“That’s an encouraging start,” Considine said.
“Come on—let’s see if they need help.” I headed down the sidewalk—jogging to catch up with the pair. I tried to be as loud as I could, but my boots were slayer issued and were designed to be silent.
“You’re a wizard, Sherry!” hooted the girl in the neon green parka coat.
“Oh yeah? Well, you’re a hairy wizard!” Sherry—aka, gray parka woman—cackled.
“Excuse me?” I called when I was a few steps behind them.
The woman in the neon green parka let out a blood-curdling scream as she whipped around, practically throwing her friend at me.
“You came out ofnowhere!” Neon green parka woman planted a hand over her heart and stared wide-eyed at me. She looked like she was in her early twenties, and was wearing really nice makeup that looked like the eyeliner had gotten a little smeary from a long day.
The woman in the gray parka, Sherry, also looked twenty, but she had a sucker clenched between her teeth and scowled at her friend. “That was pretty horrible of you, Jess. You just threw me at a stranger!” She peered up at me and added, “Sorry—it’s been a long day.”
“Yeah, sorry—I didn’t mean to scream.” Neon green parka woman/Jess grimaced and scurried back to her friend, tugging her away from me. “I’m never doing a red-eye flight again. Being up for over twenty-four hours isn’t for me.”
“Was it the red eye, or was it that you spent the whole time at the last party making eyes at Ryan without him putting a move on you?” Sherry asked.
“You’re terrible.” Jess groaned. “No, it wasn’t that! But maybe it was the eight mini pumpkin pies I ate while watching him from the shadows, like some kind of cave goblin.”
Sherry patted her…friend? Probably sister based on the similarities of their facial structures. “You didn’t look like a cave goblin.”
“Idid,” Jess wailed.
I watched the exchange, trying to gauge their health. Both women seemed…exhausted. Sherry wasn’t wearing as much makeup, so the dark circles under her eyes were on full display. Jess had a travel neck pillow attached to her backpack, as well as a scuffed water bottle.
It sounds like they’ve been traveling. Maybe they’ve been on vacation?
“But who are you?” Jess suspiciously eyed me, her gaze flicking beyond me, probably to Considine and Orrin as she pulled out her cellphone.
“I’m Jade O’Neil, a vampire slayer with the Magical Response Task Force.” I pointed to the patch on my uniform. “This is my partner, Considine Maledictus and our ride along volunteer, Orrin.”
“Oh, hi!” Sherry giggled as she waved to Considine and then Orrin, understandably taken by their stunning looks.
I accepted this universal truth until it occurred to me that wizards were usually wary of vampires. Not so much with fae—most fae magic didn’t work on wizards. But vampires were top predators.
Are they both that free-thinking? Or are they not wizards?
Considine strolled until he was even with me, but on the other side of the sidewalk. He snapped his fingers at Orrin, who dutifully trailed him, paying more attention to his thermos than the women.
“Wait. He’s avampire, and you’re avampire slayer? And you’re partners?” Jess squinted at me. “How does that work?”
“Quite well,” Considine purred.
I ignored him and focused on the women. “You’ve been traveling?”
Jess nodded. “Yeah. We’re coming to visit family and friends here in Magiford for the holidays. They bribed us with food—”
“And Ryan!” Sherry said. “Can’t forget him!”
Jess scrunched her face up. “Don’t remind me. This day keeps getting worse. I just wanted to see a Magiford wizard House since Ryan was talking about them, but now we’re lost and we can’t look at our phones because they’re dead!”
Yeah, I’m pretty sure they’re not wizards.Jess’s wording had been vague enough that it was possible they were visiting wizards, but that didn’t seem likely.
“I see,” I said, trying to figure out the best approach.
Sherry patted her sister’s arm, appreciated Considine for another moment, then turned to me. “Did you need something from us? Why did you approach us?”
