Page 27 of Kin of the Wolf

I almost laughed, but I recalled that he’d only seen her from a distance, so he didn’t know. “She’s a strong, independent, and fierce werewolf. She might drop a raw elk haunch on the ground for you to gnaw on.”

“Oh, I assumed that would be the kind of dinner we might receive. I wasn’t expecting her to be like your Betty Crocker. Do you think she’d share the liver or spleen? Those are the best.”

“No.” I shooed Duncan toward the parking lot, not caringwhichvehicle he got in. Ed and the Sylvans were approaching, and this was miles from being anormalconversation.

Duncan bowed to the group as he walked by them. I sighed. He couldn’t even pass as normal when he kept his mouth shut.

“My truck,” I called, when he paused, as if debating which vehicle to wait in. There weren’t any metal detectors in there that he might be tempted to get out if the conversation went long.

Duncan waved in acknowledgment. The Sylvans looked back at him, and, yes, Rory’s foreheaddidcrease, as if he detected something odd about Duncan. Fortunately, I didn’t sense more than a smidgen of a paranormal aura from him, less than from Bolin. Maybe druidic power varied as it was passed down through offspring. Or maybe Rory had done less to cultivate his talents, and it lay closer to dormancy.

Ed, a former sergeant major in the army, grunted a greeting when the group stopped in front of me on the walkway. A man of sixtyish with buzz-cut white hair, a broad build, and a granite jaw, he looked like he could stillbe in the army. As always, he wore a checkered flannel shirt instead of business attire. When life—and the apartment complex—had been running normally, I’d alwaysappreciated his no-nonsense attitude, but now I braced myself for his bluntness.

“Hi, Bolin.” I lifted a hand, trying not to let the wave appear tentative or nervous. “Ed. Mr. and Mrs. Sylvan.”

Rory was a redhead, like his son, though his hair was fading with gray. He had round ruddy cheeks with a spattering of freckles above a trimmed beard and mustache that had gone fully gray. He wore a tailored suit with gold cuff links and a decorative tie bar that looked like a tree. A silent nod to his heritage?

The stern-faced Kashvi Sylvan wore a business suit with a head scarf and regarded me aloofly. That was, from what I recalled, her normal expression, so I didn’t worry too much about it. Yet.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Valens,” Kashvi said formally, taking the lead.

As I recalled, she represented the numbers and business half of the partnership—and perhaps the marriage. Rory might wear a suit now, but he’d been the handyman who’d fixed up their original rental properties. Until they’d amassed enough apartments and money to hire outsiders, they’d shared the responsibility of managing the tenants.

“We understand there’s been trouble on the property lately,” Rory said with a sympathetic smile. There was rarely anything stern about him, though I’d heard a misbehaving water heater could make him lose his temper and smack wrenches against walls.

“I told them everything I’ve seen,” Bolin offered, the phrasing seeming to imply he hadn’t mentioned lycanthropic intervention.

Ed wandered off, hands clasped behind his back, looking like he intended to do an inspection of the property. That was fine. I’d cleaned up all the messes and even removed all the moss from the roofs of the buildings. As long as no wolves wandered in from the greenbelt, he shouldn’t find anything amiss.

“Crime has increased all through this area, I understand,” Kashvi said, “but it’s surprising that there have been multiple incidents at our apartments here in Shoreline.”

“There have been a few things,” I said, “but we’ve handled them.”

“We?” Kashvi asked. “You’re divorced, and your husband no longer helps out, correct?”

“Heneverhelped out,” I said before I could catch myself, certain that trashing my ex to my employers would make me look bad. “But, yes, he’s gone. I meant, well, Bolin has been helpful.”

I would explain Duncan if I had to, but that might involve admitting there was a guy living in the van in the parking lot. They would not approve of that.

Kashvi’s eyebrows arched in surprise. “My son?”

Rory also appeared surprised, though he shot Bolin a pleased look.

Less pleased, Kashvi’s expression grew sterner. “Our son assisted with the intervention of a dangerous crime?”

She turned to him, mouth opening for what might have been a forthcoming lecture.

“Just with the aftermath,” I hurried to say, making her pause. It wasn’t a lie. Other than tossing a glowing vial of whatever out to protect his SUV, Bolin hadn’t been in any of the frays. “He was helpful about calling the police and dealing with all their questions while I cleaned up the messes and took photos for the insurance claims.” And turned into a wolf and tore the intruders’ throats out… I grimaced, keeping the last thought to myself.

“Ah, I see,” Kashvi said.

Rory patted Bolin on the shoulder, still appearing more pleased that his son had helped than upset that he’d put himself in harm’s way. Something told me Rory Sylvan would be okay with a vigilante crime-fighter dealing with issues in the neighborhood. He might even encourage his son to help someone with such anendeavor. Since he knew about the wolf case, and had been assisting with the research, he might know more about the goings-on here than his wife.

“We are concerned by the trend,” Kashvi continued. “We have had this property for many years—decades—and we have watched Seattle grow from a sleepy one-industry town to a metropolis with all the problems associated with that, including crime. Never did we think this quaint suburb would have to deal with such things.”

“It is distressing,” I offered, not sure where she was going. “I could put up some more security cameras. One of the tenants suggested doorbell cameras, but that would be expensive to add to every unit.” Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned it. The last thing I needed weremoreopportunities for cameras to capture footage of wolves darting around the complex and chewing on intruders. With my luck, I would change right in front of someone’s doorbell and give it a full view of my naked butt turning furry.

“We appreciate your efforts to keep the tenants safe,” Rory said, “and we’re aware that you work hard and keep our costs way down by doing a lot of the repairs and maintenance yourself. This has become a very profitable property for us. It alone paid for Bolin’s college tuition.”

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