she’s in distress.”
I touched the strand of freshwater pearls looped around my neck. “Could it be a naiad or an undine?”
“It’s possible.” She looked worried. “There’s something bad going on; that’s for sure, Daisy, baby.” She gathered up the cards, shuffled, and squared them, setting them back on the table. “I’m willing to try, if you’d like me to do a reading for you, Officer Fairfax, but the cards usually only get vaguer when they’re questioned twice on the same issue.”
He shook his head. “I’ll defer to the expert, but call me Cody.”
“Cody.” A hint of a smile returned to her blue eyes. “I’d be happy to do a reading on a more personal matter.”
He cut the deck and glanced at the uppermost card: La Luna , the moon. Of course, that would so totally be his significator. “Another time, maybe.”
Her smile deepened. “Anytime.”
Seven
“Y our mom’s not what I expected,” Cody commented on the drive back toward the town.
“How so?”
He gave me a sidelong glance, topaz eyes glinting. “Oh, I don’t know. She’s really . . . nice.”
I yawned, slumping a little in my seat. “Meaning I’m not?”
“Let me put it this way,” he said, not unkindly. “You’ve got a short fuse.”
I gazed at his hands on the steering wheel. Cody had good hands, nicely shaped, with long fingers, strong and sinewy. Rather like the rest of him, from what I’d seen. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
He concentrated on the road. “What we talked about earlier . . . You’re right about Jen Cassopolis. Her sister’s still out at Twilight Manor, right? I’d forgotten about some of the crap she went through. She deserves better.”
I sat up straighter. “Hey, now! I didn’t say better .”
Cody shrugged. “It’s what you meant, and you were right. It’s okay. I’ll call her. I’ll do the old ‘it’s not you; it’s me’ routine. After all, it’s true.”
“Is it because of the whole mating-within-your-species thing?” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
I let the silence ride a while, but I couldn’t help being bedeviled with curiosity. “Did you love her?”
“Caroline?” His mouth twisted. “Honestly, I can’t say. Long-distance relationships are tough, and there’s a lot we never got a chance to find out. But I liked her a lot, Daisy. An awful lot.”
“I’m sorry,” I said honestly.
He gave me another glance, his expression softening. “I know. Thanks, Pixy Stix.”
My tail twitched with indignation. “What’s that all about, anyway?” I grumbled. “Why the hell did Brent call me that?”
Cody chuckled. “Hell if I know, but it’s funny.”
We passed the turnoff to downtown Pemkowet and headed for the rural highway. I grimaced. “You’re taking us to the Wheelhouse?”
“Yep. I told you.” Cody turned onto the highway. “It’s okay. You can stay in the patrol car if you’re scared.”
“I’m not scared ,” I protested. “I just don’t like ghouls.”
“Who does?”
“Skanks,” I said morosely.
“One man’s skank is another man’s alluring woman in distress,” Cody said philosophically, pulling into the parking lot. “Since you value it so highly, I’m trying to pay attention to your mother’s advice. Are you coming or staying?”
I unbuckled my seat belt. “Coming.”
Okay, a word about ghouls. Yes, fine, I’ll admit it: They do actually scare me quite a bit. The thing is, with vampires, it’s a straightforward transaction. Vamps provide you with hypnotic pleasure in exchange for sucking your blood. If they deem you worthy, in time, they might deign to change you and make you one of them. If they don’t, like Jen’s sister, Bethany, you’re a blood-slut until they get tired of you and either kill you, which fortunately hadn’t happened to anyone since I’d been working for the department, or cut you loose, at which point in time you’re like any hopeless addict.
Ghouls are different.
By and
I touched the strand of freshwater pearls looped around my neck. “Could it be a naiad or an undine?”
“It’s possible.” She looked worried. “There’s something bad going on; that’s for sure, Daisy, baby.” She gathered up the cards, shuffled, and squared them, setting them back on the table. “I’m willing to try, if you’d like me to do a reading for you, Officer Fairfax, but the cards usually only get vaguer when they’re questioned twice on the same issue.”
He shook his head. “I’ll defer to the expert, but call me Cody.”
“Cody.” A hint of a smile returned to her blue eyes. “I’d be happy to do a reading on a more personal matter.”
He cut the deck and glanced at the uppermost card: La Luna , the moon. Of course, that would so totally be his significator. “Another time, maybe.”
Her smile deepened. “Anytime.”
Seven
“Y our mom’s not what I expected,” Cody commented on the drive back toward the town.
“How so?”
He gave me a sidelong glance, topaz eyes glinting. “Oh, I don’t know. She’s really . . . nice.”
I yawned, slumping a little in my seat. “Meaning I’m not?”
“Let me put it this way,” he said, not unkindly. “You’ve got a short fuse.”
I gazed at his hands on the steering wheel. Cody had good hands, nicely shaped, with long fingers, strong and sinewy. Rather like the rest of him, from what I’d seen. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
He concentrated on the road. “What we talked about earlier . . . You’re right about Jen Cassopolis. Her sister’s still out at Twilight Manor, right? I’d forgotten about some of the crap she went through. She deserves better.”
I sat up straighter. “Hey, now! I didn’t say better .”
Cody shrugged. “It’s what you meant, and you were right. It’s okay. I’ll call her. I’ll do the old ‘it’s not you; it’s me’ routine. After all, it’s true.”
“Is it because of the whole mating-within-your-species thing?” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
I let the silence ride a while, but I couldn’t help being bedeviled with curiosity. “Did you love her?”
“Caroline?” His mouth twisted. “Honestly, I can’t say. Long-distance relationships are tough, and there’s a lot we never got a chance to find out. But I liked her a lot, Daisy. An awful lot.”
“I’m sorry,” I said honestly.
He gave me another glance, his expression softening. “I know. Thanks, Pixy Stix.”
My tail twitched with indignation. “What’s that all about, anyway?” I grumbled. “Why the hell did Brent call me that?”
Cody chuckled. “Hell if I know, but it’s funny.”
We passed the turnoff to downtown Pemkowet and headed for the rural highway. I grimaced. “You’re taking us to the Wheelhouse?”
“Yep. I told you.” Cody turned onto the highway. “It’s okay. You can stay in the patrol car if you’re scared.”
“I’m not scared ,” I protested. “I just don’t like ghouls.”
“Who does?”
“Skanks,” I said morosely.
“One man’s skank is another man’s alluring woman in distress,” Cody said philosophically, pulling into the parking lot. “Since you value it so highly, I’m trying to pay attention to your mother’s advice. Are you coming or staying?”
I unbuckled my seat belt. “Coming.”
Okay, a word about ghouls. Yes, fine, I’ll admit it: They do actually scare me quite a bit. The thing is, with vampires, it’s a straightforward transaction. Vamps provide you with hypnotic pleasure in exchange for sucking your blood. If they deem you worthy, in time, they might deign to change you and make you one of them. If they don’t, like Jen’s sister, Bethany, you’re a blood-slut until they get tired of you and either kill you, which fortunately hadn’t happened to anyone since I’d been working for the department, or cut you loose, at which point in time you’re like any hopeless addict.
Ghouls are different.
By and
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