Page 32 of Shadow Dreaming

As we headed back to the car, Duran asked, “Which form came first? Which is the most comfortable?”

Dante thought about it for a moment. “It depends on what’s going on. When I need to relax, it helps to shift into my wolf form and go for a run, especially on a sunny day, or during a summer night. When I’m feeling social, I’d rather be in my human form. Even though wolves are social within the Pack, since I was excommunicated, being in my wolf form when I want to be around others reinforces the sense of loneliness.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, as Dante opened the car door for me.

“Not to worry. As long as you’re in my life, and Orik and Carson and Sophia, I’ll be fine.”

My hand was still hurting from the coxigan’s bite, so he helped me fasten my seatbelt and shut the door.

Once we were back at the office, I made myself more coffee and asked Sophia to find a good nursery and buy a gift certificate for Ami. I was tired, and feeling a bit chilled. The thought of how Ami managed to run around in a bathing suit in February still made me shiver. Though it was true that when she turned into a seal, she had a nice, thick layer of fat and that alone had to keep her warm while she was swimming.

I found a bag of cookies and began to mindlessly munch on them. With a yawn I carried them over to the table, along with my latte. I sat down, staring at the cookie bag.

“Are you all right?” Sophia asked, entering the breakroom.

“I’m tired. I’m worried about Penn. My hand hurts. And I’m still upset that someone broke into my house?—”

“About that,” Carson said, entering the room. “First, Terrance is at work today, so you can catch him there. Second, I did some discreet hacking into IonStar’s records. They have no record of a break-in at your house. I managed to sort through their files and there was nothing there regarding your home. However, I made another discovery. Terrance was at work all day when the abduction happened. He couldn’t be the one who broke into your house. However, that doesn’t mean much. He could easily have hired somebody.”

I straightened, frowning. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, he could have put someone up to it. So, if he’s behind Penn’s kidnapping, it’s by proxy.” Carson frowned. “Now I’m wondering if maybe the Crystal Court isn’t behind this.”

“Unlikely, like Duran said, but possible,” I said. “No, I think you’re right in that Terrance is probably the mastermind, sending others to do the actual dirty work. I still can’t believe the queen refuses to do anything to help Penn.”

“She’s part Fae,” Duran said. “That alone is problematic.”

“Right, the witches and Fae don’t always get along.”

“Truth, to a degree. And remember, the Fae don’t accept half-breeds—their term—into their community. They wouldn’t help Penn if her life depended on it,” Duran said. “On the other hand, they probably wouldn’t bother with her, because they don’t acknowledge her existence.”

“Ami seems to like her,” I said. “She’s met Penn and she was incredibly polite. But then, Ami’s more of a loner.”

“Not all Fae are alike, of course. But my guess is, that if Ami lived in one of the Fae cities, she wouldn’t be inviting Penn over for dinner. The Light and Dark Courts keep an eye on their citizens. Ami probably belongs to a selkie pod, remember. By nature, they’re sort of half shifter, half Fae. So while the Fae don’t shun the selkies, they don’t have a lot to do with them, either.” Carson shrugged when I looked over at him. “I’ve been studying the Fae for some time.”

I wondered if it had anything to do with his crush on Penn, but decided to forego asking. “We go ahead with our plan. We meet Terrance after work and confront him.”

“How far are you willing to push?” Dante asked.

“What do you mean?”

“If he refuses to answer you, what do we do? Kidnap him? Beat the crap out of him? We can’t go in without some sense of knowing how far we’re willing to push.” Orik shook his head.

“I don’t know,” I said, suddenly exhausted. “I don’t know what to do, to be honest. What if he’s not the one to blame? As much as I despise Brim Fire, we’d be fools to hurt him if he’s not at fault. We’d make ourselves even more of a target for the organization.”

“There’s always lenemony,” Duran said.

“What’s lenemony? It sounds like a drink,” I said.

“In a way it is. It’s a potion that forces people to tell the truth,” he said.

“But, how do we get it down his throat?” Sophia asked.

“There are other methods of using it. You can pour it into an atomizer and spray it in someone’s face. They’ll inhale some of the droplets and it will work on them.” Duran glanced at the clock. “Unfortunately, it’s a complicated process and we don’t have the time needed.”

“Not only that, but how would we avoid inhaling the potion ourselves? I don’t want to be spilling all our secrets to Brim Fire,” I said.

“Why don’t we try talking to him and see if he has anything to say?” Sophia asked. “You might be surprised.”

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