“Are you all right?” he asked and she nodded.
“This is going to be hard to explain to my bosses,” she sighed as he hugged her tight.
“Your bosses? I’m the one who let a serial killer get eaten by a gator. That is not how you win elections.”
She hissed at a hot, bright pain in her middle, pulling away from him. They watched as the slash across her stomach knitted itself back together. Now it was Bael’s turn to stare.
“Is this because of you?” she asked. “From spending too much time with you? The whole glowing semen thing?”
“I’m sure that’s it,” Bael told her carefully.
He pressed her to his chest, hand cradling her head. “Everything is going to be all right,” he promised her. “Every single thing.”
16
Bael
Weeks later, Bael closed the cover of Jillian’s bound report. The crazy woman had written a damn textbook while she was living in Miss Lottie’s funny little house.
Then again, textbooks had never made him smile so much. “Mystic Bayou: A Whole-Hearted Approach to a Blended Community” was an academic work, complete with graphs and footnotes on all the cultural points people considered vital. But it was also heartfelt, funny and presented the locals in a loving, generous light. Hell, she might have given his neighbors more credit than they deserved.
The study was dedicated to the memories of Ted, Gladys and Teenie, and included a chapter on emotional alienation of human subjects living amongst the magique. She addressed Simon’s case, specifically, and discussed how experts might be able to help humans living amongst the magique adjust to life without special gifts. He wasn’t surprised that she’d turned something scary, something that had hurt her directly into an opportunity to help other people.
She’d been agonizingly polite when she thanked him for saving her from Simon, but somehow, a distance had grown between them in the time her knife wound healed to Zed arriving on the scene to help him clean things up. She’d gotten a ride home from Clarissa, then she locked herself in Miss Lottie’s house during her last days in the Bayou. Then she promptly left town to present her work to her bosses.
Zed and Clarissa had wanted to throw her a going-away party. But after everything the town had been through, Jillian wanted to leave quietly.
Bael had made the decision to stay away, to let her leave, and to let her have her career, if that was going to make her happy. He loved her with everything in his heart, but he didn’t want to keep her with him if it meant she was miserable. So he’d kept to his house, taken sick days and done all the paperwork for Simon’s case from home.
When she didn’t show up to say goodbye, he figured that was all he needed to know.
“Would you stop poring over that thing? It’s not like there’s a secret code inside for ‘what Jillian is thinking?’ Just call the woman!” Zed had been sitting in Bael’s office chair and Bael didn’t even realize it. And given the self-satisfied look on his face, he’d been there for a while.
“I wouldn’t have given you that copy if I knew you were going to obsess over it.”
Bael laid the book carefully on his desk. “I just wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. I can’t help but notice she talks about the rift and its influence on the locals in detail. You’re really gonna let the League know about it?”
“I think we’re going to have to. We need League resources to determine how quickly the rift’s energy is changing and what, if anything, can be done to slow down its progression.”
“That’s gonna mean more scientists. More League personnel.”
“Yeah, and it could mean that a certain League scientist could come back.”
17
Jillian
Across the country, Jillian twitched as she waited in the plush waiting room of the League’s D.C. offices. Even with the expensive looking tooled leather chairs and mahogany tables, it seemed too cold here, too sterile, and definitely too busy.
She missed Zed and Clarissa and Miss Bonita and…other parties. She hadn’t spoken to Bael since he’d taken her statement about the murders. She knew it was the coward’s way out to avoid him, she just knew that she wouldn’t be able to leave town if she talked to him. She had to come back to the League offices, to revisit her life in D.C. She had to know if she could live with it or without it. This place had been her whole life before she arrived in Mystic Bayou, and now?
With all the phones ringing, elevators dinging and people bustling through the lobby shuffling through their files, Jillian was practically crawling out of her skin. She’d become far too accustomed to the quiet of her strange little house on the swamp. She’d taken a cab straight from the airport, not wanting to trap Sonja in the nightmare of a mid-day Dulles pick-up. Now she thought maybe she’d made a mistake, and that she should have stopped at home for a shower and a chance to steal Sonja’s shoes.
Also, she thought maybe leaving without speaking to Bael was the wrong tactic to take. He hadn’t even stopped by Miss Lottie’s to say goodbye to her. What if he’d decided that she was too much trouble, what with her shadow government connections and serial killer abductions?
“Sweetie!” she heard someone yell from across the lobby. She looked up to see Sonja running at full speed in four inch heels and a sapphire silk blouse and pencil skirt. Jillian stood just in time to practically be tackle-hugged by her friend, who was incredibly fleet of foot on her stilettos. “Oh my God, look at you. It’s like you’ve spent the last couple of months at a spa. You’re glowing.”
“Well, I have been dealing with a lot of mud, I’ll say that.”
Sonja’s almond shaped eyes tightened suspiciously. “No, seriously, you are really glowing, as in you’re actually giving off a visible light. What is going on with you?”
“I just had a chance to relax for a bit, I guess.”
“Naked? With that dragon guy?”
“A couple of times, yes, but we agreed not to see each other anymore. Because I live here and he lives in the middle of a swamp.”
“Well, despite your slightly mopey tone, I hereby endorse this casual relationship. If anyone deserves some no-strings-attached sex, it’s you.”
“Thank you.”
“Now, your meeting is scheduled for the east conference room. Please proceed to the door immediately. You don’t want to keep the board waiting.”
“Do they have all of the documents I sent ahead?” Jillian asked.
“Yes, beautifully collated and bound by yours truly.”
“You’re amazing.”
“Knock ‘em dead, sweetie.” Sonja gave her a light shove in the direction of the conference room. “I’ll put all of your bags in my office. Well, I’ll have an intern do the carrying, but it still counts!”
Straightening her jacket collar, Jillian knocked softly on the conference room door. A feminine voice called for her to open the door. Jillian stopped in the doorway. She’d expected a table full of people, but only one seat at the table was occupied. And that seat was occupied by Akako Tomita. Jillian had never even made eye contact with Akako in the hallway. And here she was walking into a room alone with her.
Jillian shivered and rubbed her hands over her arms. She glanced down at the gooseflesh on her exposed wrist. That was weird.
Akako was wearing a deep scarlet suit and a necklace with nine points to represent the nine tails kept hidden while she was in her human form. She glanced up from a spiral bound document Jillian recognized as her report.
“Ms. Tomita? Am I early or late?” Jillian gestured toward the empty chairs.
Akako smiled coolly. “Neither. I wanted you to have my full attention for this meeting. The other board members tend to bring much confusion and noise with them, and I wanted you to know how much I appreciate the work you put into this publication. It is everything we hoped for and more.”
She waited for the “but” that would inevitably follow such high praise. It didn’t come.
“You should know
that we expect big things from you, following such a performance. You’ve set the bar very high.”
Jillian cleared her throat. “Thank you. Does this mean that the town will get the League resources they need?”
“Of course. I do have some questions, however.”
There it was, the “but.”
“You added the special appendix regarding the unexpected influences of the rift’s energy on the town and how it’s affecting the human citizens.”
“Yes, I wasn’t sure how much you would want the general public to know about that. It’s going to be difficult enough to get humanity to accept the existence of so many magique. The idea that their kids, their neighbors, their dentist could turn into a magie because of some sort of interdimensional anomaly, that might be a little much.”
“You are right there. For now, we’re going to keep this chapter under our vest, but if it becomes necessary, we will publish it later.”
“The scientist in me weeps, the person who doesn’t want to see Mystic Bayou burn to the ground by an angry mob says thank you.”
“And it seems to the board—and by the board, I mean myself because I speak for the board—this development requires further documentation.”
“I agree. I have spoken to the local leadership about using League resources to investigate stabilizing the rift. They’re interested. And frankly, I think that it’s necessary to public safety to do so.”
“It’s good to know we’re on the same page. How would you feel about working from Mystic Bayou for the foreseeable future?”
“What about the scheduled field work? With Dr. Montes out of commission—”
“Dr. Montes has been fired,” Akako told her.
“While he’s still in the hospital?”
“We cannot tolerate representatives of the League who will inappropriately touch interview subjects, no matter how much they contribute to their field.”
Jillian wondered if that applied to Bael. Technically, she’d never officially interviewed him…so… She cleared her throat. “That seems like a reasonable requirement of employment. So, who’s going to replace him?”
“We’re composing a list of candidates. But in the meantime, we are going to need our top field representative in Mystic Bayou, where she has established strong community ties and a rapport with the key players. The other anthropologists can handle the lower priority field assignments.”
“I would get to stay in Mystic Bayou?” Jillian’s hand felt frozen around the conference table’s edge. Was it possible she was hearing things? She would be able to go back home to the bayou. She could stay with Bael, if he agreed to speak to her again. She could stay with her friends, though Sonja was going to be pissed about Jillian leaving her alone in the apartment for the foreseeable future. Nothing could possibly turn out so perfect without a catch. Kitsunes were tricksters, after all. Would she owe Akako her firstborn child if she took this assignment?
“Absolutely. I’m a firm believer in not changing a situation that’s working. Besides, you’re going to need that time in the company of a tolerant blended community while you adjust to your new nature.”
“I’m sorry?”
Akako suddenly sprung over the table, landing on the surface of the table in full kitsune form. Her face was set in feral lines, her jaw and nose shifting into a pointed snout. Her eyes were almond shaped and flaring with golden light. Nine nails bloomed behind her back, whipping back and forth with manic energy. She smiled, showing a mouthful of gleaming white fangs.
“Fuck!” Jillian knocked her chair back in her panic to make space between them. Also, she was on fire.
Jillian stared in horror at her own hand. Her whole body was engulfed in bright blue flames. She scrambled to her feet, her chair burning, sending billows of black smoke into Akako’s face. The table was crackling under Akako’s feet, buckling from the heat. Paperwork smoldered into ash and floated toward the ceiling.
Jillian beat at the flames on her chest, but it was too late. There wasn’t a single part of her left untouched. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the burn to swallow her, to steal her breath and plunge her into pain.
But the only thing she sensed was the smoke alarm screaming to life.
She opened her eyes. She was still burning, surrounded in that blue light, but it didn’t hurt. It barely tickled. It just felt right, like stretching muscles she’d held tense for too long. She raised her hands, watching the flames dance along her skin.
Akako was smiling softly at her, like she was staring at some long-admired precious piece of artwork.
The sprinkler system started spitting gallons of water on them both. And while it extinguished the table and the papers she’d burnt, her own blue flames were skill weaving and bobbing over her. She waved her fingers through it, but it was steadfast, consistently inconsistent.
“What is this?” Jillian demanded over the wail of the alarm.
“I want you to focus on drawing the fire back into you, like breathing air into your lungs. Don’t panic. Don’t try to force it. Just relax and breathe.”
Jillian shook ever so slightly as she pictured the flames melting back into her skin, as naturally as the oxygen entering her lungs. Slowly, the blue fire died off and she flexed her fingers. She felt no pain, no burn, just the fizzing excitement of something new. Akako sat down in her chair, as if it was perfectly normal to continue a meeting with a sprinkler showering down over them.
“What was that?” she asked Akako.
“That was your inner fire. It’s blue, which is interesting. A phoenix’s flame usually reflects their emotional state. You must be very eager to return to the bayou, my dear.”
“This is insane. I can’t be a shapeshifter. I’ve never shown any signs of— Oh hell, the rift. When he took me that close to the rift, it must have changed me.”
“You didn’t notice that there was a difference?”
“I didn’t feel any different. But now that you mention it, me being able to destroy Simon’s dissection table with a jerk of my arms makes a lot more sense if I have super strength. Also, a few people have been looking at me differently because I’ve been glowing. I thought it was just the dragon sex.”
Akako grinned. “Oh, really? Do tell. They were recognizing your new nature. We can sense each other, remember?”
Jillian remembered the sensation of her hair standing up on end when she walked into the room. “I thought I was just overwhelmed by industrial air-conditioning.”
“Well, just be careful over the next few days and pick up a few extra fire extinguishers. And let me know when you’ve made a decision about the Mystic Bayou assignment.”
“No—no I’ll take it.”
Akako grinned, her sharp fangs flashing. “Excellent news. I’m very pleased.”
Jillian cleared her throat. “So, I have to ask, there were a lot of people in this office who you could’ve given this job. Why did you send me?”
“Dr. Ramsay, you may not know this but you have some support within the League’s offices.”
“Sure, Dr. Montes signed off on my dissertation. He helped me get the internship here.”
“Actually, no, Dr. Montes was no help to you getting the internship at all.”
Jillian frowned. “I’m…confused.”
“You may not know this, but during World War II, my family was detained in an internment camp in California. It was difficult to be a minority during that time. It was even more difficult to be a minority within a minority. There was only one other shifter family at the camp, a family of kappas named Yamagita.”
Jillian beamed. “You know Mel?”
“He was a child at the time but yes, we became very close friends. And when you went away to study, he was sure to call me and keep me updated on your progress. He had always been very proud of you. And when an internship became available, I arranged for Dr. Montes to check in on you at your college, to foster you along until you were ready for a position here.”
&nbs
p; “So I don’t owe my job to a unicorn fondler? That’s a relief.”
Akako smirked. “Yes, well, please take a few days to enjoy your success and tie up any loose ends you need to secure before you leave town again. We look forward to your next report. I’ll send you a list of deadline dates.”
“Thank you.”
Akako stood, shaking her hand. “Keep up the good work, Dr. Ramsay.”
Stunned and a little shaky, Jillian walked out of the conference room. She’d just agreed to completely dismantle her life. And she’d set herself on fire. And she’d never been happier.
Sonja was standing in the hallway, a look of apprehension on her face. “Everything okay, sweetie? The fire alarm went off— Oh, holy hell, you’re soaked to the skin. And your clothes are burned! What the hell happened in there? Did Akako Tomita attack you? I will cut that woman.”
“She’s a supernaturally strong ancient creature with nine blades hidden in her invisible tails.”
“I would figure something out,” Sonja insisted.
“She can also hear you.” Jillian nodded toward the door. Sonja grimaced and they scurried down the hall to Sonja’s office. Sonja shut the door behind them and started unpacking wet wipes, stain remover and a dry shirt from her emergency drawer.
“What happened?” Sonja demanded.
Jillian smiled sheepishly. “You’re gonna be so mad at me.”
18
Bael
Bael walked into City Hall and everybody stopped talking. That was never a good sign. Even Gigi Grandent wouldn’t make eye contact with him as he walked toward his office.
“Bael!” Zed yelled from his office. “I need you in here!”
Bael frowned, entering the room. “What’s up?”
“So you gave Emily McAinsley a ticket.”
“She was speeding.”
“She was going three miles over the limit.”