I was so engrossed in my speculations that I didn't even see the attack coming before it was too late. All I managed to catch was a faint whiff of perfume before everything went dark.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  I WOKE UP IN A STRANGE room, and when I tried to turn my head, strong hands braced both of my cheeks to keep me from doing it. I panicked for a minute until I realized somebody was talking to me.

  It was Kat. "Be still, Cori," she said. "You're gonna be okay, but you have to give him time to heal you."

  Heal me? What the heck from?

  She must have seen the question in my eyes. "You were attacked outside Mona's and, we're guessing, left for dead. Thankfully Selena came looking for you to apologize and saw you crumpled on the sidewalk on her way to the courthouse.

  I shut my eyes and did my best to use the telepathy I'd been practicing. Kat was a pro at it, seein' as how she'd been doing it for three hundred years, so it was easy enough.

  "How do you know she wasn't the one who did it?" I thought to her.

  "Because people saw her drive up and jump out of her car. She blocked traffic."

  Another wave of panic washed over me—I couldn't feel anything.

  She must have read my mind, because she said, "It's okay. Sean put a block on your pain receptors so he could work on you, and so you wouldn't hurt yourself further."

  Great. Vampire oxy. I had to admit, it worked better than any pain pill I'd ever taken. I felt nothing. Then it occurred to me that it must be bad if he did that. I thought as much to Kat. Her face was troubled.

  "I'm not gonna lie, sweetie. It's bad. But you're going to live, and if Sean's past work is anything to go by, you won't even have many scars.

  "Put her to sleep," I heard Sean say. "I have to do a few ... unpleasant things and even though her receptors are blocked, I don't want her awake for them."

  For once, I was willing to do whatever he said, and I thought as much to Kat.

  "Okay, then. Look me in the eye, girlfriend. And know that when you wake up, things will be monumentally better."

  I did, and the last thing I remember thinking was how beautiful she was, inside and out.

  THE NEXT THING I KNEW, I was lying in my own bed and the shades were drawn. I started to groan, but my throat was parched. I smacked my lips a few times, but that didn't help.

  "Here, have a drink of water," Kat said, holding a cup out to me. I grasped at it a couple times before my fingers closed around it, but when they did, I drank almost the whole glass of water in one go.

  I flexed my body parts to see if I could feel them, and to make sure they were all there. Feet, good. Legs, yup. Fingers, totally wiggle-able. I rolled my head, and that hurt a little.

  "Yeah," Kat said, "you may not want to do that for a few days. Sean did his best, but you were pretty Humpty-Dumptied. He managed to put you back together again, but even he couldn't completely heal you."

  I tried to push myself to a seated position. It didn't hurt, exactly, but it wasn't comfortable, either. I managed it though, because I wanted to see for myself. I felt my face, which had a few tender spots and a scab or two, then ran my fingers down my throat. I could trace what felt like scratches that ran from behind my ear all the way to my collarbone.

  "Tell me that doesn't look as bad as it feels," I said.

  "I'll tell you that it looks fan-flippin-tastic compared to what it looked like before Sean worked on you. Count yourself lucky he has 24-hour access to the local blood bank, cause you sure didn't have much of your own left when we got to you."

  She hopped up from her chair and went into my bathroom, returning with my hand mirror. "Just remember, you have more healing left to do. Between what Sean did and your werewolf healing, you should be fine in a few days."

  I took a deep breath before I looked, and heaved a sigh of relief when I saw the damage was minimal. It looked like one or two of the cuts on my throat may leave thin scars, but the rest would likely heal completely. My face had a few cuts and bruises, but it too would heal. There were several long cuts on my arms, legs, and torso, and one particularly bad one on my stomach, but all would heal, like she said, with minimal scarring.

  "What the hell happened to me?" I asked.

  "Best we could tell, a werewolf attacked you," she said.

  That was unfathomable to me. It broke every rule in the book and was punishable by death, along with some torture added in because I was an alpha, if the old laws were followed.

  "Did anybody see it happen?"

  She shook her head. "All we know is that it must have happened right before Selena saw you. Otherwise, you'd have bled out right then and there. As it was, Sean was barely able to save you. She gave a thin smile. "As a matter of fact, I was about to give in to the temptation and turn you, but he wouldn't let me."

  That hit me like a ton of bricks. We'd talked about it, but only in a Should I turn you if you're attacked by a thousand African honeybees kind of way. But now that I'd been there, I realized I'd much rather live on as a vampire than not at all.

  "That's probably a discussion we should have. Just so you know, if it took that to save my life, I'd be okay with it." After all, some of the best people I knew were vampires.

  "Do you remember anything at all about the attack?" she asked.

  I shook my head. "Nothing. Except ... I smelled perfume. The same scent I smelled at the cabin."

  I glanced at the window; it was dark outside. "How long have I been out?"

  "It's almost four in the morning, so about ten hours or so. Maybe a little less. I don't remember exactly what time it was when Alex called."

  "Alex called? I thought Selena found me."

  "She did, but she knew this wasn't exactly an injury the hospital could fix, so she called the only paranormal she knew. Then Alex called me. I was already at Sean's helping him decorate for his All Hallow's Eve party. The stars aligned for you, girlfriend."

  "I feel like I could sleep for a week and like I could run a marathon at the same time," I said. "How weird is that?"

  She smiled. "Not weird at all. Sean had a little special sauce he gave you to keep you from hurting and to help you heal faster, and that's sort of one of the side effects. Don't ask what's in it. I made that mistake once and wish I hadn't. Just trust that it's good stuff."

  Now that I was alert and getting my wits back about me, it occurred to me that I should be royally pissed.

  "Good," I said. "I have the energy, but am I healed enough to go find whoever did this and take them down?"

  She cringed. "Probably not just yet. I'd give it a day or so. Besides, any minute now, that euphoric wave is gonna crash."

  Just as she said it, it happened. The surge of energy washed away and all I felt was drained.

  "Lie down and rest," she said as my eyes drifted closed. "We're doing everything we can to track down who did this.

  My last thought was that if Sean had his resources out in full force, the bitch who did this better pray I got to her first.

  HEALING BECAUSE SEAN could only save her, not heal all her wounds completely, spends day with Alex, works things out.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  TWO DAYS LATER, I WAS good as new. As predicted, the one gash on my neck—the one that would have probably killed me—left a thin, white scar, as did the one on my belly. The rest healed, and if anything, I felt better than new.

  I'd considered calling and having Buddy released, but I was afraid whoever got to me would get to him. Instead, I went to Sully's. The smell of frying meat made my stomach growl, as always, and he smiled when he saw me, which made my heart happy. Having him mad at me had felt horrible.

  He slid a glass of tea in front of me. "It's good to see ya, lass. We were afraid we'd lost ya. One of my guys saw them carryin' ya into Mona's and reported back that ya were dead." He reached over and laid his hand on mine. I'm sorry, Cori. I know you were just doin' your job."

  "Thanks, Sully. I appreciate that. And speaking of, I'm ready to release him, but we had a little talk right before I was attacked. He saw the whole thing go down, and I'm afraid the only that saved him the other night was that he was locked up. Do you have somewhere you can keep him safe if I release him? Otherwise, as bad as I hate to say it, I'd feel better keepin' him in jail."

  Sully lifted on corner of his mouth, but his eyes filled with wrath. "Let somebody come into our den and take one of our own. Aye, lass. I'll keep him safe; don't worry your head about that."

  I nodded. "Then I need somebody to pick him up. Somebody that can protect him from here to wherever you're taking him."

  "That'll be me, then," he said. "I have one of the girls comin' in just a couple hours for her shift. I'll leave the place to her and take care of the lad myself."

  "That works for me," I said.

  "So do you have any leads?" he asked.

  "Not so's you'd notice," I said, "Though I have my suspicions. I'm fairly certain his sister did it." The more I'd thought about Benjamin Stevens's story, the less I believed it. "I think she and her boyfriend killed him for money. Stevens lured him there, and she did the deed."

  He furrowed his brow. That's tough, lass."

  "Yeah," I said, and I've talked to some of Stevens's colleagues, too. It seems he's been fanning the flames of discontent this whole thing has caused about the treaty. He's been feeding off it and using it as a reason to turn people against it."

  Sully shook his head. "I know it sure worked for us, I'm sad to say."

  I pulled in a deep breath and released it. "You're not the only one, Sully, so don't feel bad."

  "I heard Holly, the other girl who was attacked, came out of her coma," he said.

  "She did. Yesterday. I went to see her, and all she remembers is being hit from behind. I asked her if she noticed anything out of the ordinary, and she just mentioned the same thing I did—the perfume."

  "Her husband was in here yesterday," he said. "He's relieved and it looks like things are taking a turn for the better with them."

  "Husband?" I asked. "I thought she was single."

  He waggled his hand side to side. "Technically, she's married. They've been separated for six months or so, just trying to decide who gets what before they file for divorce."

  That gave me pause. "Is he seeing anybody?"

  Sully shook his head. "That, I couldn't tell you." He pinched his lips together for a second, then said, "I know what you're thinking, but that would only work for her. It wouldn't explain you or Darrell Beauchamp."

  I sighed. He had a point.

  My phone rang just as Sully slid my burger in front of me. It was Barnabe.

  "Hello, Barnabe," I said. "I owe your second in command my life, as I understand it."

  He huffed. "As far as I can see, it was the least she could do."

  "I'm glad I have you on the line. I wanted to let you know before I do it that I'm releasing Buddy Langley. Selena, Alex, and I talked about it yesterday. We all agree that since I was mauled in the same fashion Darrell was, and Buddy was locked up in my jail, that clears him."

  I started to tell him about Buddy's confession, but held out. As far as I could tell, it had no relevance, and telling it would only alert more people that he was a witness.

  "I agree, then. I trust Selena's judgment, at least in this matter. I spoke with her earlier and I gave my blessing."

  "Do you have any idea who attacked you?"

  Selena and I had sat down and had a come-to-Jesus conversation the night before and she'd admitted that she told several of her friends who were close to Darrell the details of the investigation. She'd thought she was being kind by keeping them updated, but when I knocked her on her ass that day, she'd thought about it and realized what the implications were.

  "I don't know. Honestly, my money's on Dahlia."

  "About that," Barnabe said, then cleared his throat. "She just got back from a trip to Central America. She'd been on an island and lost her phone overboard. They didn't have modern amenities there, so she was unable to replace it without going to the mainland. Instead, she decided to unplug for a few days."

  "I assume you followed up with that?"

  "I did," he said. The hotel on the mainland confirmed she was there the night the murder happened and the ferry boat captain confirmed that he took her to the island first thing the next morning and didn't pick her up until yesterday morning."

  "So she clear of Darrell, Holly Pierce, and me," I said.

  "I'm afraid so. I'm also concerned. My pack is getting restless. His widow is leading a protest against the treaty because she says your tactics are ineffective and that she's afraid the coalition will weaken us as a pack. As a matter of facts, she's considering coming down there. So far I've managed to stop her, but I won't be able to for much longer."

  "Don't worry about it," I said, "let her come. She won't be able to do any more damage than what's already been done."

  The one good thing that came out of my attack is that it brought us all back together again. Between Sully and Dana—who had a ton of pull with the foxes—we were all back on the same page. Releasing Buddy would be the final egg in that basket that would draw the few outliers back in.

  "Be careful what you wish for, Cori," he said. "The woman's been a thorn in my backside for as long as I can remember. She's one of the most spoiled, entitled people I've ever known, and she's dead set on bringing the whole thing down around your ears if you don't solve her husband's murder."

  "Let her bring it on," I said.

  It turns out, I was glad she did, though probably not for the reasons you think.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  BRIGHT AND EARLY THE next morning, Selena called.

  "I thought you might want to know that Mandi's in town. She just checked into the hotel room next to mine. She says she's here and she's not leaving until you tell her everything you know about the case and you solve Darrell's murder."

  "Great," I said. "Can't wait to meet her. To be fair, Barnabe did warn me it wouldn't be long before she descended on me."

  "Yeah," Selena said. "She's a barrel of laughs." She paused. "You know, she used to be one of my best friends, but lately, she's just nasty. Mean and demanding and rude. I mean, she's always had those traits to a certain degree, but not like she's been lately. She's really pissed that we haven't solved this case."

  "Well then," I said. "Let's give her what she wants."

  "She said she's coming to your office and plans to stand outside with a picket sign about the treaty, and she's rallied some people to stand behind her."

  "Oh, no way is this happening on her terms," I said. "I'll be there in fifteen. If you don't want to go with me, I understand. It would be awkward for you."

  "I'm representing my pack," she said, "and you made me understand what that means. If she's here to start trouble, then it's my job as the second in command of her pack to make sure she keeps it peaceful and respectful."

  Selena and I had spoken at length about the treaty and what it would mean, and though she'd been against it in the beginning, when Alex and I pointed out all the holes in the current system, she'd come around.

  "Okay then. I'll see you in fifteen."

  Alex had stayed the night at the house, so he was already there.

  "Are we going somewhere?" he asked.

  "Yup, so get your shoes on. We have a snotty debutante to entertain."

  "Oh, goody," he deadpanned. Just what I wanted to do with my Saturday."

  Chaos jumped from his lap. "Something tells me I should go with you for this."

  I cast a sideways glance at her. "Why? Are you sensing something bad's gonna happen?" The bad feeling I'd had disappeared the day after I was attacked.

  "No," she said. "I just love a good cat fight."

  I snorted. "I hardly think it'll come to that."

  "Yeah," she said, "but I'm not going to risk missing it if it does."

  "Well then, foxy lady," Alex said, "let's get this show on the road."

  She hopped onto his shoulder, I grabbed my backpack, and we left.

  Thirteen minutes later, Selena and Alex—with Chaos on his shoulder—were standing behind me as I pounded a bit louder than necessary on Mandi's door.

  She swung it open, glaring at us. "Who are you?" she asked.

  "I believe we've spoken on the phone. I'm Sheriff Cori Sloan, this is Alex Dixon, and I believe you know Selena."

  She wrinkled her nose. "What do you want?"

  I shrugged. "I figured you made the trip all the way down here, so I'd put forth the effort to greet you personally."

  She heaved a put-upon sigh and swung the door open. "Come in, then. I hope you're ready to share every shred of information you have."

  I stepped into the room and hadn't made it past the foot of the bed before I stopped in my tracks and sniffed.

  Turning to her, I narrowed my eyes. What's that scent you're wearing? Is it new?"

  She waved a hand. "No, it's a special blend an aromatherapist makes for me at home. I've worn it for years. She says it promotes wealth and success."

  I turned to Alex and caught Chaos's eye. We'd been working on our telepathy, too. "It's her," I said to both of them.

  She'd been half-asleep on his shoulder, but her eyes became alert as the hair on her scruff stood up. She jumped down, and Alex assumed a stance that would make for an easy change if necessary.

  Selena must have just noticed Chaos. "Get that mangy animal out of my room. I have allergies."

  "Not to murder, apparently." I turned to Selena. That scent—the one she just said is specially made for her—is the same scent my attacker was wearing and that I smelled in the cabin."

  She crouched and started to change, but before she could, I was behind her with more speed than I knew I possessed and had her hands in charmed cuffs. "Amandine Beauchamp, you're under arrest for the murder of Darrell Beauchamp and the attempted murder of myself and Holly Pierce." I read her rights.

 

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