appearance of a plump female figure swathed in purple.
He sniffed the fallen woman and gently caught at her shoulder to turn her over. Relief gladdened and shamed him. It wasn’t Leigh. Slowly, Sean walked over to Niles, his injury already mending.
“It’s Rose,” Sean said, “they’ve killed her.” He shook his head as he spoke to Niles. “This is part of a bigger plot. Brande wants something we haven’t even guessed at and it’s deadly.”
“I believe they want to control us, all of us, including the humans,” Niles answered. “They want to have this island all to themselves.”
Without warning a tiny silver-gray cat streaked toward Rose’s body and prepared to attack Niles. It rose to its hind legs and spread long claws like curved needles. Niles looked into violet eyes that radiated a warning. He wasn’tfool enough to dismiss this cat because it was little bigger than a guinea pig.
“Skillywidden! Stop!” Sally called from where she stood near the bushes.
This was only the second time Sally, who worked with Cliff at Gabriel’s, had acknowledged her fae identity to Niles. The first was when she told him about Leigh’s existence.
Leaning against Niles’s immovable shoulder, Sally knelt beside Rose and lifted matted hair out of the woman’s discolored face. Bending over the dead body, Sally sniffed Rose’s mouth. “It’s a poison,” she said. “A poison of the blood.”
The cat’s eyes narrowed to slits and it backed off, looking from one to the other of the hounds. She sidled up to Sean and rubbed against his legs. “She’s looking for a sympathetic friend,” he said, laughing, and the cat instantly slunk away to hide herself in the folds of Sally’s purple robes.
“What kind of poison?” Niles asked. He could communicate with the fae while he was a hound, something impossible with humans other than those with paranormal gifts.
“A poison of incompatibility,” the woman said. “Rose was given blood she couldn’t tolerate. This will happen again—the wolves are using humans to experiment.”
“We’ve got to warn everyone,” Ethan said.
“We’ve got to be smarter than Brande,” Sally said. “Panic would play into his hands. Those who have returned without harm must be watched but not yet alerted to what we know. Am I right, Niles?”
He nodded. “Yes, absolutely right. But Rose’s body should be found, to make people more cautious.”
“That depends,” Sally said, and there was no mistaking the sadness in her eyes. She stood and produced a sheet of sparkling gossamer, which she spread over Rose’s body. Sally bowed her head. “Go away now, all of you. You’re finished here. Don’t say anything unless someone else tells you Rose is dead. Now go, and protect the vulnerable. There could be more like Rose before this is over.”
Niles wanted to ask about the vampire but Sally and Rose had disappeared.
chapter
SEVEN
Y ESTERDAY HAD BEEN ROUGH. Leigh had hoped Niles would come by last night, or call to ask her how she had made out the rest of the day at Gabriel’s maybe. He had done neither and there had been no sign of him this morning.
It shouldn’t matter whether he came by or called.
One of the twins, she thought it was Cuss, knocked and put himself halfway into the office. “Molly says you’re wanted out front,” he said, looking edgy.
“Did she say why?”
He swallowed. “Nope. But she’s in one of her… moods.”
Leigh didn’t like being ordered to do anything but she disliked confrontation more. “I’ll be right there,” she said.
When Molly saw Leigh coming she pointed to a table in the bar as if she were giving an order to a dog.
Leigh muttered, “Down, boy… Over there, boy—” under her breath as she followed the other women.
Molly and Gabriel were close. They couldn’t get anycloser. Leigh knew this because Molly had told her—several times.
And now it looked as if Molly, who implied by her behavior that she was the
He sniffed the fallen woman and gently caught at her shoulder to turn her over. Relief gladdened and shamed him. It wasn’t Leigh. Slowly, Sean walked over to Niles, his injury already mending.
“It’s Rose,” Sean said, “they’ve killed her.” He shook his head as he spoke to Niles. “This is part of a bigger plot. Brande wants something we haven’t even guessed at and it’s deadly.”
“I believe they want to control us, all of us, including the humans,” Niles answered. “They want to have this island all to themselves.”
Without warning a tiny silver-gray cat streaked toward Rose’s body and prepared to attack Niles. It rose to its hind legs and spread long claws like curved needles. Niles looked into violet eyes that radiated a warning. He wasn’tfool enough to dismiss this cat because it was little bigger than a guinea pig.
“Skillywidden! Stop!” Sally called from where she stood near the bushes.
This was only the second time Sally, who worked with Cliff at Gabriel’s, had acknowledged her fae identity to Niles. The first was when she told him about Leigh’s existence.
Leaning against Niles’s immovable shoulder, Sally knelt beside Rose and lifted matted hair out of the woman’s discolored face. Bending over the dead body, Sally sniffed Rose’s mouth. “It’s a poison,” she said. “A poison of the blood.”
The cat’s eyes narrowed to slits and it backed off, looking from one to the other of the hounds. She sidled up to Sean and rubbed against his legs. “She’s looking for a sympathetic friend,” he said, laughing, and the cat instantly slunk away to hide herself in the folds of Sally’s purple robes.
“What kind of poison?” Niles asked. He could communicate with the fae while he was a hound, something impossible with humans other than those with paranormal gifts.
“A poison of incompatibility,” the woman said. “Rose was given blood she couldn’t tolerate. This will happen again—the wolves are using humans to experiment.”
“We’ve got to warn everyone,” Ethan said.
“We’ve got to be smarter than Brande,” Sally said. “Panic would play into his hands. Those who have returned without harm must be watched but not yet alerted to what we know. Am I right, Niles?”
He nodded. “Yes, absolutely right. But Rose’s body should be found, to make people more cautious.”
“That depends,” Sally said, and there was no mistaking the sadness in her eyes. She stood and produced a sheet of sparkling gossamer, which she spread over Rose’s body. Sally bowed her head. “Go away now, all of you. You’re finished here. Don’t say anything unless someone else tells you Rose is dead. Now go, and protect the vulnerable. There could be more like Rose before this is over.”
Niles wanted to ask about the vampire but Sally and Rose had disappeared.
chapter
SEVEN
Y ESTERDAY HAD BEEN ROUGH. Leigh had hoped Niles would come by last night, or call to ask her how she had made out the rest of the day at Gabriel’s maybe. He had done neither and there had been no sign of him this morning.
It shouldn’t matter whether he came by or called.
One of the twins, she thought it was Cuss, knocked and put himself halfway into the office. “Molly says you’re wanted out front,” he said, looking edgy.
“Did she say why?”
He swallowed. “Nope. But she’s in one of her… moods.”
Leigh didn’t like being ordered to do anything but she disliked confrontation more. “I’ll be right there,” she said.
When Molly saw Leigh coming she pointed to a table in the bar as if she were giving an order to a dog.
Leigh muttered, “Down, boy… Over there, boy—” under her breath as she followed the other women.
Molly and Gabriel were close. They couldn’t get anycloser. Leigh knew this because Molly had told her—several times.
And now it looked as if Molly, who implied by her behavior that she was the
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