her old man’s eye, you know?”
“Is she estranged from her father?”
“Yeah, but…see, Mariah’s always trying to get a reaction. She wants him to get mad. To react like she mattered. He won’t react because—this is kind of creepy—he says his daughter died. That’s how he puts it. Mariah Friar is alive, but his daughter is dead.”
“You know Friar?”
“It’s a small town. We’ve bumped a few times, but I avoid him whenever possible.”
“You seem to know Mariah pretty well.”
“Well…yeah.”
Something in those guileless blue eyes made her ask, “How well?”
“Geez.” He rubbed his short hair with one hand. “If I answer that honestly, you’ll think I’m scum. But Mariah’s like clan. She thinks of sex as comfort or friendship or just pleasure. She isn’t hung up on fidelity.”
Lily didn’t say anything. Rule didn’t either. Maybe he smelled disapproving, though, because Jason spoke earnestly to him. “She was pretty messed up back when you knew her. She’s a lot more together now, or I wouldn’t…but Steve really helped her. She feels good about herself these days.”
Lily took them back to the subject. “You met Mariah through Steve?”
“More or less. There’s this group, see. They’re all pretty young, or most of them, and they see themselves as rebels. They want to, uh, champion our cause. Mariah’s one of them.”
“Is this group mostly female?”
“Well…yeah, but not all of them.”
“Lupus groupies.”
“Some of them, maybe.” Jason looked uncomfortable, glancing again at Rule. “They’re pretty tame compared to the ones you’d find in the city at a place like Club Hell. More witch wannabes than lupus groupies, really.”
Rule spoke. “And one practicing witch.”
“Adele doesn’t like to be called a witch. Everyone thinks that means Wiccan, and she isn’t.”
“Adele?”
“Adele Blanco.”
Lily looked at Rule. He hardly ever interjected himself into an interview. “You know her.”
“Slightly. She’s older than the others in her little group.”
Interesting. Apparently Adele wasn’t “a lovely older woman.” Lily studied Rule’s face, which gave away nothing. But that, too, was a giveaway. “You don’t like her.”
Rule shrugged. “We had a disagreement a few years ago.”
“Rule checks in on us from time to time,” Jason said. “A few years back, he decided too many of the younger lupi were hanging with Adele’s group, that we were, uh, listening to her more than was good for the clan. Rule told us to stop gathering here, and Adele took it wrong. You don’t like her?” Jason asked Rule, more curious than upset. “I didn’t think you blamed her.”
“ Blame is the wrong word. I believe she enjoyed her influence over the younger people too much.”
“I don’t see it like that. Some of her ideas don’t work out, but she helps, too. She organized that protest outside Friar’s home. She teaches some of the group who have a bit of a Gift.”
Lily asked, “What’s her branch of spellcraft, if she isn’t Wiccan?”
“She calls herself an eclectic. She draws from a lot of traditions.”
“Any that involve tattoos, like the Msaidizi? The Dizzies,” she added when it was obvious the Swahili word meant nothing to him.
“Oh. I don’t think so. She isn’t African-American.”
“Not all of the Dizzies were.”
“Yeah? Well, I don’t think Adele was one of them. She doesn’t have tattoos, except for a little one on her ankle, and that’s pretty standard stuff—a rose. That’s how the Dizzies worked, right? They tattooed their spells on their bodies.”
“Pretty much.” That’s how Cynna worked, anyway, though her tattoo process didn’t involve needles. “What about charms? Does she make them?”
“Sure. Doesn’t pretty much every magical practice include charms?”
“I don’t know. Hers any good?”
Jason grimaced. “I guess. I mean, I know they work sometimes, but I can’t help
“Is she estranged from her father?”
“Yeah, but…see, Mariah’s always trying to get a reaction. She wants him to get mad. To react like she mattered. He won’t react because—this is kind of creepy—he says his daughter died. That’s how he puts it. Mariah Friar is alive, but his daughter is dead.”
“You know Friar?”
“It’s a small town. We’ve bumped a few times, but I avoid him whenever possible.”
“You seem to know Mariah pretty well.”
“Well…yeah.”
Something in those guileless blue eyes made her ask, “How well?”
“Geez.” He rubbed his short hair with one hand. “If I answer that honestly, you’ll think I’m scum. But Mariah’s like clan. She thinks of sex as comfort or friendship or just pleasure. She isn’t hung up on fidelity.”
Lily didn’t say anything. Rule didn’t either. Maybe he smelled disapproving, though, because Jason spoke earnestly to him. “She was pretty messed up back when you knew her. She’s a lot more together now, or I wouldn’t…but Steve really helped her. She feels good about herself these days.”
Lily took them back to the subject. “You met Mariah through Steve?”
“More or less. There’s this group, see. They’re all pretty young, or most of them, and they see themselves as rebels. They want to, uh, champion our cause. Mariah’s one of them.”
“Is this group mostly female?”
“Well…yeah, but not all of them.”
“Lupus groupies.”
“Some of them, maybe.” Jason looked uncomfortable, glancing again at Rule. “They’re pretty tame compared to the ones you’d find in the city at a place like Club Hell. More witch wannabes than lupus groupies, really.”
Rule spoke. “And one practicing witch.”
“Adele doesn’t like to be called a witch. Everyone thinks that means Wiccan, and she isn’t.”
“Adele?”
“Adele Blanco.”
Lily looked at Rule. He hardly ever interjected himself into an interview. “You know her.”
“Slightly. She’s older than the others in her little group.”
Interesting. Apparently Adele wasn’t “a lovely older woman.” Lily studied Rule’s face, which gave away nothing. But that, too, was a giveaway. “You don’t like her.”
Rule shrugged. “We had a disagreement a few years ago.”
“Rule checks in on us from time to time,” Jason said. “A few years back, he decided too many of the younger lupi were hanging with Adele’s group, that we were, uh, listening to her more than was good for the clan. Rule told us to stop gathering here, and Adele took it wrong. You don’t like her?” Jason asked Rule, more curious than upset. “I didn’t think you blamed her.”
“ Blame is the wrong word. I believe she enjoyed her influence over the younger people too much.”
“I don’t see it like that. Some of her ideas don’t work out, but she helps, too. She organized that protest outside Friar’s home. She teaches some of the group who have a bit of a Gift.”
Lily asked, “What’s her branch of spellcraft, if she isn’t Wiccan?”
“She calls herself an eclectic. She draws from a lot of traditions.”
“Any that involve tattoos, like the Msaidizi? The Dizzies,” she added when it was obvious the Swahili word meant nothing to him.
“Oh. I don’t think so. She isn’t African-American.”
“Not all of the Dizzies were.”
“Yeah? Well, I don’t think Adele was one of them. She doesn’t have tattoos, except for a little one on her ankle, and that’s pretty standard stuff—a rose. That’s how the Dizzies worked, right? They tattooed their spells on their bodies.”
“Pretty much.” That’s how Cynna worked, anyway, though her tattoo process didn’t involve needles. “What about charms? Does she make them?”
“Sure. Doesn’t pretty much every magical practice include charms?”
“I don’t know. Hers any good?”
Jason grimaced. “I guess. I mean, I know they work sometimes, but I can’t help
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