Page 54 of Skulk of Foxes
Despite my words, my tone was pleasant enough. I knew I was being rude but I really wasn’t going to remember all their names and I was bloody tired. I’d make it up to them once this was over.
Monroe gazed at me for a long moment and then shrugged. ‘Fair enough. So,’ he asked, ‘how did all this happen? How did we get to the stage where the world needs saving?’
Morgan leaned forward and outlined what had happened, leaving out the teeny-weeny little fact that a great deal of our woes could be laid at my doorstep. Once he was finished, he fixed Monroe with a hard stare. ‘We can’t afford to worry about the welfare of a new group of people. We have enough on our plates as it is.’
Monroe snorted. ‘You don’t need to worry about us, little faery. We are werewolves. We are perfectly capable of looking after ourselves. We’ll help you retrieve this sphere and ensure the dragon destroys it. Our strength and might will guarantee your success.’ He sounded utterly confident.
I could feel Morgan bristling at both Monroe’s self-assurance and being described as ‘little’. It was time to put all this to bed – and to go to bed.
‘It’s settled then,’ I said, standing up. ‘We get a few hours sleep and then we head to Charlotte Page’s house to get the sphere.’
‘Assuming this little human still has it. Passing it to a cleaner was not a wise move.’
Now it was my turn to bristle. ‘I used what means I had at my disposal to keep it safe.’
Monroe raised an eyebrow. ‘If you’d contacted us earlier, we could simply have taken this Fey Ruby maniac out of the equation. That still might be the best move. We could move on him now while the rest of you have sweet dreams.’
‘Except,’ Finn pointed out, ‘he’s stronger than you think and he has numerous others faeries at his disposal who are more than willing to sacrifice themselves on his behalf.’
‘And if he feels like he’s in danger,’ I added, ‘he’ll just let loose more magic and cause more havoc across the city. We have to tread carefully.’
‘He won’t be expecting us,’ Monroe said. ‘With the element of surprise on our side—’
Morgan interrupted him. ‘He will already know you are here and will be preparing. He’s not a moron. We do this our way, without alerting my brother to what we’re up to, or we won’t succeed.’
The werewolf shrugged. ‘Suit yourself.’ He looked around. ‘I suppose a few hours’ sleep won’t be a bad thing.’
‘Before you go,’ Julie asked, ‘how badly are you being affected by the magic within the city?’ There was a strained expression on her face. Given how reluctant she’d been to allow the werewolves access to her house, and how quiet she’d been, I knew that the question was important to her. She really was suffering from her vampire side. We were all in unknown territory; for once it wasn’t just me who didn’t have a clue what was happening.
Monroe gazed at her, assessingly. Part of me expected a flippant reply but when he spoke, his response was gentle. ‘I have extraordinary control over my wolf form,’ he said, ‘and even I’m finding it hard to keep the animal at bay. The magic in the air is seeping into my soul.’
Julie leaned forward. ‘But how does it make youfeel?’
He held her eyes. ‘Like I could conquer the world.’ There was a murmur of agreement from the assembled werewolves.
Julie nodded, apparently satisfied. ‘I’ll show you to the bedrooms. Some of you will have to share. My house is large but it’s not that large.’
‘Ma’am,’ Monroe drawled, ‘we appreciate your hospitality.’ He paused. ‘Perhaps you could show us which room has a lock on it and we’ll sleep there.’
He didn’t need to add that he wanted the lock to keep us safe from him and his wolves. I shivered. This magic crap was potentially going to be the end of us.
***
Four hours later, we assembled outside the address I’d scraped up for Charlotte Page, employee of Pixie Dust Cleaning Services. Morgan, me, and the pack of werewolves. If this wasn’t enough back-up then we were screwed.
For a cleaning lady who probably worked for the minimum wage, she certainly lived in a genteel part of town. Her house didn’t quite match up to the grandiose standards of Julie’s but it wasn’t far off. The façade was red brick, with a trail of ivy climbing up one side and curling round several of the shuttered windows. I counted three storeys. Maybe Ms Page owned Pixie Dust Cleaning Services as well as working for them.
Monroe arched a long glance upwards. ‘I thought you said this chick was a cleaner? How many cleaners can afford digs like this?’
Morgan sniffed disdainfully. ‘Perhaps you shouldn’t be so quick to judge. Cleaning is an essential business. You shouldn’t look down your nose at it.’
Monroe gazed back at him. His arms were loose at his sides but I suspected he was already growing mightily tired of my green-eyed Fey. ‘I’m not denigrating her profession,’ he said. ‘I’m simply analysing the situation. We need to know what we’re walking into.’
Morgan opened his mouth to respond and I stepped in hastily. ‘I think perhaps it’s best if I handle this,’ I said. ‘You lot stay out here.’ Nice as it was to have my back covered by my lover and a pack of werewolves, sometimes it was easier to work alone.
This time both of them wanted to argue. ‘Listen, arsebadgers,’ I hissed. ‘Charlotte Page is just a human woman who I’ve pulled into this mess. She’s not the enemy. This will go much better if I deal with her. If she sees an army of angry men on her doorstep, she’s liable to run.’
I didn’t wait for either of them to answer but simply pulled back my shoulders, strode up to her doorstep and rang the doorbell. When I glanced back, Monroe, Morgan, Opulus, Vandrake and the rest had melted into the shadows. Good. It was about time someone paid attention to my superior strategic planning skills.
