Page 27 of Shadow Dreaming

“Ami?” Sophia asked.

“Right.” To Duran, I added, “Ami does my nails and hair. She’s a selkie.” A spark of hope lifted my spirits. “I’ll be back. Meanwhile, everybody get ready to head over to Merry’s.”

As I headed downstairs, Ami was opening her shop. I waved. “Hey chica, I need to talk to you,” I said, slipping inside the salon behind her.

“What’s up? A problem with the nails?” Ami said.

She brushed her hair back and slipped it into a ponytail. It was jet black, and her eyes were a brilliant green. She was gorgeous, and even if she wore a burlap sack, she’d still be stunning. The Fae had a magnetism to them that defied logic. Selkies had a shimmer in their energy. She was shorter than I was, well-proportioned and her movements had a slinky feel.

“Not at all, this batch are holding up well, though after this afternoon, I’ll probably need an appointment. Listen, I have a huge favor to ask. I know it’s out of the blue, but it’s important.” I sat down in one of the chairs for waiting appointments, but she motioned for me to sit in the salon chair.

“What’s shaking?” Her voice was musical. She took my hair out of the pony tail and began brushing it, smoothing it down with some sort of spray.

“I’m not trying to overstep our friendship, but this is important. We need to use a portal this afternoon. Preferably one to the Fae realm.” I let out a long breath.

She paused mid-stroke, then started brushing again. “Why?”

“We’re taking on a coxigan infestation and we can’t kill them, even if they’re dangerous. At least not without getting ourselves put on the map for a massive fine.” I paused, wondering if I had offended her. The coxigan were Fae, after all.

Ami began curling my hair with the curling iron. “Coxigans are fucking annoying,” she said. “Isn’t your best friend a witch? Out of curiosity, why can’t she help you use a portal?”

I sighed. “Can you keep this quiet?”

Ami nodded, finishing the curls and then carefully bringing my hair back up into a high ponytail and fastening it. I shook my head, smiling as my hair bounced. It looked freshly done.

“I promise,” she said.

“Thank you, this is gorgeous. How much do I owe you?” I reached for my wallet.

“Nope. I’m not busy right now and you look stressed. Now tell me, what happened?”

“Penn’s been kidnapped. We’re on the trail, but the Crystal Court—for reasons I probably shouldn’t talk about right now—isn’t happy with me. Or Penn. So I can’t ask them for help, and until we can get her back, she can’t do anything.” Once again, the weight of Penn’s situation hit me and I let out a long sigh.

Ami set down the brush and curling iron. “Oh good gods, woman. No wonder you’re stressed. Of course I’ll help you. And if I can do anything to help Penelope, let me know. I like her, even if she is a witch.”

“She’s my best friend,” I said, noting the sentiment. The Fae and witches seemed to have some sort of bitchfest going on. “We’re tracking down a lead this afternoon. But we made a promise to a client to deal with the coxigans this morning, and I can’t blow her off.” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees.

“When you catch them, give me a call. We’ll figure it out. There’s a Fae portal near my house. In my backyard, near my swimming spot, to be precise. As long as you don’t spread the word, I’ll let you use it. I’m taking the afternoon off, so call when you need me.” She reached out and cupped my chin. “You’ll find her—I have a feeling. It won’t be easy, and there’s a lot of danger, but you’ll find out where she is.”

I usually managed to remain stoic, but I found myself tearing up. “Ami…Penn’s my heart. She’s my best friend. I can’t fail her.”

“You won’t. And if you ever need portal help again, feel free to ask me. I may not always be able to help, depending on where you want to go, but if I can, I’m here. Now get out of here and keep yourself busy. You need to work, or you’ll brood.”

She was right. I had to keep busy, or I’d sit and dwell on Penn’s disappearance. Grateful, and feeling humbled, I gave Ami a hug.

“I’ll call you when we’ve caught the coxigans,” I said.

“Remember, they get drunk if you feed them too much sugar, and they’re so clumsy, they can’t do much. Give them a syrupy fruit juice and you’ll have an easier time.” She waved as I headed toward the door. “Get those little bastards. They’re nasty!”

As I headed for the stairs, I felt a little better. At least Ami had solved one of my problems for me. It hit me that she was kind, and I decided to do something in return. She was a selkie, so I made a note to find out what might appeal to her. As I headed back to the office, I thought at least I had some good news, on a very bad news day.

CHAPTER EIGHT

I hurried back to the office, where they were waiting for me in the breakroom. Orik had scrounged up some large cat carriers.

“I have fishing nets. Since we can’t kill them, I figured we can try some of this.” He held out a spray that we used to knock out a few of the lower level sub-Fae. “And I’m bringing a few tennis racquets. If all else fails, we can hit them with those and it shouldn’t kill them.”

“Cripes, this is ridiculous. They’re dangerous pests. You’d think there would be an exception made for them.”

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