Page 61 of Tooth and Nail

“They drove in full space fairie form?” he asked.

Eoghan frowned as he looked back out the windshield. “I never thought about that. Then again, their house was only a few miles away from the field where they held what they termed as gatherings. They could have easily driven in full fairie form if it was after dark. Those rural farm roads in that part of Visalia are way off the grid.”

“Makes sense. So, how did Oberon and Titania react to that knowledge?”

“Not good. They were visibly pissed. But when Glad asked Titania if she knew their rivals were responsible for the homebuilder’s murder and burial, she denied it.”

“Well, I’d expect that she would, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, but that’s when Gladys made a terrible mistake. She looked her in the eye to see if she could determine if Titania was lying.”

“She stared at her too long? Like you told me not to do?” Ari asked.

“Yes. Tony Alvarez had never mentioned anything about it in his report on Miranda’s disappearance. Maybe he didn’t know, but I find it hard to imagine interviewing a subject without looking at them for more than five seconds.”

“Maybe he was creeped out by them,” Ari said. “I sure as hell know I am, and I haven’t even met them.”

“You’re right. That’s probably a good thing. Anyway, once Gladys held her gaze too long, Titania suddenly rose out of her chair and began speaking in this low, hollow voice, making verbal threats. We didn’t want to endanger deli patrons so we immediately stood up and ran for the door. I didn’t know what was happening, but Gladys grabbed my arm and literally yanked me out of there. We got into the car and hit the gas, tearing down the street. I turned around and caught a glimpse of what came out of that deli after us.”

“What was it?”

“The scariest fucking thing you can imagine. Space fairies are exactly as I described to you, and I know from personal, firsthand experience. I fumbled with my phone because I wanted a picture of them to prove to the boss what we were dealing with, but Gladys had her foot flat to the floorboards and had the vehicle practically flying. I dropped my phone and missed the opportunity to get a picture. That fucking car got us out of there goddamned fast. It’s a situation like this which makes the Tools invaluable mechanics. They install the supercharger on all vehicles the I.S.R. drives. It’s standard now.”

“Because Gladys stared at her too long?”

Eoghan nodded. “All because Gladys stared at her too long. We had to call in a sanitizing team to deal with the deli and it turned out to be one of those situations where they had to use the city’s water supply to erase memories. We didn’t have any idea how many people had seen them change like that.”

“What happened to Wick and Acosta?”

“We don’t know. Wick was unconscious when Gladys and I got to him but Acosta…well, you can probably guess.”

“He was dead.”

“Yes. It was horrible. He’d literally been torn to shreds.”

“Oh, my God. That’s awful.”

“He looked like the victim of an animal attack…several animals actually. Worse than Devon, though. None of us could understand it. But it wasn’t the fact that he’d been ripped up that way. It was that they’d completely bypassed St. Clair.”

“He escaped, just like that,huh?”

“Yes, When Glad and I got to them, Wick was fine. He couldn’t explain why he’d been spared either. I did think about it for a long time. In his report, Wick said he’d remembered not to stare at their eyes. He didn’t know whether Acosta hadmade that mistake but if he had, perhaps it explained why he’d been the one attacked.” He looked at a passing road sign and pointed it out to Ari. “Five miles to the Flying J. Anyway, now you know what happened and why I need you to be safe and remember everything I ever told you about what these creatures are capable of.”

“I promise, Eoghan.”

Eoghan nodded. “Okay. Please, Ari, remember what I told you and if it’s the last thing you do, I beg you…don’t look in their eyes. Since it’s impossible to count seconds while talking to someone, I’d suggest you just look at their chins if you have to look at their faces at all.” He glanced over at Ari, noting the look of worry on his handsome face as he nodded. “We’re gonna be okay. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, Eoghan, and in case you haven’t figured it out already, I trust you completely.”

Chapter Sixteen

The Flying J in Bakersfield was large, encompassing a few acres. It had ten fuel lanes built with high enough overhead lighting for the tallest semi-truck to fuel up. The public parking pad accommodated over two hundred cars and trucks along with certified mechanics at its service center. Inside the travel center, the Flying J boasted of having showers, free Wi-Fi, check cashing, a driver’s lounge, and a game room along with a multitude of restaurants.

When they walked inside, they looked around, searching for a place where space fairies might congregate. Eoghan wanted to laugh at himself. He pictured losing his memory and waking up, disoriented with a case of amnesia, only being able to tell his doctors that space fairies caused his injuries. The very thought of it was ludicrous. The minute they spotted the Cinnabon, they both headed toward it. It was just the kind of place a space fairie would appreciate due to the way their cinnamon rolls were liberally doused with oozing, dripping, overly-sweet frosting.

Sure enough, as they got closer, Eoghan spotted two people who stuck out in the utilitarian truck stop like sore thumbs. Dressed to the nines in silk and chiffon, Titania looked like she could waltz into a six-star hotel’s presidential suite while Oberon appeared ready to sit down beside James Bond at a baccarat table in Monte Carlo. The two exuded wealth and position, dripping with diamonds, wearing their best finery…at a fucking truck stop.

They were being regarded with quiet jeers and laughter by several passersby and Eoghan realized meeting in a place where someone might accidentally walk up to them and start a conversation, had been a stupid plan.

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