“Can you call Bree?” I asked. “I’d like her here.”
“I’m on it,” he said.
“Let’s have some tea while we wait for Daisy and Bree.” Grams helped me to my feet and led me toward the kitchen.
“I’ll be right there,” May said, packing up her things again.
As we gathered in the kitchen, Faron set the table with tea mugs, and a plate of cookies.
Bran returned. “Daisy will be right out. She said that there have been a couple of other disappearances in the area that are worrying her.” He sat down. “You want me to call Bree?”
I nodded. Bree was my best friend. “Please. She’s good at tracking, given her job.” Bree owned a wilderness tour guide company, leading people into the Olympics on all levels of expeditions.
“How are you doing?” Faron asked, sitting beside me. He took my hand.
I shook my head. “I can’t talk about it. I’ll break down.” The lack of Fancypants’s gentle mind touch made the loss seem even harder, though I did have to admit that my head had cleared. But the loss felt even more keen. I turned to May. “How did you get through losing Melda?”
She let out a long sigh, staring at her mug. “I’m not sure how to answer that. How do you get through any loss that cuts bone deep? You never fully do, but you learn how to live with it.” She paused, then gave me a long look. “You understand what I’m talking about.”
I nodded. “The Butcher…” A wave of sadness swept over me. Rian had been my fiancé, and a vampire who dined on inflicting pain, who lived for destroying lives, had forced me to watch him torture and murder my love. In a way, I had envied Rian. He had died in pain, but he had escaped. I had been locked in a prison, doomed to remember that night, doomed to relive it whenever my brain decided to drag it out in front of me.
“You learn to let it go, though it never truly vanishes. But in time, the loss becomes a bittersweet memory, and you cry and then you go on with life.” May stood, kissing me on the top of the head. “But we’ll do our best to make sure Fancypants comes home.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. She was right. Rian would forever haunt my dreams, but I managed to make it through the nights now, with fewer nightmares. And I’d found love again with two men who doted on me.
At that moment, the doorbell rang, and Bran answered. Daisy was here, and I hoped to hell she’d be able to help us figure out what was going on.
CHAPTER FIVE
Daisy Parker, a puma shifter, was tall, and she moved with the grace of a big cat—sure-footed and with conscious intent. She had blonde hair with tiger stripes, caught back in a braid, and hazel eyes. She was built for speed and strength, and she made a good leader. Daisy wasn’t ever going to fall for a bribe.
She entered the kitchen behind Bran, giving me a little wave. “Hey, folks. What have we got going on tonight?”
“Sit,” I said, motioning to the chair opposite me.
Daisy settled into the chair and pulled out her notebook. “What’s going on? I know I’m not here for a dinner party.” She was also very down-to-business.
“Fancypants has been kidnapped,” I said. “Somebody broke in and stole him away today.”
Daisy sighed. “So Bran said. Crap. Here’s the thing, Elphyra. We’ve had several disappearances in the past week. I’m scheduled to hold a press conference tomorrow about them. Two wolf-shifter women were snatched off the streets, several familiars have been catnapped, and now Fancypants.”
I blinked. “Someone kidnapped two shifters and several familiars as well? Do you think it’s the same person?”
“Possibly. And the familiars were definitely magical—they weren’t just ordinary cats. I’ve talked to several of the surrounding towns. It looks like we may have a group of poachers coming through.” She frowned. “Damned assholes. They’re getting more and more brazen.”
“Does this happen often?” Grams asked.
“Too often. I’m sure it happens over in Scotland, as well. There’s a worldwide demand for exotic sex slaves and animals. And your dragonette,” Daisy said to me, “fits that category.”
“Do you think they’re still around?” I asked.
“They usually don’t move on until they have a full catalog, but it depends on the group. I’m expecting a few more attempts, unless they suspect we’re onto them.” She motioned to Grams’s tea mug. “Mind if I have a cup? It’s been a long day.”
“Of course,” Faron said, hopping up to make more tea.
“I managed to talk to Fancypants before they sedated him,” I said. “He mentioned two men and a green van.”
“Green van?” Daisy straightened. “One of the shifter women’s family mentioned they saw a green van hanging around for a couple days before she vanished. They noticed it after it had parked near their house for several days in a row.”
