I stood and motioned the Youngers up too. I saw Eli pocketing something as he stood, and I figured he’d had a weapon ready the whole time. Knowing the elder Younger, he’d have more than one at hand. As if we’d all been pals forever, we made our way out of the tidewater house to the truck, Lucky and his family following at a safe distance. It was one of those real Humvees, the ones that had been used in wars, if I was any judge of such things, because it was still painted in desert camo, was scarred, scratched, dented, beat-up, had a less-than-minimalist interior—two seats and a flat metal bed behind them—and looked like a survivor. It had to sound like a herd of charging rhinos when it ran. And I hadn’t heard anything until the door opened. Solene has a spell that can dampen audio. Now that would be cool to have. Maybe I could bargain for that later on.
The ogres got out of the Humvee and stood to the side as Solene opened the back door, lifted out a battered blue cooler, and set it on the ground. She raised the plastic top and took out the wreath. Up close, I saw pretty much what I’d seen the night before, but in more detail. It was a metal wreath, neither silver nor gold, but a hue that might have been a mixture of both, or maybe white and yellow gold mixed together. It was a dully gleaming metal circlet, carved or incised along the base with markings that could indeed have been decorative or early language, triangles and circles and squares in no particular order. The upper part was carved or shaped in ascending points in what could have been laurel leaves. Some kind of leaf, anyway. There were no stones or other ornamentation. But the haze of magics was much clearer at this distance, even with the sunlight.
I didn’t ask to touch it. I simply pulled out my cell and started taking photos of it, walking around Solene to get the corona from every angle, taking the attention of the group with me, so Eli and Alex could do whatever they wanted without anyone noticing. I asked to photograph the wreath in sunlight and in shadows under the trees. I didn’t ask to touch it, which seemed to make Solene more agreeable. I also got a shot of it on the ground with a quarter and a dollar bill beside it for measurement purposes.
When I was done I said, “Thank you. If I can figure out how to call for a parley, I might like to request another meeting before the coven meets tonight.”
Solene shrugged easily. “Fine. In the main intersection of town, a quarter hour before dusk. After that, the circles will be formed and we won’t come out until dawn or until we figure out the magics in the wreath.”
I nodded and turned to Lucky. “Thank you for your hospitality. Shake a knot in Shauna’s chain so she can fix this thing with Gabe. Your daughter is a spoiled-rotten brat with delusions of what a mature relationship really is. She needs to understand how the different kinds of vamp relationships really work, how vamps feed, and how much blood they need. Gabe needs to be taught how to feed without a sexual component. I’d suggest you and Bobbie, Clermont Doucette, Shauna, and Gabe sit down together and explain the facts of life to them both. And I suggest it be done tonight, as soon after sunset as possible. I’ll send a request to Clermont if you want and facilitate this particular discussion. Text me when you decide. But let me make this clear.” I drew on Beast, lifted my head, and assumed all the power of the Enforcer position. Lucky stepped back at the glow in my eyes, and Solene did a double take. The leader of the BO witches stepped between me and her niece, as if her human flesh was a shield. That simple action made my heart melt with both tenderness and anguish, because no one in my entire childhood memories had stepped between me and possible danger. But a melting heart didn’t stop me.
With the full force of my skinwalker energies pulled up around me, I said, “If I have to get in the middle of a lovers’ spat, I’m not gonna be kind or gentle. I’ll make sure things are fixed one way or another, but the happiness and safety of two stupid kids is not my primary goal. You people will handle this. Understood?” Lucky and Bobbie nodded. I turned my gaze to Solene. “Because as it turns out, relationship issues are the least important part of why I’m in BO. I’m here for the wreath, to find its rightful owner. And I won’t leave without seeing that done. That’s not a threat. It’s a statement of intent.”
Without letting the witch leader reply, I pivoted on one toe and walked to the SUV, giving her my back as if showing her there was no way to harm me. That was a lie, but it wasn’t one I’d admit to, not after such a great parting shot. I climbed into the passenger side and closed my door, hearing two others shut in the same moment, as if we had choreographed it. Eli started the engine and the powerful motor hummed as we rolled sedately out of the drive and down the street. I twisted in my seat and smiled brightly between my partners. “That went well. What did you find out?”
Alex shook his head. “You are one scary woman, Jane Yellowrock.”
“Yup. A big-cat. Which is way scary.”