never thought I’d say that about anybody, especially a human, but it’s true.” A sudden flare of light in a park up ahead caught my eye. Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I pointed. “What the hell is that?”

“I dunno, but that flash wasn’t normal. That’s Sakuma Viewpoint.” Alex veered off Boat Street into the parking lot. The small waterfront park overlooking the Lake Washington Ship Canal was barely big enough to hold a couple of benches and a few picnic tables, and it was adjacent to the Boat Street Marina, a one-hundred-slip dock used primarily for long-term moorage.

As Alex brought the Rover to a screeching halt, we slipped out of the car. It wasn’t hard to see what had caused the flash—Chai was over near the water’s edge, doing his best imitation of a croc wrestler. But instead of a crocodile, he was wrestling with the salamander. Wispy flames flared around them, though I didn’t think they were actual fire. I knew Chai well enough to understand that what we were seeing was astral fire—the Elemental form of heat and flame. But even if it wouldn’t catch the vegetation alight, it could burn anybody who got in the path of it. Psychic napalm, Chai had once called it.

“Crap. Somehow, I don’t think Chai has the upper hand.” Ralph stared at the pair.

“I think you’re right.” I cocked my head. Chai was looking down for the count. The salamander had body-slammed against him and Chai was on the ground. The Elemental beast let out a low rumble. Breathing fire on Chai wouldn’t do anything, and I had the feeling the creature knew that, but he could still—“Oh hell!”

The salamander opened its mouth and bit into Chai’s massive bicep. The djinn roared, leaping to his feet, bringing the giant fire lizard with him. It held on, but Chai began to spin—faster and faster, rising off the ground into what was quickly becoming a flaming whirlwind. There was a loud noise and the massive salamander went flying.

It landed on the ground in front of us and I jumped back. Alex did the same—fire could kill a vampire. Ralph stared at the creature, and the next moment he had turned into a large beautiful white wolf, and then he ran beneath the nearest bush. I didn’t blame him in the least. In fact, I scrambled to join him. As Chai—in the guise of his whirling dervish fire tornado—dove for the creature, the salamander let out a loud keening wail. And then it began to vanish, fading to where it was barely visible.

Chai landed on the ground, and the tornado rapidly vanished, leaving the seven-foot tall djinn looking stunned. The next moment, the translucent salamander loped off down the street, out of sight.

“Well, fu—” Alex stopped himself, glancing at me. He had a thing about not swearing in front of women. Quaint, but lovable, and I did like the way he respected the women that he met.

“Yeah, I agree.” Chai pushed himself to his feet, brushing off his jeans.

Ralph emerged from the bushes, back in his human form. But one look at Chai, who was sporting a bloody arm from the bite of the giant lizard, sent the werewolf to the ground. Ralph face-planted right at the base of Chai’s feet.

“That didn’t go like we hoped it would.” Alex sounded both grumbly and bewildered. He leaned over to make certain Ralph was all right. Ralph mumbled something, then slowly began to open his eyes.

I quickly turned to Chai. “Cover that up.” I nodded to his injury.

Chai shrugged, and the next moment a bandage covered the bloody arm. “Ralph needs to get a handle on that little problem of his.”

“Yeah, well, tell that to my subconscious,” Ralph groaned as we helped him up. “Damn it, not another pair of glasses.” His glasses were broken on one side. “I really need to invest in some contacts, except I have an insane fear of touching my eyes. I don’t think I could ever put them in. Good thing I always carry a spare pair in my messenger bag.”

“You’re just one bundle of neuroses, dude.” Chai laughed. “Are you all right, though? Glasses can be mended. The body isn’t quite so easy to fix.”

“I’m fine.” Ralph let out a sigh and dusted himself off. “Seriously, I have tried to get help for my problem with blood, but the phobia is so deeply ingrained that my therapist has never been able to make it go away.”

Neither Alex nor I had ever asked him what caused it—it seemed like an invasive question. But Chai wasn’t as reticent.

“What happened to make you so afraid, Little Wolf?”

Ralph didn’t bristle at the nickname. Chai called me Little Sister, and he had taken to calling Ralph Little Wolf with the same familiar fondness. He did not, however, call Alex Little Fang, which was probably for the best.

Ralph sighed, then shrugged. “I seldom talk about it, but maybe it’s time.” He sounded so grim I was about to tell him not to bother. I could feel the tide of emotion swelling up within him and it wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was terrifying and stark and I could sense the turmoil that surrounded the problem. But before I could say anything, Ralph led the way back to the car, telling his story as we followed.

“I was barely four years old. My mother left me in the care of an uncle who has a farm out near Snohomish. I was playing with some blocks or something—I don’t remember what. I actually don’t remember much about that day, except for what happened next.”

He opened the backseat and dug through his messenger bag to find the spare pair of glasses, then continued. “My cousin Jonathan was outside, cutting firewood with a chain saw. I idolized Jon. He was fifteen, strong as an ox, smart—and he always took time to explain things to me. Anyway, the next thing I remembered was the sound of Jon screaming. Uncle Sanders ran outside and I followed.”

He paused, grimacing. “We saw Jon there, on the ground, bleeding like a fountain. It took me a moment but then I realized that his arm was no longer attached to his body. And then I saw that I was standing next to it, so close that I could reach down and touch the bloody stump. It was like some nightmare where I couldn’t wake up, where I couldn’t control my actions.”

“Cripes, mate. I can just imagine what came next.” Alex swung himself into the driver’s seat.

“Yeah, pretty much. I poked at the end of it—the part that had been attached to his shoulder. And then, as I stared at the blood on my finger, Jon shrieked again. I’ve never heard anyone ever sound in so much pain since then. As I watched, Jon convulsed and died. Uncle Sanders was screaming at him—something about ‘Don’t you dare die on me, son’ . . . He was on his knees next to the body. As I stared at the blood on my fingers, something clicked. I realized that the blood had been inside Jon . . . that the arm had been part of Jon, until a few seconds before. And I fainted. After that—I’ve never been able to stand the sight of blood. I faint every time.”

I could feel the swirl of emotions. “You really idolized your cousin, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. And Jon always told me that he’d be there for me. For a long time after the accident, I was terrified he was going to turn into a zombie and come back to get me. I was afraid that he’d tear off my arm, too, so that I’d die.” Ralph shook his head. “My parents took me to a therapist—we knew one who was a Were—but it didn’t do much good. And I still talk to one now and then, but still . . . The image is too ingrained into my memory. I still see it sometimes, when I see a large pool of blood.”

Chai let out a slow whistle. “I wouldn’t recommend tackling the problem magically, either. Memory spells can backfire in a big way.”

“There are spells to wipe a memory out?” Ralph sounded all too eager, and I flashed Chai a glowering look.

Alex started the car. “Buckle up, everybody. And no, Ralph, you are not going to go hunting out a witch to help you with your memories. I’m very sorry about what happened to your cousin, but mate, come on. Messing with your mind? Letting someone go in and rearrange your memories and thoughts? That’s not a good idea.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Ralph sounded compliant, but I had the feeling he was still mulling over the idea. There wasn’t anything I could say, though.

I stared out the window, thinking about how unfair the world could be to children. And then Ralph’s story vanished from my thoughts as I saw a flare-up in the center of the street—the same flash of energy I had seen when we first approached the salamander.

“Got it!” Alex apparently had seen it, too, because he headed in that direction.

As we skidded into a parking space along the narrow sidewalk and clambered out of the Range Rover, I glanced this way and that but couldn’t see anything. “Where did it go?”

“Don’t bother.” Alex pointed to an area in the middle of the street. “See the manhole cover? The damned thing just went down the sewer.”

“I’m not going down there.” I stared at the gaping hole. The manhole cover looked like it had been twisted—like a penny set on the train tracks.

“Neither am I.” Alex glanced back along the street. There were no other cars in sight. “Stay here.” He headed toward the manhole. Along the way, he picked up the cover, then cautiously peered down the gaping hole. A moment later he returned to the car.

“See anything?” Ralph leaned forward, seeming eager to change the subject.

“No, but see how it mangled the steel? This tells us one thing: The salamander is insanely strong and dangerous. We can’t follow it down there; we don’t even know where the sewers lead.”

“I think . . . hold on. Let me check something on my iPad.” Ralph tapped away and a moment later he grunted. “As I thought—Werewyx lists the sewers in this area as eventually leading into Underground Seattle. Once the salamander finds its way there, there’s no telling where it will hide. We need to figure out how to lure it out before we have a hope in hell of catching it.”

And with that, Alex handed the manhole cover to Chai, and we headed back to the office.

*   *   *

By the time we got back to the office, Bette had another client waiting. Alex glanced over the form all clients filled out when they first arrived, then motioned the man to follow him back into his office. He didn’t say a word to us, but I could tell he was worried.

Bette glanced at me as the door closed behind them. “Trouble?”

“Salamander made it down into the sewer. We lost it. That thing is big and it’s dangerous. Chai couldn’t stop it.” I paused as Ralph waved at Bette, then headed back to his cyber-lair.

Chai watched him go. “Shimmer, keep an eye on Little Wolf. I did not mean to put ideas into his head, but I fear I might have. If he takes it into his mind to hunt up a witch who can wipe memories . . .” When Chai worried about influencing others, I knew that he was serious.

“Yeah, I think maybe you did, too. And Ralph’s brilliant. If anybody can dig up a witch who could—and would—attempt a spell like that, he can.” I shook my head. “What a memory to carry around.”

Bette cleared her throat. “Ralph told you about his cousin, didn’t he?”

I nodded. “You knew, then?”

“I have a way, child. I have a way. People tell me things. If I ever decided blackmail was an option, I could be rolling in dough.” She arched her eyebrows and stared at Chai. “So I assume somebody mentioned something about memory-wiping spells?”

“Unfortunately, I did. I really didn’t think about the ramifications.” Chai let out a rumble, then sat down, easing into one of the leather chairs.

I was about to say something when the door opened. Damn, we were busy tonight—we seldom worked on more than a few cases at a time.

The couple who came in looked vaguely familiar, though I knew I hadn’t ever met them. But there was something to their facial structure . . . They nodded to me, then turned to Bette. She froze, the smile half-fixed on her face.

“Miss Bette, nice to see you again. Is Ralph around?” The man walked a couple of steps in front of the woman, I noticed, and while her shoulders were back, she made no move to speak.

Bette cleared her throat. “Let me see if he’s here. I think he might have just stepped out.”

I blinked, not used to Bette lying outright.

She stood, giving me a very slight shake of the head. “Shimmer, watch the desk for me.” Her look telling me to keep my mouth shut, she headed toward the back. I swung around behind the counter.

“Won’t you have a seat . . .” I trailed off like I’d noticed humans do when they weren’t sure of whom they were talking to.

“Pardon me. I didn’t mean to be rude. My name is Leon Spangler, and this is my wife, Emily. We’re Ralph’s parents.” He tipped his head to me, taking off his hat.

It took a moment, but then it clicked. Ralph’s parents. Which meant they were werewolves. The man was burly and big. I could see the muscles straining beneath the work shirt. Emily was wearing a blue dress, tidy and modern but along the modest side. She was pretty but had a look in her eye that told me she was used to running things behind the scenes but never getting the credit. She flashed me a soft smile and I felt an instant camaraderie with her.

“I’m sure Bette will be back in a moment. Please, sit down. That is . . .” I glanced over at the chairs, but Chai was gone. He had gone poof, and probably for the best. Werewolves and magic didn’t get along, and djinns were magical creatures through and through. As I cleared my throat, the Spanglers sat down. I had the feeling they weren’t going to leave the building without talking to Ralph, no matter whether or not Bette said he was out. No, they’d wait for him.

I was about to offer them coffee when the phone rang. I picked up. It was Chase Johnson.

“Shimmer speaking. I’m afraid you’ll have to talk to me, Detective. Alex is in a meeting with a client, and Bette is away from her desk.”

Chase mumbled something that I couldn’t understand, then said, “We may have another. One of the Fae went missing. He was in the same art class as Marlene at the Supe Community Action Council. The one Bette teaches. And they both belonged to the OBC—the Otherworld Book Club.”

I glanced around, looking for a pen. Quickly, so I didn’t miss anything, I scribbled down notes as he talked. “Classes . . . book club . . . got it.” Then, softly, I laid down the pen. “Detective—”

“Call me Chase, please. Everybody else does.”

“Of course. Chase, you’re going to want to talk to Alex. We have a possible theory, and I have to say, it’s not a pleasant one.”

“Theory? All right. And I want to talk to Bette again. Since they all have ties to the Community Action Council, I was hoping she might be able to come up with something that seems out of the ordinary—anything she might have noticed. Can you have her call me when she returns?” He sounded tired—more tired than was good for a human—and I suddenly wanted to reassure him in some way.

“Sure. Listen, we’re doing our best. I don’t know what we can find out, but trust me, we want this solved and over with. Bette’s really upset. She likes these people; they’re her friends. And we want to help her, too, so . . . so . . .” My words trailed off. I felt helpless. I wanted so much to soothe their worries—partly because their anxiety shifted around me like waves in the air, unsettling me. But I was quickly coming to realize that I lacked some basic social skills and understanding of how to behave among nondragons, and I didn’t like that lack in myself.

“I know, Shimmer. And I appreciate it. I’ll talk to you later. Please have Bette give me a call when she can.” And with that, he hung up.

I slowly replaced the receiver, staring at the phone. At a loss, I thought about calling Stacy to see how she was. But with bronchitis, that wasn’t the best idea. Though she usually kept to a nocturnal schedule because of her jobs, right now, I hoped she was asleep, healing.

And that brought me back to thinking about the house across the street and Mary, the ghost. Toying with the pen, I didn’t notice that Emily and Leon were suddenly on their feet. I jumped, startled, but then saw that Ralph had entered the waiting room. He motioned for them to follow him into one of the conference rooms.

Bette gave me a quizzical look as I vacated her chair. “Long thoughts?”

“I don’t know about long, but lots of thoughts, yes. Just thinking about the murders.” As I blurted out the words, I realized that I had just put my foot in my mouth.

But Bette reached out to pat my arm. “I’ve been around a long time, my dear. Longer than you may imagine. And I’ve seen a lot of people come and go.” For a moment, she sounded more like a grandmother than a biker mama, but then she snickered. “So, Ralph’s parents are here. That’s going to be fun. Not.”

“What do you think they want?”

“I don’t know, but every single time they show up, Ralph goes into a funk. I see Chai made himself scarce.” Bette lit up another cigarette as she tamped out the one she was just finishing. I grimaced. “I know you hate the smoke, girl, but seriously, you’re a dragon. You breathe fire. So don’t complain to me about my habits.”

I grumbled. “I used to breathe fire, till they stripped away that power when they took away my power to shift on land. Now, the best I can do is an occasional belch and a wisp of steam. And since I have to be underwater in order to shift form, my fire can’t do much except make a burst of hot bubbles to kill a few fish.” Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to go swimming. To shed my human skin and dive deep. “Bette, do you think Alex would mind terribly if I ducked out for a swim?”

“I don’t know, but he seems in a somber mood—I’d ask him before taking off anywhere.”

“Where are you planning on going?” Alex asked as the door to his office opened. The new client followed him, but within seconds, the man barged out the door. Alex handed Bette the intake form. “Shred. He won’t be requiring our services after all.”

“Problem, chile?”

“Wanted me to spy on his wife. Said he wanted to make certain she didn’t know about his mistress. I don’t see that as fair play.”

One thing I liked about Alex—he had a sense of honor. It might be a little skewed, but it was definitely there. I stretched. “I was wondering if you’d mind if I take off for a swim. I need to be in the water—it’s calling me tonight.”

He glanced at the calendar. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

I nodded. “Yeah, a couple of weeks. I’m feeling restless.” When I was out of the water too long, I started getting antsy and it eventually led to discomfort and pain.

“Go then. I can’t drive you, though. I have a lot of paperwork I need to finish. Ralph could, I suppose . . . or Bette.” He glanced over at Bette. “Why don’t you take her, darlin’? She needs the water and I think . . .” He stopped, but I knew what he was thinking. When Bette had found out about Marlene, the news had been a shock. Maybe she and I could talk while we were out.

I knew Bette must be feeling the same way, because instead of arguing that somebody needed to watch the desk, she nodded. “All right, precious. Ralph’s busy with his parents, anyway.” She pushed back her chair and stood. I was sliding into my coat when the office door slammed open.

Glenda was standing in the doorway, her eyes narrowed, with a vicious grin on her face. She tossed something into the room, laughed, and then vanished. The next moment, a pungent odor filled the room, along with a massive amount of smoke. The smoke alarm immediately began to screech. Swearing loudly, Alex dove for the security system. He punched in a code, but the phone rang and Bette snatched it up.

“No, we don’t have a fire—someone dropped a smoke bomb in our office. Everything is fine. Do not send the fire department.” She sounded pissed out of her mind.

My first thought was to open the windows. Barred on the outside, the bulletproof glass opened inward. I yanked open the ones nearest me as Ralph and his parents stumbled out of the conference room. Ralph took in what was happening and immediately joined me in trying to clear out the room.

Mrs. Spangler began to cough, and Bette hustled her toward the exit. Leon Spangler followed as Ralph and I finished opening every window we could reach.

Alex motioned to Bette. “The fans in the conference and break room—let’s get them set up, woman.” They moved in unison, hurrying to drag out the massive fans that kept the office cool during summer days so it wouldn’t be sweltering at night, since there was no A/C and the walk-up had a closeted feel to it. After a few moments, the smoke began to clear. Ralph went to check on his parents, who were standing in the main foyer of the building. Bette punched a button to lock the outer door to the building.

“Anybody who wants in can ring the bell,” she said.

Another ten minutes and everything was under control and we were all back in the office.

“Damn that bi— woman.” Alex was fuming. I had never seen him quite so angry. “It’s one thing to come growling at me at a party, but to invade my business and cause this kind of havoc? For all she knows, one of my clients could be an asthmatic.”

“Boss, this was wrapped around the smoke bomb.” Bette handed him a piece of paper.

Alex gingerly opened the folded origami-like page. He silently read it, then handed it to me. I glanced at the writing. Yes, this could definitely be called a hate letter. And also a threat.

Alex, if you think I’m going to let you and your little fuck-a-cunt enjoy yourselves after you threw me over, you’re wrong. Tell the dragon she’d better get over her sob story because when I’m done with the two of you, you’ll both know what REAL humiliation is like.

Bette, who was reading over my shoulder, let out a sharp whistle. “The bitch is back, that’s for sure.”

Alex’s expression was dead serious. “I think it’s time Glenda and I had a talk.” He glanced over at me. “I’m sorry, Shimmer. I never meant for you to become a target.”

I shook my head. “She has no clue . . . absolutely no clue . . . what hell I went through growing up. I learned how to play hardball. She wants to rumble, let her come. I think she might find that I come equipped with a few surprises.”

“Like me.” Chai appeared behind me.

“Damn it, dude, you do that one more time and I’m going to smack you!” But I laughed. I couldn’t stay mad at him. As I swatted his arm, he pulled me into an easy embrace.

“Anybody threatens my Little Sister, they have to deal with Big Brother.” His eyes twinkled. “I think your ex-girlfriend might find a djinn more than she can handle. In every way.”

Alex let out a snort. “Don’t be too sure of that. The woman’s a succubus. She’s insatiable.”

Chai raised his eyebrows. “And I am a djinn. One of the Efreet. I could twist her words in such knots that she would never get out of the tangle. If she sets one hand on Shimmer, I swear, I don’t promise to leave her in one piece.”

Alex gave Chai an odd look. “Not if I get to her first.”

“I’m quicker than you, vampire.” Chai had a smile on his face, but to my dismay, I heard a growl of a threat there. What the hell?

“You want to make a bet, genie-in-a-bottle?” Again, said with a smile, but also a show of fangs.

Hell, we were in the middle of a testosterone match. I glanced over at Bette, and she must have seen the look of horror on my face because she broke in loud and clear.

“Put away the measuring tape, boys. You both care about Shimmer. We know that. It’s not a competition. We’re all on the lookout now, so calm down. Chai, why don’t you go search the neighborhood and see if Glenda’s still around? Shimmer, come on, you and I are heading to the shore.” And just like that, she swept us out of the office, away from the chaos.