Page 35 of Myths and Shifts

The deputy sighed and rolled his eyes. “I should be able to tell you no, but somehow this turned into the Great Dragon Bakeoff.”

Daddy gave him a commiserating nod but I was just focused on not laughing. Thankfully, Daddy liked taking control, so all I had to do was look relaxed and not giggle. “I wasn’t sure the best way to move past that either. Until we figure that out, though, I’ve run into a…situation that I don’t know how to handle.”

Daddy was being polite but the deputy groaned and looked up at the ceiling like he was praying for patience. “What did they do now?”

He was really smart for a human.

“Pierce Haslet from Texas. Well, when I first arrived at the motel the other day, I was met by what seemed to be a welcoming committee of local women.” Pierce was sounding very calm but the deputy was already shaking his head like he knew there was a problem right around the corner. “They gave me a reuseable bag from one of the local stores filled with snacks and bottles of water and a few trinkets from shops around the area.”

It was a well-thought-out bundle of chaos.

Letting out a deep breath, the deputy nodded slowly. “This is a new one, so I don’t have any idea what they did.”

Oh, we got a new one.

That was kind of sweet actually.

“I don’t know whether to appreciate their creativity or not, then.” It was Pierce’s turn to let out a deep breath. “But I haven’t spent much time in my room, so I didn’t open anything until last night when I was going to give a bottle of water to my mate.”

Turning to nod toward me, Daddy started to make introductions but the deputy interrupted him. “I heard about that. Congratulations on your mating. Everyone is very excited but please use safewords to keep them from planning your wedding or mating ceremony or your reception.”

It was getting harder and harder not to laugh.

“They had fun planning the last one.” Sounding exasperated again, the deputy put his hand out for me to shake. “I’m sorry. I was distracted. You’re…fuzzy? I’m Deputy Winslow.”

“It’s a spell designed to make people…not notice us. I can try to tone it down or release the spell if you’d like.” Oh. “And I’m Merritt. I was sent by the West Virginia council.”

Because no one else wanted to do it.

I was starting to see why.

“It’s fine. I can ignore it for the most part and it’s saving us from more cupcakes.” After a moment, the deputy frowned and studied me curiously. “I was pretty sure they told our local council where to shove it.”

Yep. That was my relatives.

“I volunteered.” Somehow, that made him look even more skeptical. “I needed an escape from an incredibly nosy family and I knew I was supposed to be somewhere else.”

That had him nodding, which probably meant he thought I’d been coerced in some way.

“Here.” I pointed toward Pierce. “I was supposed to be here.”

“I will never get used to that, but it does come in handy.” Handling everything remarkably well for a human, the deputy glanced between us. “I will also never get used to the new and interesting ways they try to get themselves arrested.”

That was Daddy’s cue to keep going with his story.

“As I opened the bottle of water, Merritt let me know there was a problem and that the water was spelled.” Daddy looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, but he kept his drama in check. “He was able to make it safe to consume, but we thought you’d want to know.”

Deputy Winslow looked like he’d rather be talking about anything else. “Yeah, I need to know.”

Unfortunately.

It was my turn to help with the explanation. “There were a variety of spells, some stronger than others, but they were all focused on making the person who consumed them relaxed, happy, and…well, susceptible.”

To just about anything, unfortunately.

The deputy went still before taking a deep breath. “I know what a human would be doing with that combination, but around here it could be anything. We had something similar happen a few months ago when there was a fight about lawn decorations. A local mage took offense at the gnomes in a dragon’s front yard and that was how he decided to get them taken down.”

Oh, interesting.

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