That was a shocker. “I didn’t even know she was having problems,” I said.

  “Yeah, I didn’t want to say anything until we knew what was going on. Tilly was having trouble shifting form, and it really screwed with her sense of self. Her doctor kept saying that it was just nerves, or anxiety. We finally found one who ran a battery of tests and discovered that she’s got the beginnings of Wulfine Arthritis, an arthritis specific to canine shifters. There are medications to counter it, and so she’s doing better now.”

  “That’s a relief,” I said. “You’d think her primary doctor would have figured that out. Isn’t he a specialist in shifter health?”

  “You’d think, but apparently, not so much. He was the good ole boy type, you know—buck up, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, if you’re not feeling well it’s probably anxiety so do something to take your mind off of it. Needless to say, he’s no longer treating her. In fact, she told me that once the Elders found out, they dismissed him from treating anybody inside the Pack. He wasn’t excommunicated, but he was stripped of his title, and he’s never allowed to treat anyone again, to hold any office, or to attend Pack meetings.”

  I grimaced. “Isn’t that going to mean a lonely life for him?”

  “Yeah,” Dante said. “If he’s smart, he’ll move out of the Pack on his own. This kind of punishment’s known as societal shunning. His neighbors will say hello, he’ll be waited on in stores, he’ll be allowed to go to restaurants, shows, all the normal activities, but nobody will ever really talk to him or his family again. His wife won’t be invited to her friends for coffee, they won’t be extended private dinner invitations. Without his medical license, he won’t be able to work. I think he’s old enough to retire, so he’s going to have to step aside. It’s hard enough when you’re younger, but he and his wife are older, and this will turn their lives upside down. I think they have a daughter somewhere, so they might want to move away to be near her.”

  I understood why Dante’s old Pack might do that, but it seemed harsh. And yet, if he wasn’t doing his job right, and if he refused to listen to anybody, I could see why it was enacted. But the Pack seemed harsh on members who stepped outside the lines, and I found myself grateful that I wasn’t a shifter. At least, not a wolf shifter.

  “Well, I’m glad Tilly found the treatment she needed. I know not being able to shift is a huge problem for shifters.” I paused, then asked, “Tell me, if you’re allowed, what happens when a shifter truly is too old to shift? Do they just live out the rest of their lives as human?”

  He shook his head. “Not always—and since I’m pariah, I can say anything I want. Usually, when you reach that period in your life, you’re given the choice: receive assistance in shifting, and live the rest of your life in your alt form, or live the rest of your life in human form.”

  “What choice to your people usually make?”

  He thought for a moment. “I’m not sure, but most that I know—if they have a spouse, they decide together. I think it’s about half and half. Life in our animal forms can be harsh when you’re old. Most Packs have a private sanctuary that they keep hidden. Older shifters can go there and live out the end years in wolf form, being taken care of by younger Pack members. They get fed, they’re brushed, they have comfortable beds to sleep in, and they’re watched over until the end. Then, if they’re in more pain than they can handle, they’re gently guided over the threshold.”

  “Euthanized?” I was surprised to hear that, though I wasn’t sure why.

  “Yeah, you could say that. It’s done in a ritual, with family and friends around. It’s not nearly as terrible as it sounds. I think a lot of people would hope for such an end—family and friends there to say goodbye as you leave this earth.” Dante chose another slice of pizza. “When I was a young pup, I went to a Threshold Ceremony, as it’s called. It was beautiful and sad, and I remember hoping that I’d be in the company of loved ones at the end.”

  He sighed, then added, “But now, there’s no chance that will happen. Not once you’re excommunicated.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I imagine though, you’ll have friends around you, at the least. I’ll be there, if I can—if I’m still alive.”

  He gave one of those half-shrugs, half laughs. “Thanks, Kyann. I imagine you’ll outlive me. Demons are a lot longer-lived than shifters.”

  We sat there, quietly, as outside the rain poured and the lightning crashed. I tried to keep my mind off of subjects like dying, but some days, all efforts were in vain, and confrontations with mortality refused to be ignored.

  CHAPTER SIX

  We finally moved on to brighter subjects, and then headed back to the office to gather our cars. The game hadn’t started, but traffic at least somewhat lighter. I gave Dante a hug before heading home. As I approached my house, I tried to shake off the oddness of the day.

  Penn was waiting, dinner on the table.

  “Crap, I forgot to tell you, Dante and I decided to catch up over dinner because traffic was a nightmare, given the game.” I grimaced, staring at the spread on the table.

  “The food’s cold,” Penn said. She sounded irritated and I didn’t blame her. We always checked in when we thought we were going to be eating together. It was rude not to. And it was my responsibility since I was the one who decided to eat out.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry. Did you eat yet?”

  She rolled her eyes, but then let out a sigh. “Yes, I ate. You can put the food away, since you forgot to tell me. But you missed a good dinner.” After a pause, she asked, “So how is Dante doing? Any new girlfriends?”

  Like the rest of us, Penn was amused by the number of women Dante unsuccessfully dated. He was gorgeous, but he wasn’t a good boyfriend. He got bored easily, he forgot anniversaries and birthdays, and even though he tried to, he couldn’t seem to sustain an interest in a relationship. But he was also a rescuer and so he ended up in relationships with needy women, who felt betrayed when he couldn’t give them what they wanted.

  When I thought about it, except for Orik, most of us had love lives that were going nowhere fast. And Orik’s love life had produced three sets of twins.

  “So, how was your day?” I asked, pulling off my boots before going into the dining room to clear the table.

  Penn had made homemade fish and chips. Even though I’d eaten half of a pizza, I wasn’t full. Most Supes, including Demonkin, had faster metabolisms than humans and we could put away a lot of food. I sat down at the table and began to nibble on the fries.

  Penn joined me. “At least let me heat those up.”

  “That’s okay, it tastes great just like this.” I finished the fry and reached for a piece of fish. Penn knew how to cook, that was one thing nobody could dispute. “Say, how’s your mother doing? Last I remember, she was trying to figure out what happened with the Crystal Court.”

  Penn had been kicked out of the worldwide organization that ruled over most of the witches, and it seemed like they were ridding themselves of anybody that they might deem a disruption. Given Hecate had warned us of something underhanded going on with them, Penn had opted to steer clear and hadn’t appealed her dismissal.

  “Yeah. I finally told her some of what happened. She was appalled that they kicked me out and now she’s snubbing them and has decided that she actually quit the organization instead of them kicking her out. I’ll say one thing for Eileen. She and I may not always get along, but she has my back when people come at me. It was always that way.” She laughed. “Eileen’s a force of nature.”

  “She is, at that,” I said.

  I knew Penn’s mother, though not from childhood. Penn and I hadn’t grown up together—she was older than me by almost thirty years, chronologically. But we were about the same age on a relative scale, given she was half Fae and I was half demon. Not only that, but she had attended Windchime Magical Academy. I’d attended public school.

  I was eighteen and in community college, taking a two year course geared toward private investigators. Most of the classes were at night. The waitress seated me at a small table, next to another woman who was reading while eating dinner. She had auburn hair that she’d pulled back into a sleek, high ponytail, and she was wearing a short black skirt, a black halter top, and a leather jacket. Her makeup was on point—dark smoky eyes with thick liner, and bright red lipstick.

  I ordered a hamburger and fries, and pulled out one of my text books and began to read.

  The redhead must have gotten there just before I did, because the waitress brought our food at the same time. She handed me fish and chips, and my hamburger went to the other women. I started to call the waitress back, but she didn’t seem to hear me.

  “I think you have my burger,” I said.

  The other woman laughed and we traded food. “Par for the day,” she said. “It’s been one thing after another. I’m Penelope, by the way. Penelope Fircrest, but you can call me Penn.” There was something about her that made me take a second look—she had some form of glamour around her.

  “I’m Kyann Sarasan,” I said, making a spur of the moment decision. “Hey, you want to join me? I’ve had enough studying for one day.”

  She shrugged. “Sure.” She scooted over to the other side of my table with her food. “It’s kind of nice to have someone to talk to who isn’t a client,” she said.

  “What do you do?” I asked.

  “I read tarot cards at Wishes Come True—a magic shop downtown,” she said. “Someday, I’d like to have my own store.”

  “I’m studying to become an investigator,” I said.

  “A cop?”

  I shook my head. “No, a private investigator.” I didn’t tell her why, though. Four years before, my mother had been killed by a serial killer who was still at large and I was determined to track him down.

  “That sounds kind of fun,” Penn said. “If you don’t mind me asking, you’re not fully human, are you? I’m a witch—magic born. But I’m also part Fae.”

  That accounted for the glamour. “I’m part demon,” I said. That usually made the difference between whether someone stuck around to talk, or whether they got the hell out of my presence.

  “Oh! I’ve never met someone with demon blood, not that I know of,” Penn said. “Do you know what clan?”

  “No, actually,” I said, relaxing. She seemed in no hurry to leave. “My mother never told me. I don’t know if she even knew, but I have no clue who my father was.”

  At that moment, a man crossed over to our table. He was burly, in a pair of jeans and a torn t-shirt. His hair was long and stringy, but there was something captivating about him, even though he gave me the immediate creeps. He stood there, staring at us.

  “Yes?” Penn asked, her voice frosty.

  “Hey, beautiful, I was wondering if I could get your number,” he said.

  She blinked. “I have no idea who you are, so no, I don’t think so.”

  He frowned. “That’s not very friendly.”

  “I never claimed to be nice,” she said. “Not all women are looking for a man and I happen to be one of them. Now, please, leave us alone.”

  “Frigid bitch,” he muttered. With a sullen glare, he turned and stomped back to the counter.

  “That is one unhappy man,” I said.

  “That is one giant asshole,” she said. “Anyway, back to our discussion.”

  We chatted through our dinner, and then dessert. There seemed to be an unspoken connection between us , and I welcomed it. I had few friends. Dante, who had managed to get me off the streets when I was fourteen and homeless, was my closest friend. But other than him, everybody else seemed to stop at the acquaintance level. There was also Benny, a goblin I’d met not long ago, but goblins were sneaky and I didn’t trust him farther than I could throw him, even though he could make me laugh.

  We exchanged phone numbers and Penn headed toward the door, leaving a twenty with her check. I wasn’t quite ready to go. But as she pushed through the swinging door, her would-be lothario tossed some money on the counter and headed after her.

  Oops, that wasn’t good. I quickly pulled out another twenty, tossed it on the table, then hurried to follow him. As I entered the parking lot, I saw Penn, near her car, trying to get away from him. He’d caught up to her and he was trying to drag her toward a patch of bushes in the lot next to the diner.

  I immediately sprang into action and raced over to her side. I’d been training in martial arts since Dante first got me settled in his home. I grabbed the man by the shoulder and—squeezing hard enough to make him yelp—I yanked him off of her and sent him flying backward, towards the asphalt.

  He roared, turning toward me. At that moment, I caught the crimson rings around his eyes, which were black as night. Crap, he was a vampire!

  “You little cunt—mind your own business.” He rose up, unhurt by the fall.

  Penn gasped and yanked open the passenger door of her car as I rounded, landing another kick on him. This time, he was ready, and though I was strong—he was able to stand firm under my attack.

  I had thought Penn was going to slam the door to protect herself, but instead she came back out of the car, and I caught sight of a stake in her hand.

  “Hey, big boy, you should play with someone who can match you,” I shouted, trying to distract him.

  He cocked his head, giving me an almost quizzical look. “Really? You think you can take me on?” Moving toward me, he bared his fangs and I could sense the blood lust coming from him.

  “Why don’t you try me?” I said, beckoning him like Bruce Lee, to come at me.

  That gave Penn the time she needed. She lunged forward, forcing the razor-tip spike through his back. He froze for a second, then shattered into ash. The powdered ash fell to the ground, and then, the breeze carried it away.

  I stared at Penn. She was holding the stake, and she stared at me, her eyes wide.

  “You saved my life. I couldn’t get away from him. I had no idea he was a vampire back in the restaurant.” She leaned against her car, trembling.

  “Hey, it’s hard to tell with vampires,” I said. “If you’d given him your address, he would have found you. Most vampires abide by the treaties, so he had to be rogue. You did the world a favor by dispatching him, so don’t feel bad.” I didn’t want her to dwell on the fact that she had just killed someone.

  But Penn didn’t seem distraught. “I don’t. He deserved what he got. I seldom ever regret decisions I make—and I certainly don’t regret taking him out. But thank you. I couldn’t have managed it without your help.”

  “I’m just glad I was here.” I realized that I had just helped her in a similar way that Dante had helped me, four years before. “Hey, you want to go have a glass of wine somewhere? I’m still feeling the adrenaline rush.”

  Penn let out a long breath. “That, sounds like a good idea.”

  And from that day on, Penn became my second best friend.

  Penn refused to let me eat the cold food. She swept it back into the kitchen and slipped it in the microwave. I pulled out a couple sodas from the fridge. We drank, but not a lot, and more often than not, if it wasn’t coffee, I preferred root beer.

  “Here,” I said, handing her a can. “So, we’ve got an odd case.” I told her about Wendy and Mark Ryle. “Have you ever heard of the Tetrachordian Temple?”

  Penn frowned, thinking. “For some reason, it rings a bell, but I can’t recall where—or why—I heard about it. It’s not a magical thing, that I can tell you. But…” She paused. “Hold on, let me look something up.”

  She handed me the plate of fish and chips and then pulled out her tablet and brought up her email. As she sifted through it, I bit into the fish. A few drops of water on the plate had kept it from getting dry. I carried the plate and chips to one of the stools by the counter and shifted onto it. At that moment, Jangles jumped up on the table.

  I had two cats—Jangles, who I’d found as a kitten, and Murdoch—who I’d taken in after his owner died. They were best buddies now, and I’d discovered that Murdoch was, more or less, a familiar. He didn’t bond with me in that way—he’d been the familiar for his owner—but he had a magical streak that I was slowly discovering was stronger than I had expected possible.

  Jangles, on the other hand, was emotionally bonded to me, and I was her human. I pushed my plate away and scooped her up in my arms, breathing deep into her fur. A calico, she had that dusty, warm scent that cats tended to have, a comforting fuzzy smell that made my heart sing. I gave her a squeeze and kissed the top of her head. She looked up at me with wide, round eyes and let out a little meep, then began grooming my face.

  “Aw, does mom need a bath?” I asked.

  She wriggled in my arms and, purring, bounced down to the floor and ran over to her dish. Penn had fed the cats, and Murdoch was already eating. I returned to my food.

  “This is so good, and you’re right—it’s much better hot.”

  “Of course. Cold fries suck. Okay, here—here it is,” Penn said, glancing up from her tablet. “I found it. I thought it was in my email, and it was, but it was an ad on one of the shopping sites I shop on. It was in one of their newsletters. It’s a notice that they’re having an open meeting Thursday night at seven.”

  “An ad?” I asked.

  She handed me the tablet. The newsletter for a local store—Cast A Spell Books—was open, and at the bottom was a banner ad for the Tetrachordian Temple. Sure enough, they were offering a free meeting for anyone interested, Thursday night at seven PM.

  “I think I might just mosey on down to take a look. Want to come with?”

  Penn shrugged. “I guess I could. Oh, you said you have something you want me to suss out?”

  “Yeah, if you can get anything from this watch, I’d appreciate it. And here’s the actual flyer. I thought maybe something might still be attached to it.” I pulled the watch and flyer out of my purse and handed them to her.

  Penn took them. “Let’s go sit by my altar. It amps up the energy.”