The remaining tray held the meatballs, so I carried those into the yard to make my rounds.
Finger food had been the right way to go in this setting, but a buffet-style spread would have made more sense. Unless thepoint was to mingle and socialize, in which case, I would call it a rousing success. To be sure, I sensed an unseen hand in this event. Fayne’s. It would be just like her to slide me into the hostess seat, thus forcing me outside my comfort zone.
But maybe that was what family, real family, did for you. Gave you a nudge in the right direction.
As long as the nudge didn’t turn into a shove, I could deal with that.
four
“Ana.”
I whirled to find Seamus carrying a small child with a head of wild, orange hair on his shoulders.
“That is definitely your son.” I smiled as the boy fisted his father’s beard. “He’s a carbon copy of you.”
“That’s what everyone says.” He reached up and tickled the boy until he squealed. “His name is Ron. My wife, Lisa, is on call at the hospital, so she won’t be attending. You’ll have to meet her next time.”
“Hi, Ron.” I wiggled my fingers at him when he peeked down at me. “I’ll look forward to an introduction to Mrs. Seamus in the future.”
Not one to beat around the bush, Seamus shifted on his feet, his expression tight as he held his son.
“Have you visited the obstacle course, Ron?” I jerked my chin toward the area where the smaller kids had been ushered for extra supervision. “There are all sorts of games happening there now.”
Leaning down, he gripped his dad’s ear. “Can I, Da?”
Seamus’s faint accent from earlier today had thickened to match his son’s, leaving me curious if this was how he sounded at home.
“Aye.” Seamus set him on his feet. “Stay where I can see you.”
Short as Ron’s legs were, I was impressed by how fast he closed the distance to the other kids.
“Thanks for picking up on the hint. I try to keep work talk away from wee ears, but it’s harder than you might think. Kids are smart boogers.”
“Goldie is an Olympic-level eavesdropper, so I can sympathize.”
“That would be Fayne’s doing.” He raked thick fingers through his frazzled beard, but it was a lost cause. There were knots in there he would be combing out for days unless he bought detangler by the gallon for just such emergencies. “But I’m sure you already know that.” He chuckled. “I wanted to give you an update on Becca.”
“I would love that.” I tightened my grip on the tray. “How is she doing?”
“She’s struggling, but that’s to be expected given the size of the dose she ingested and her low tolerance to dragonsbane. She’s half human, and that tends to go one of two ways. Partial immunity to magics and harmful substances, where her humanity cancels out the shifter. Or heightened sensitivity to such things with only a human’s weaker immune system to fight off infections and magically inflicted wounds.”
A twinge in my chest left me hoping her self-esteem didn’t take a hit. Being different, even with support, wasn’t always easy. Especially in a job that put you on the front lines. Most shifters had a human parent, but where it got murky was if that parent had no paranormal blood in four or five generations. That was when human traits grew stronger and the child was bornweaker as a result. There were other factors to consider, but that was the one I had heard cited most often.
“I see.” I seized the opportunity to educate myself. “Things have been so chaotic, I haven’t gotten to ask anyone for specifics, but is dragonsbane to dragons what wolfsbane is to wolves?”
“That’s exactly right. The biggest difference between the two is the potency. Dragonsbane is much more toxic in smaller quantities. When the herb has been prepared and dried, it resembles the parsley you get from the grocery store.”
“That would make it easy to slip in someone’s food unnoticed, especially if the flavor is mild.” I shivered at how simple it would be to poison the Walshes that way. “Becca must have eaten tainted food.”
“That’s the safest assumption.” He rubbed his weathered brow. “Her frail health as a child made her parents discourage her career path, so this will come as a blow.”
“Poor Becca.” I dragged my bottom lip between my teeth. “Can I help in any way?”
“The best thing you can do is visit her. Let her know she remains a valued member of the clan.”
And that her differences didn’t matter and wouldn’t cost Becca her job.
“I’ll stop by tomorrow and give her a pep talk. She was brave to pursue her dreams, and I respect her for clawing out her place among the enforcers. I want to encourage others to see beyond limitations society puts on them to embrace their full potential.”
