Page 52 of Dead Heat

“I thought all those attacks were wild animals.”

“Some of them were, only not the type of animals you thought,” he replied.

Leo swiveled to face me. “Are you a werewolf, too? Is that why you two are working together?”

“I’m not a werewolf.”

“Vampire?” He sounded almost hopeful.

“Definitely not,” West answered for me.

“Vampires are real, though, right? I mean, if werewolves are, they have to be.”

“Vampires are real,” I confirmed.

Chief Garcia peered up at me. “I always knew there was something different about you. Now I finally get to know what it is.”

I exchanged glances with West, who nodded encouragement. “I’m a goddess,” I told them.

An amused smile lit up Leo’s face. “Somebody thinks highly of herself.”

“She’s an actual goddess, Leo,” West said.

The chief’s large brown eyes fixed on me. “Anyone I’ve heard of?”

“Doubtful, but you’ve probably heard of my parents.”

Leo slapped his hands together. “Ooh, is your dad Zeus?”

“Zeus is my uncle.”

The chief’s mouth fell open. “Holy crap. You’re dead serious.”

I touched my nose. “You’re getting warmer, pun intended.”

“Hades?” Leo asked. “Your dad is the god of the underworld?”

“Yes, and my mother is Persephone.”

“Is that why I couldn’t find information about you?” the chief asked. “Lorelei Clay doesn’t really exist?”

“Oh, she exists,” I said. “I am Lorelei, but I’m also Melinoe. I was reborn into this body to human parents. The reason you couldn’t find more information is complicated.” If I mentioned the Slavic Fates and the invisible rose mark that kept me hidden for thirty-five years, I might push the chief over the edge. She seemed to be barely hanging on as it was.

Leo seemed to be taking the news more in stride. “Hey, Lorelei. That mouthy kid we met in the forest recently, when I was out for a run. He wasn’t a kid, was he?”

“No, he was a hobgoblin.”

“I knew it!” He paused. “Well, I didn’t know he was a hobgoblin because I have no clue what that is, but I knew he wasn’t a normal kid. I just wasn’t sure what to make of him. His shoes were so weird, like a time-traveling Pilgrim child.”

“Without the Sight, some creatures appear human,” I explained. “Your eye skips right over the things that would reveal them for what they truly are, like pointed ears or fangs. Your brain fails to perceive it. Other creatures are invisible in their entirety. It just depends.”

“So I might’ve seen a hundred supernatural creatures since I moved here and assumed they were all human?” the chief asked.

“You probably have,” I said. “This trailer park alone has dozens of them.”

Leo seemed more excited than anything else. Chief Garcia, on the other hand…

“Do you have a bucket handy?” she asked. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

---