Page 56 of Marcus-stiltskin

The fae ladies watch, probably far more aware of what is going on than I. Zach looks like he’s about to lay into Zander, but then does as he’s asked.

Their eyes meet, and Zach leans in to sniff the baby again. “What the fuck? Who’s baby is this? Where did this baby come from?”

Zander motions with his head toward Marcus. “He brought her in.”

His eyes flash black as Zach looks over at us, suspicion written all over his face. “She smells like our pup.”

“Do you know who the mother is?” Marcus asks.

Zach looks back at the baby and shakes his head. “Nobody leave. I’m going to go call Randy and Mom and see if they can sort this out.”

“Ignore that. You,” Zander says, pointing at Marcus with menace in his voice, “need to leave.”

“Hand me the child and we’ll be on our way,” Marcus responds calmly. He holds his hands out as Zander growls and begins to change into his partial shift. At night, it’s common to see the wolves around here in their partial shift, but I’ve rarely seen the actual process of them shifting, and it’s never been directed at me. It takes him less than a minute to gain height enough to tower over Marcus. His clothes rip as well-defined muscles replace his normal lanky form. The baby is like a doll in his arms. He pulls it close and growls menacingly at us both.

Instinctively, I stand up and put myself between the two men. I’ve never seen this Zander before. “Zander, please calm down. Marcus does not go around taking babies and even if he did, why would he come here and seek out help?”

“She is ours.” Zander repeats, his eyes growing solid black. He clutches the baby tight to his chest as he stalks toward us.

“If she’s yours, then who does she belong to, wolf?” Marcus shoots back, standing from his barstool.

Zander moves closer. The only thing keeping him from that stupid stare down guys do when they fight is the bar in between them.

“Zander, please, calm down. I’m sure there’s a rational explanation.”

He turns and looks at me and does something he’s never done before. He growls. It’s a deep and angry sound and everyone at the bar turns in our direction. There’s a soft pop of displaced air, and suddenly the baby’s in the arms of a fae just behind the bar.

Zander is too far gone and hardly seems to notice. I watch his eyes become solid black pools–a sign the wolf in him hascompletely taken over. Time seems to slow as he lunges across the bar towards us. I’m shocked for a moment. Terror races through me before anger and annoyance come boiling to the surface. I feel that familiar bubble burst inside me again, only this time I know what it means. I force myself to avert my gaze and manage to look down at the bar just in time.

All around me voices cry out, but all I can do to keep from killing Zander is focus on the shiny wood grain of the bar. People all around us are jumping up and moving away from me. It’s Marcus who grabs my arm and shakes me. “Sarah, it’s okay.” I can feel him turn me toward him, feel his arms wrap around me. “Sarah, we’re safe. You have to stop.”

A million random thoughts go through my mind in that moment.

Maybe Lugh’s right and it’s time to find a real job.

I really need to warn Marcus not to stand in front of the death laser that my eyes have become.

This brings a whole new meaning to death glare.

I am really fucking sick and tired of being attacked at work.

I close my eyes and let out a breath against his chest. When I open them again, Marcus is looking down at me with concern in his eyes. One of the fae ladies has the baby, Norm has his arms around Zander, holding him in place, and the bar is no longer there. All that remains is a thick layer of ash that has settled on the floor. People are milling around, kicking the ash with the toes of their shoes. They’ve put some distance between themselves and us, but it’s obvious everyone’s hanging around to see how this all shakes down.

My head feels fuzzy and my throat is dry, like I’m coming down with a cold.

The loud tap of boots on the hardwood echoes in the suddenly quiet room, as a stunning redhead in a deputy’s uniform steps into the club and looks around. She pulls off her sunglasses andlooks in our direction. “Looks like I missed all the excitement. Anyone want to tell me what’s going on?”

Chapter Twenty-One

In Which Even Temporary Parenting is A Lot

I’ve never met Norm’s wife in person, but for some reason, it doesn’t surprise me that this totally hot woman is married to a beast of a man. I’m tempted to ask her what her name is, but decide that silence is probably golden at this point. Her name plate only has their last name–Moreau–written on it, so I address her as Deputy Moreau and leave it at that.

“And so you don’t know who the mother of the child could be?” Deputy Moreau asks Marcus and I after pulling us from the group.

I shake my head. “My sister-in-law is pregnant, but she’s only five months in. That baby has definitely been fully cooked.”

Two EMTs enter the bar and head toward the fae ladies holding the baby, Randy Lamar trailing behind. He stops short when he sees where the bar used to be, then begins to look around. From the corner of my eye, I watch as Zach calls him over to where another deputy is questioning Zander. Norm stands nearby, but says nothing as he listens to whatever Zander is telling the officer.

---