First Impressions
It’s raining outside, the sky grey and dark as we wait for our ride. We had to abandon the original coffee shop, go through a clothing store and then to a secondary spot. We’ve all been sitting around a pot of long-cold tea.
Jackal clicks the screen on his phone, then smiles at us.
“They’re here,” he says.
We pile into the street, where two vehicles with headlights shining through the rain pull up. A man rolls down the window of the first, leaning his head out into the dreary downpour. He’s got black hair and blue eyes that he fixes on Jackal.
“Told her we’d need both cars,” he says by way of greeting.
“For this one alone,” Jackal agrees, clapping Exos on the back. The gargoyle cocks his head, staring at the small vehicle with an expression that tells me he’s not quite certain he’ll fit.
“Oi! I don’t want my seats smelling like soggy shifters!” A woman’s voice calls from the second vehicle, which is only marginally larger.
“That any way to greet your brother after such a long absence?” Jackal tosses back with a smile.
The woman leans her head out, grinning. Even as the rain soaks her hair, I can see she’s stunning.
And very clearly related to Jackal. Her skin is deep tan.
While Jackal’s vitiligo creates a tapestry of pale and pink edges against his own tan portions of skin, I can see the family resemblance.
She’s got brown hair and the same light brown eyes as my mate.
Hers also flash almost golden as she looks at us, the same way his do when he’s on the verge of a shift.
Her gaze lands on me, but before her features settle into any particular expression, a small body comes flying from the vehicle.
The human missile whizzes past me and hits Jackal with a thud. He wraps his arms around the girl, lifting her into the air and spinning while she giggles, tilting her head up to the rain.
“Uncle Jackal!”
“Lottie!”
Lottie’s mom puts a hand to her temple.
“In the car, please! Definitely going to need to clean out the vehicle now. It’s going to stink of wet dog between the two of you.”
She mutters the last bit under her breath, and I shuffle my feet, looking self-consciously down at Pickles. I’ve got my jacket over him to try to keep him dry, but it’s not a foolproof solution.
Jackal strides up to me, Lottie holding one of his hands.
“Don’t worry, she’s kidding,” he assures me. “She’d get just annoyed as any hyena over being misidentified as a dog. But she will like Pickles. Everyone does. She and I just rib each other.”
His sister does give her daughter and brother a soft smile as they both approach her and give her a hug, so maybe she isn’t as harsh as she seems.
Exos is looking around the street, his head on a pivot.
“Perhaps we do this once we’re indoors somewhere?” he asks.
Jackal’s sister gives a terse nod.
“Right. Everyone in!”
Starla, Exos, and Ji-hwan somehow all fit into the car with Jackal’s brother-in-law, who is hastily introduced as Theodore. I go with my mate, Pickles, and his sister and niece.
I set Pickles on the seat next to me, and he waits perhaps two seconds after Zyra puts her car into drive before shaking vigorously.
“Oh. A dog.” Zyra’s voice is flat, and she plasters on a smile that does not look genuine.
Not a great first impression.
“I’m so sorry! He’s really very well-behaved. I’ll keep an eye on him while we’re at your house. Which, thank you for having us. I swear, I’ll make sure he doesn’t set anything on fire and—”
“On fire!” her voice ratchets up a full octave. “Jackal? My dearest brother? Did you perhaps leave out a few details when you told me you could use a place to stay?”
He’s smiling, and for the first time his sister and I seem to be in sync. She is glaring at him, and I feel my own annoyance rising. My cheeks heat. This is far from the meeting I wanted to have between his family and me.
“Zyra, I think I should clear a few things up. I told you that I needed you to help get me out of a tough spot, and I thank you for that.”
“Yes,” she says curtly. “To come pick up you and some of those enforcer friends you made in America, no doubt. I’m always happy to get my brother out of a tricky situation, but I can’t pretend that your dangerous line of work doesn’t send me through the ceiling.
I want to have my brother around when I’m old, and I want Lottie to have her uncle. ”
His expression sobers.
“So do I. And I will point out that my job and those connections are what helped me find a certain small hyena when certain individuals had gone on a spree, k-i-d-n-a-p-p-i-n-g certain supernaturals.”
“I can spell, you know,” Lottie protests from the backseat. She then goes right back to petting Pickles, and I’m relieved that she’s focused on the dog and not a reminder of her harrowing experience of getting abducted by a ring of villains who took supernatural children.
I know it happened, but I’ve never pressed Jackal for details. One thing he has shared is that that was the case on which he met Never and the others.
Zyra sighs, her hands loosening a bit on the steering wheel.
“I know. And I’m sorry. Ever since then, your work just makes me tense. But that’s not your fault. Or yours.” She turns to look at me, but quickly looks back at the road. “You’re an enforcer, then?”
Jackal’s grin is back in place.
“You did ask for some more details, dear sister. I should come clean. While the Were in the other car is indeed an ex-enforcer, the ladies are uninvolved.”
“Well, I know Starla’s not. She and I have met before, and you’ve told me that she decided to run a bar in North Carolina and has stayed away from a family issue. Frankly, I’m surprised to see her back here. But I assumed she must be here visiting and—”
She whips around again, her eyes going wider than an owl’s as she stares at me. Jackal reaches over to place a hand on the steering wheel, ensuring we stay on the road. He laughs.
“Do you feel silly yet?”
She drops the wheel entirely, twisting to get a closer look.
“Then she’s—”
“Zyra, allow me to introduce my mate. Leena.”
Zyra sputters, eyes widening even further.
“Leena, it is truly a pleasure to meet you. Please know that I would never have been terse with this giant arse if he’d told me this was a social call and not some work fiasco. Really, I can’t tell you how embarrassed I am.”
Jackal is wheezing, tears coming out of his eyes.
“You. Absolute. Twit. You. Complete. Tosser.” Zyra punctuates each word with a swat at her brother. He just keeps laughing.
I feel a small tug on my sleeve and look down to see Lottie rolling her eyes.
“Yes, they are always like this. Grownups, right?”
She looks so serious as she says it that I can’t help smiling.
“You don’t play jokes like that?” I ask her.
She shakes her head vehemently.
“No. I’m told I’m rather serious for a seven-year-old. But I do have fun with Uncle Jackal. And I like reading, and flowers, and puppies.” She grins on the last bit, patting Pickles again.
“He’s a nice doggy,” she adds.
“His name is Pickles. He’s a very special basset hound. He can breathe fire, but don’t worry. He won’t hurt you.”
She smiles at me, and then at the basset hound again.
“I trust you, Pickles. You’re a good dog, I can tell.”
He yips in agreement, leaping up to lick her face. She giggles and hugs the basset close.
At least he’s doing well with introductions.