The row of bins began to shake and Kami and I drew to a halt.
A creature exploded from behind the bins. The containers shot in all directions like oversized shrapnel and the contents followed suit. The stench alone was enough to knock me off my feet. Wet noodles slapped my face. I spit one out of my mouth and focused on the creature looming in front of us.
A fox.
Not the kind of regular fox I occasionally saw slinking down an alley. This one was larger and more substantial. Like the oversized rats, this one seemed to be on steroids.
It wasn’t the rats messing with Gerald’s beloved rubbish. It was this guy.
Kami aimed her crossbow at the fox.
I scrambled between them. “No, don’t!”
The fox saw an opportunity and took off.
Kami lowered her crossbow. “I wasn’t planning to kill it. I only wanted to scare it away.”
I glanced in the direction of the retreating fox. “Mission accomplished.”
Kami stared at the mess. “That thing was big, right?”
“It wasn’t small.”
“What’s going on here?” a voice demanded.
I turned to see a couple watching us with a mixture of interest and revulsion.
“You live here?” Kami asked. She pulled a noodle from her hair and tossed it on the ground.
“Upstairs.” The man pointed to the flat above Gerald’s.
“You have the missing daughter,” I said.
“She isn’t missing. She just ran off,” the man said. “She’ll come back when she’s tired of being cold and hungry.” He slung an arm around his wife’s shoulders and squeezed. “Isn’t that right?”
The woman nodded, but I could see a question in her dark eyes.
“Do you think something happened between her and the vampire boy next door?” I asked.
They seemed equally astonished by the question. “We haven’t even met them,” the man said. “Kari’s been upset about other things. Teenage girl drama. I’m sure you know all about that.”
Kami and I remained quiet. Our teenage drama would have been remarkably different from someone like Kari who had two parents and a roof over her head.
“If she doesn’t come home, feel free to contact us.” I produced a business card and handed it to the mother, but the father intercepted it.
“Thank you, but I have every confidence she’ll arrive back home within the week.” He tucked the card into his pocket and I had no doubt I’d never hear from them whether Kari came home or not.
“Have you noticed a problem with rats encroaching on your territory?” I asked.
“Did Mr. Latham call you?” The man laughed. “I swear he gets more paranoid every day.”
“Yes, we’ve noticed it,” the woman said. “But this is the city. There are always going to be rats.”
“And foxes,” Kami added.
The woman shot her a quizzical look. “We had foxes in the rubbish, too?”
“What do you think caused this mess?” I asked.
“Don’t worry,” Kami said. “We just scared one half to death, so I doubt it will come back to bother you.”
“Did you wound it?” the woman asked.
“We don’t kill defenseless animals if that’s what you’re asking,” I said. “We told Mr. Latham the same thing. It just seemed hungry and frightened.”
The man glanced at his wife. “I’ll set traps. I don’t want to risk you getting attacked if you come out here alone.”
“Honestly, you’re better off securing your bins,” I told them. “That’s the temptation. If you take that away, they have less reason to be so close to the house.”
He nodded. “Thanks for the tip. I assume part of your service includes cleaning up the mess you make?”
Kami opened her mouth with what I knew would be a smart remark, so I shook my head at her. It wouldn’t take us long to clean this up. I had the feeling if we didn’t, his wife would be the one out here on her hands and knees.
“We’ll take care of it,” I promised.
He maneuvered his wife around the corner of the house toward the front door.
Once we finished the thankless task, Kami looked at me and smiled through the muck on her face. “I could use a drink after this.”
“I don’t think there’s a pub in the city that would be willing to have us in this condition.” Not even Hole, which was exactly as its name suggested.
“The Crown then. Simon won’t mind. His clientele are almost all shifters anyway.”
I snorted. “I dare you to suggest that shifters smell in the middle of the pub. I’ll be the one in the corner belly laughing.”
Kami nudged me with her elbow. “No, you wouldn’t. You’d have my back.”
I would. Kami was my best friend and I’d protect her no matter how many shifters she knowingly insulted. It was part of our unwritten pact that we made as teenagers. In this world of darkness and uncertainty, at least we knew we could count on each other.
2
The Crown was located near the Circus, where the Knights of Boudica were headquartered. The pub was one of the few buildings in the neighborhood that managed to retain its original stained-glass windows. Instead of dark brown walls, they were painted an off-white to make the interior appear bigger and brighter. Light spilled from the strings of lights that clung to the ceiling, bathing the room in a pale yellow glow.
Simon waved to us from behind the bar as we entered. As a werewolf, he catered to the shapeshifter crowd. We were regulars, though, and Simon treated us like royalty. He liked having knights on hand because we could act as peacekeepers when his patrons got out of hand, as shifters were wont to do. More than once I’d found myself holding back one werewolf while Kami held back his opponent. Funny thing about werewolves. They didn’t love to be strong-armed by two women and tended to flee the premises immediately afterward.
The large oval table at the back was usually reserved for us, but it was currently occupied by a group of werewolves. It was only Kami and I tonight, though. We took one of the smaller tables without complaint.
I sniffed the air. “Usually this place smells like damp fur, but all I can smell is us.”
“How bad is it? Because I spot a few rather attractive male specimens,” Kami said. A pitcher of ale sat between us and Simon had thoughtfully delivered two damp cloths as well so we could clean ourselves up in the restroom.
“Even if they’re nasally-challenged, I don’t think you’re going to attract anybody while you have pesto ground into your scalp.”
Kami touched her scalp and grimaced. “Why didn’t you tell me I missed a spot?”
“Because I figured you’d wash it out when you shower tonight. No harm done. I hear pesto is an excellent moisturizer.”
“You’re hilarious. Maybe we should call your boyfriend and ask him to meet us here. See what he thinks of your eau de rubbish scent.”
My fingers curled around my glass. “He’s not my boyfriend.”