Page 24 of Moonlit Alexandrite

On the next car, he showed me exactly how he opened the door. The following one I poured the glitter while he held the spout steady.

Tase’s enthusiasm was contagious. His kelpie so close to the surface, I could have sworn I heard him snort a time or two.

We rigged about two-thirds of the cars in the lot, cranking the vents to high in every second car we hit, and I was admittedly sad to run out of glitter before we finished.

After packing up the evidence one last time, we wandered nonchalantly past the front doors of the stadium.

“Why didn’t you turn the air up full blast on all of them?” I asked, curious.

“This is one of those pranks where not everyone affected is going to be part of this war. If only half are set to go off immediately, then the chances of an innocent being hit are reduced. If a selkie doesn’t have their air on, then the car is a ticking time bomb. That’s why it had to happen now, while it’s still hot.”

I flicked him an amused glance at his complete lack of logic. “So are you going to warn the innocent ones with glitter in their vents?”

Tase’s eyes sparkled as he looked down at me.

“Why would I do that?”

* * *

After our successful outing,Tase and I were walking back toward the town center when his cell rang.

“It’s Ren,” he said apologetically before answering.

“Yeah, I’m still with her... No. No, screw him. Ren... Fine, we’re on the way.”

He hung up with a frustrated huff and looked over at me with an apology in his eyes.

“Feel like kicking a satyr’s ass?”

I really wanted to say no. I wanted to hide and feel sorry for myself while eating ice cream and binge-watching Animal Planet. Maybe I could put on the one about the penguins where they mate and share egg responsibilities and... damn. It was my favorite, but I supposed I should take a leaf out of the penguins’ book and communicate with my mates.

But I knew what I was doing when I got home.

“I suppose.”

I was surprised to find Tase and Dion lived on the opposite side of the apartment complex Colbie and I lived in. They were on the nicer side. Closer to the water, newer interior design.

“I didn’t realize you lived so close,” I murmured as we approached a door and Tase pulled out a key.

“Yeah, I guess we are neighbors,” Tase said, rubbing the back of his neck as he let us into his space.

Sterile was my first impression. If it weren’t for Ren and Dion sitting awkwardly on the sofa, I might have thought Tase had stolen the key to a display home. Not a speck of dust to be seen on the sparse appliances scattered around, and the glass of the coffee table was streak-free and shining.

“This is...nice,” I said slowly. Tase snorted.

“It’s a place to sleep when we’re not working through the night. Gentlemen,” he greeted as he strode in with a flourish of his arms. Tase liked to call attention to himself, but I noticed he became more outrageous when there was tension in the air. He flopped into a chair, one leg thrown over the arm, and tapped his lap, watching me in open invitation. I stood, feeling more awkward than ever in the entranceway.

“Come in, Red, you can sit here.” Ren’s voice was a low rumble as he unfolded himself from the sofa and offered his seat. That spot felt far too close to Dion. My succubus hissed in my head, reminded of his recent rejection. My lip curled in a small sneer I couldn’t suppress, and I perched carefully on the arm of Tase’s chair. Ren shrugged and sat down once more.

“Thanks for coming, Red. I think we should really begin by giving Dion the floor. Is there anything you would like to say to our mate, Dion?”

Chapter Fifteen

Dion

Trust her.

Mama Fo’s words rang in my head. After I had poured my heart out on the dance floor, I poured it out all over to Mama Fo. I told her the whole story, unedited, from start to end, and her immediate reaction was to pull me into one of her signature bone-crushing hugs. The bird could give a strong hug, that was for sure. Then she cuffed me over the ear for telling the story to the wrong woman and urged me to trust her. My mate.

---