“Yeah.” Orin nodded at me. “Its friends poured into the bar. This was before anyone really took the wholeneutral territorything seriously, but it turned into a fight. A big one. Mere was spitting mad, but she didn’t have any security at that point. One of the werewolves turned, and he ate one of the redcaps. I jumped in and managed to keep the werewolf from eating anyone else.”
I raised one eyebrow. “I’d like to see how you managed that.”
He smiled. “I bet you would. Anyway, Mere’s bar was almost destroyed. Everyone left. No one stopped to help clean up, and I could just see this…desolation on her face. I stayed.”
“That still doesn’t explain how you owe her.”
“She looked at me and thanked me. I realized it was the first time I’d felt like I was worth something since I’d left my realm. We got to talking, and she invited me to dinner the next day. A few of her friends were having a potluck. I decided to hang around Durham. Mere gave me something I didn’t realize I needed at that time. Family. A friend. Someone who didn’t give a shit who I was or what I could do for her. She didn’t care that I was related to seelie king. That I couldn’t even enter my realm, or that I was an outcast. I’d never experienced that before.”
I sighed. I knew true family when I saw it. There was no getting rid of this male. I’d better start learning to tolerate him.
“I’d hoped you were an asshole.”
He grinned at me. “Oh, I am. So are you. But we both care about Meredith.”
So, we’d have to get along. I scowled but slowly got to my feet, offering him a hand. He shook it. Mere stood a few feet away, gaping at both of us.
“Why do I think you and Orin colluding is worse than you both hating each other?”
I grinned back at her and dropped the silence ward. One of the werewolves cursed as the ceiling above the brick wall sagged, and Nathaniel stepped into the gap with several of his wolves, holding the ceiling in place.
Nelson walked into the bar and gaped at them. One of them growled at him to get out of the way, and he strode over to the bar, a laptop in his hands. “I knew they were strong, but knowing it and seeing it are two very different things.”
Evie wandered over, Kyla next to her, and Nelson placed the laptop on the bar. “Heard what happened here,” he said to Mere. “Sorry about your place.”
“Thanks.”
“Figured you’d be busy today, so I’d bring this over to you. I checked it out of evidence so you could examine it.”
“Thanks. I’ll take a look this afternoon.”
Virtus trotted over, and Nelson froze.
“He won’t hurt you,” Mere said.
The cop and the griffin stared at each other for a long moment. Finally, Nelson dropped to his knees. He raised his hand, and the griffin nuzzled it. Nelson’s expression was pure, innocent awe.
“Another one bites the dust,” Kyla sang. I smirked.
Evie stretched out her long legs as she leaned on the bar. She had a smudge of dirt on her cheek. “Anything new?”
Nelson reluctantly got to his feet and pulled a plastic evidence bag out of his pocket, holding it up. We all looked at the familiar business card. The Mage Council all carried the same style of cards, and the name on this one was Patrick Carter. “This was found in one of Keith Wills’s drawers.”
Mere studied the card and cursed. “It just gets worse and worse.”
He nodded. “The mages are rebuilding, but I can’t imagine why they would be involved in this. If Finvarra learns they had anything to do with the slaughter of his people, they’re dead.”
I smiled at the thought. Sure, Albert was powerful, as were the other leaders in the council. But their power was a drop in a bucket compared to Finvarra’s.
“Have you talked to this Patrick guy?” Kyla asked.
“No. He seems to be out of town. The next step would be to talk to Albert. I’ve butted heads with him before, and he’s not going to cooperate with me. Since it’s not his card, I can’t compel him to come down to the station. I figured I’d ask you to ask him what he knows and why we can’t contact his mage.”
Evie winced. “Uh, you know my sister…”
“Burned down their building? Twice?”
I grinned. “To be fair, it was really only her fault the second time.” I’d had a front-row seat to that little explosion, and it had sure been entertaining watching the mages scatter like rats.
