The beige drink was still thick even though I’d left it out for a while. I’d made it with coffee I’d frozen in ice cube trays, frozen carrots, half and half, and a dash of cocoa and sugar.
April rearranged her hand of cards. “You started it all, Juggernaut. You were the one who drew House Bellus’s wizard insignia on all the aces’ cards.”
“As a joke,” Juggernaut grumbled. “If I’d known that meant we were going to personalize all the cards I wouldn’t have done it. Tetiana, hand over the queen.”
“Show me that you have the Night King,” Tetiana demanded.
“Look, I’ll agree that the Night Queen has to match with the Night King,” Juggernaut said. “But whether I have the Night King or not doesn’t matter, it’s go fish! I asked and you have it, so you have to hand it over!”
I was about halfway through my smoothie when the door swung open, and Brody stuck his head in. He usually talked with Binx before meetings, but since she was absorbed in the game he sat down at an empty table and watched.
“Fear not, Tetiana.” Clarence innocently smiled over the top of his cards. I noticed that he hadn’t gone with his usual white cravat tonight, instead he wore one that was navy-blue with golden fleurs to match our uniform. “Juggernaut doesn’t have the Night King, so you can get the Night Queen back on your next turn.”
Juggernaut leaned back, holding his cards flush against his chest. “That’s it, I knew you were cheating!”
Clarence, cheating? He’s a vampire so he has the abilities to manage it, but it’s unexpected for Clarence. He doesn’t have the strongest constitution. I eyed Clarence with new appreciation before I tipped my cup back, finishing the last of my gritty smoothie.
Tetiana settled back into her chair. “True. Fine—here, you scavenger. Take the Night Queen.” Tetiana flicked a card at Juggernaut so it landed on the table directly in front of him.
Juggernaut picked it up and added it to his hand. “Thanks.” He glanced over at Binx. “I don’t suppose you’ve figured out how Clarence is cheating?”
Binx wordlessly adjusted her cards.
“She’s not going to tell you, Juggernaut,” April said. “Because she’s using the same method. Clarence, give me your Jack card.”
The door opened again and Grove and Medium-Sized Robert entered—Medium-Sized Robert shuffling sideways and hunching down so he could fit through the door. They were murmuring to each other and ignored the card game as they sat at a table at the back of the room.
If I want to practice communication, I should go thank Grove for his insight about Orrin and giving him tea—or I should thank him without thanking him, as he told me last time.
Clarence shuffled his cards, picked one out, and passed it over to April. “Have we come up with a new name for the Jack cards yet?”
“It should be a shifter,” Binx said. “Since we already have fae and wizards.”
I took a deep breath of air to fortify myself, then stood up and headed towards Grove’s and Medium-Sized Robert’s table—going extra slow so I wouldn’t alarm them.
Behind me, the conversation over the card game continued. “How about a werewolf?” Brody suggested.
“Hmm?” Clarence said.
Just when I reached Grove and Medium-Sized Robert, Brody got up and approached the game. “A werewolf—you guys need a werewolf.”
“This is go fish. There shouldn’t be a werewolf,” Juggernaut said.
April set her matching jacks down on the table. “Give up—you let the old maid in, this is no longer go fish.”
Grove shifted in his seat, drawing my attention back to the fae. “Heya, Blood.”
“Hello Grove, Medium-Sized Robert.” I started to stand at attention, then realized that wouldn’t match my efforts to make this a casual conversation. “I appreciate what you said about fae and tea.”
Grove scratched his jaw. “Oh? Does that mean you gave some tea to Orrin?”
I nodded. “I don’t know if he’ll use it but I’m pretty sure you’re right, he was missing tea.”
Grove and Medium-Sized Robert exchanged looks.
“He’ll use it,” Medium-Sized Robert rumbled.
“Yeah, he’s been holed up for how many days? I’m impressed he didn’t break and ask the werewolves for some—though maybe he thought they’d hold it over his head so he didn’t bother to ask.” Grove shook his head. “For a fae, he doesn’t take as much advantage of other races’ ignorance as he could.”
Medium-Sized Robert nodded, and then the duo stared at me.
Am I supposed to say something back? Are we at that part of the conversation?
“Maybe,” I blurted out. “It occurred to me tonight that I thought he was trying to limit how fast he’d get caught by attacking in the middle of the night, but maybe he was trying to minimize damage.”
Grove shrugged. “If you think about it, they’re the same thing, aren’t they? Avoid detection by minimizing damage, and if you minimize damage you avoid detection.”
“His goal may have been both,” Medium-Sized Robert rumbled. “It’s possible he took the damage into account in case he did get caught—so he wouldn’t face severe charges.”
Grove set his leather satchel on the table with a thump. “We fae do like to think in layers.”
Medium-Sized Robert raised a hairy eyebrow at him. “Does that mean you have multiple reasons for your obsession with poisons?”
Grove widened his eyes and slapped a hand on his satchel. “Can’t I just appreciate the toxic beauty of poisons and the promise of everything they can do for me?”
“No,” Medium-Sized Robert said.
The door opened and Sarge stuck his head in. He scanned our team, his eyes landing on me. “Blood. Here.”
I started across the room, then paused at the table. “Do I need my mask?”
Sarge shook his head. He waited until I passed through the door before closing it. “Your message said you wanted to see me before the shift started?”
“Yes.” Already my heart was buzzing in my chest, so I took a deep, calming breath—I needed to be clear minded when I told him about Considine.
“Very well.” Sarge motioned for me to follow him, then led me to the big open room that houses our odd formation of desks.
I assumed we would stop at the small office at the edge of the room, instead he led me beyond his desk to the row of larger offices used by the captains.
Sarge opened the door to Captain Reese’s office, wafting the scent of wood varnish that filled the Captain’s office at me, then motioned for me to step in first.
I’d thought maybe he was borrowing Captain Reese’s office for privacy, but no. Captain Reese was seated at her desk, which was sturdy, wooden, and rustic compared to the modern desks we used.
She had her prosthetic leg off and was using a can of compressed air to clean out a part of the joint. Her steely blonde hair was back in an orderly braid, and today she was dressed in uniform. She looked up when Sarge nudged me deeper into the office and smiled. “Ahh, Blood! Here you are. Just one moment and I’ll be done—I was down at one of the beaches today to look into an incident; the sand is killer on the joints of my prosthetic.”