Page 26 of Perfectly Perplexing Zombie

“I see,” I answered in a clipped tone.

“Do you? Hmm…I would like to take a quick peek behind your eyes, Hellfire.”

A smirk twisted my lips. “A quick peek would only whet your appetite for more, Hamish.”

“Too true,” he answered with a put-upon sigh. “In all truth, you’ve sent me something interesting, and for that, I am appreciative. Life has been a little dull since Alpha Belview’s custody hearing.”

Walking toward my car, my eyebrows rose. “Did you truly believe you would win?”

“I believed it possible. Had the truth been kept from Phil, most likely the outcome would have been quite different.”

My stride ground to a halt. “Had the truth been kept from Phil, he would have died. He’d bonded to the house, a fact you knew and yet kept silent regarding.”

“A necessity while defending my client,” Hamish callously answered.

“It was cruel,” I countered.

“It was the job I was hired to perform. Some say you’ve gone a bit soft, Hellfire. Fairies don’t tend to socialize with lesser species as you do.”

A flare of anger flashed through my burning eyes. “Not all see them as lesser. The fact that you do is disappointing, yet not surprising.”

Hamish McIntyre was an excellent example of why other species didn’t trust fairies. Or, at the very least, why they kept their concerns to themselves. It was not in our best interest to keep them so fearful and at such a great distance that we did not catch small fires until they’d turned into uncontrollable forces of destruction.

Hamish only laughed, finding humor in my annoyance.

A nearly imperceptible crack echoed from my phone as my grip tightened. “Hamish,” my tone dropped arctic low, “if you believe me soft, perhaps we should meet and test that theory.”

Hamish’s laughter abruptly cut off. When he spoke again, it was with a far more respectful tone. “That will not be necessary, Hellfire Rayburn.”

I thought not.“I believe it goes without saying that if you find anything further, you will call. Immediately.”

“If you truly believed that, you would not have said it. Regardless, I will keep digging, and when more is unearthed, I will alert you.”

“Thank you, Hamish.” I didn’t wait for any reciprocating platitudes and ended the call. For a centuries-old fairy, it was amazing how short Hamish’s memory was. In general, fairies were not a species any should provoke. Some of us were more deadly than others. Queen Silvidia could foster life as easily as take it. I didn’t create life; I only ended its beating core. Hamish should really do something about his memory lapse before it got him into trouble.

ChapterEleven

Wendall

“Oh, that is just the cutest little thing.” Muriel tickled Trinket under her chin. The little scuttlebutt leaned into the touch, cooing for all she was worth. I’d yet to see her negatively react to anyone I’d introduced her to.

Trinket slept next to me all night, curled up in what I was beginning to think was her favorite spot in the space between my shoulder and neck. With her tail wrapped around her body, she’d folded into a slumbering ball. I’d woken to her soft puffs of air against my neck. I’d been so relaxed and happy that I’d barely noticed the new skin lesion on my left ankle.

“I’m glad she likes you.”

Muriel sat on my love seat again.

“Ray told me she wouldn’t like everyone, and a negative reaction is very…different from this.”

Trinket slid down my arm, landing on my wrist and cautiously leaning toward Muriel.

“Hmm, I’m not that familiar with the species. We don’t get a lot of creatures from Fairy. Well, besides fairies.” Muriel softly chuckled as if she thought she’d made a joke. “I can’t imagine this little cutie doing anything that terrible.” Muriel pulled back, thinking better of her statement. “Then again, appearances are often deceiving. Looking cute and innocent could be advantageous. Placing one’s prey at ease can be a successful tactic.”

As if to prove Muriel correct, Trinket yawned. Just like Ray said, her hinged jaw opened wide, nearly forming a 180-degree angle. A row of needle-sharp teeth ran the circumference of her jaw. Trinket snapped her jaw closed and wrapped her tail around my arm, settling in as if she were still sleepy.

When I glanced up, Muriel’s eyes were wide, their whites bright against her dark skin. “Blessed be, that’s impressive.”

I nodded. “It is, and it’s the first time I’ve seen it.”

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