Chapter 4
four
“Ana.”
I whirled to find Seamus carrying a small child with a head of wild, orange hair on his shoulders.
“That is definitely your son.” I smiled as the boy fisted his father’s beard. “He’s a carbon copy of you.”
“That’s what everyone says.” He reached up and tickled the boy until he squealed. “His name is Ron. My wife, Lisa, is on call at the hospital, so she won’t be attending. You’ll have to meet her next time.”
“Hi, Ron.” I wiggled my fingers at him when he peeked down at me. “I’ll look forward to an introduction to Mrs. Seamus in the future.”
Not one to beat around the bush, Seamus shifted on his feet, his expression tight as he held his son.
“Have you visited the obstacle course, Ron?” I jerked my chin toward the area where the smaller kids had been ushered for extra supervision. “There are all sorts of games happening there now.”
Leaning down, he gripped his dad’s ear. “Can I, Da?”
Seamus’s faint accent from earlier today had thickened to match his son’s, leaving me curious if this was how he sounded at home.
“Aye.” Seamus set him on his feet. “Stay where I can see you.”
Short as Ron’s legs were, I was impressed by how fast he closed the distance to the other kids.
“Thanks for picking up on the hint. I try to keep work talk away from wee ears, but it’s harder than you might think. Kids are smart boogers.”
“Goldie is an Olympic-level eavesdropper, so I can sympathize.”
“That would be Fayne’s doing.” He raked thick fingers through his frazzled beard, but it was a lost cause.
There were knots in there he would be combing out for days unless he bought detangler by the gallon for just such emergencies.
“But I’m sure you already know that.” He chuckled.
“I wanted to give you an update on Becca.”
“I would love that.” I tightened my grip on the tray. “How is she doing?”
“She’s struggling, but that’s to be expected given the size of the dose she ingested and her low tolerance to dragonsbane.
She’s half human, and that tends to go one of two ways.
Partial immunity to magics and harmful substances, where her humanity cancels out the shifter.
Or heightened sensitivity to such things with only a human’s weaker immune system to fight off infections and magically inflicted wounds. ”
A twinge in my chest left me hoping her self-esteem didn’t take a hit.
Being different, even with support, wasn’t always easy.
Especially in a job that put you on the front lines.
Most shifters had a human parent, but where it got murky was if that parent had no paranormal blood in four or five generations.
That was when human traits grew stronger and the child was born weaker as a result.
There were other factors to consider, but that was the one I had heard cited most often.
“I see.” I seized the opportunity to educate myself. “Things have been so chaotic, I haven’t gotten to ask anyone for specifics, but is dragonsbane to dragons what wolfsbane is to wolves?”
“That’s exactly right. The biggest difference between the two is the potency. Dragonsbane is much more toxic in smaller quantities. When the herb has been prepared and dried, it resembles the parsley you get from the grocery store.”
“That would make it easy to slip in someone’s food unnoticed, especially if the flavor is mild.” I shivered at how simple it would be to poison the Walshes that way. “Becca must have eaten tainted food.”
“That’s the safest assumption.” He rubbed his weathered brow. “Her frail health as a child made her parents discourage her career path, so this will come as a blow.”
“Poor Becca.” I dragged my bottom lip between my teeth. “Can I help in any way?”
“The best thing you can do is visit her. Let her know she remains a valued member of the clan.”
And that her differences didn’t matter and wouldn’t cost Becca her job.
“I’ll stop by tomorrow and give her a pep talk. She was brave to pursue her dreams, and I respect her for clawing out her place among the enforcers. I want to encourage others to see beyond limitations society puts on them to embrace their full potential.”
“You’re going to do us a lot of good.” His gaze slid past me. “You’re going to do him a lot of good.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” I passed him a skewer. “I mean it.”
A grin tugged his lips as he chomped down, and he chuckled when strong arms encircled my shoulders.
“You can’t have this one.” Rían tugged me against his chest, his forearm draping my collarbones. “She’s mine.”
“Want to bet?” Seamus’s eyes gleamed. “I remember how it turned out for you last time.”
“Oh, really?” I glanced over my shoulder at Rían. “You had the hots for Mrs. Seamus?”
“More like Seamus fell in love with Lisa at first sight, but she wasn’t having it.
” Rían snorted. “I spent every weekend for six months playing third wheel to them on not-dates where my job was to talk him up to her. To this day, I’m convinced she only agreed to his proposal so I would shut up and leave her alone. ”
“The moral of the story,” Seamus was quick to say, “was how she chose me over Rían.”
“Mmm-hmm.” I rested my temple against Rían’s cheek. “I would say it’s her loss, but you guys do make pretty babies. Your son is adorable. Clearly, you two were meant to be.”
Lips warm at my ear, Rían murmured, “Are you saying we won’t make pretty babies?”
Pretty wasn’t the concern. Size was what worried me. I bet Rían was one of those twenty-five-inch-long babies whose healthy birth passed into nurse lore. I ought to check stats with Fayne before agreeing to contribute to the next generation of Walshes.
“I’m saying have one of these delicious meatballs.” I didn’t wait for him to open his mouth but smeared it across his lips, forcing him to accept it or wear sweet and sour lipstick the rest of the evening. “I should go circulate. These won’t eat themselves.”
Soft laughter trailed me as I made my escape, but I wasn’t hanging an open for business sign on my uterus just yet. Even if a yard full of adorable children…
No.
Fayne wouldn’t. Would she? Surely not.
Dangle cute mini Walshes in front of me and hope I caught baby fever?
That was devious beyond even her scope.
Right?
“I am too paranoid for my own good.” I laughed off the idea then stumbled as someone clipped my shoulder. “Oh.” I steadied the tray. “Excuse me.”
The man stared at me, tipped his head to one side, then smiled and walked away.
I was standing there, skimming a mental list of names and faces from the flood of earlier introductions, trying to place him, when Sloane carved a path to me.
“Well?” She helped herself to a meatball. “How’s it going?”
“Okay.” I relaxed into her enthusiasm. “Are we ready for the second presentation?”
“Fayne and Liam are herding the kids this way. You better get the next batch of trays prepped. Without the sugar, Rían is going to have an unconscious audience.”
Normally, giving sugar to kids was frowned upon, but they had been hitting the obstacle course hard for a couple of hours now, and the younger ones’ heads were bobbing on their necks.
“Can I help with that?”
The head-tilt guy had drifted back into my orbit while I was talking to Sloane, whose nostrils flared at his approach.
Subtle tension feathered lines at the corners of her eyes, her smile as fake as the engagement ring she promised me.
Her reaction validated mine. I still couldn’t place him, his features were too bland to stand out, but that wasn’t saying much when there were so many new faces swirling around me.
“Have we met?” She stuck out her arm. “I’m new to the clan, and to the enforcers.”
“I only just arrived, so I haven’t been introduced to everyone.” He grasped my tray rather than her hand. “I haven’t met Ana formally, but she did bump into me earlier.” He fixated on Sloane. “You must be the best friend I’ve heard so much about.”
Squeals rose around us as a flood of children of all ages whipped past to claim seats with their parents.
“That’s me.” She took me by the elbow. “Thanks for pitching in, but we’ve got to go reload our trays.”
His lips pinched, just a little, but he twisted his expression into a smile as her fingers dug into my skin.
“I’ll just finish with these, then.” He swirled into the crowd, steadying the tray on his palm. “Later, Ana.”
Chills skated down my arms at the promise in his tone. “Does that guy strike you as—?”
“Shit, shit, shit,” Sloane chanted under her breath. “Do you see Liam?”
“I thought my ears were itching.” Liam waded through the shorties to reach us. “What’s up?”
“There’s a man circulating with Ana’s meatball tray.” She clutched me tighter. “He’s got the smell.”
“You’ll have to be more specific,” he said, clearly uncertain he wanted the answer. “What smell?”
“From the employee door at GSG on the day of the car bomb.”
“That’s what set me on edge,” I murmured, kicking myself for not picking up on it sooner.
Those hugs had transferred perfume and other subtle body scents onto me.
Hours in the kitchen had soaked rich fragrances into my clothing too.
But that was no excuse for not noticing I was nose blind sooner. “Good work, Sloane.”
“Dammit.” Liam’s eyes flashed golden. “Why didn’t you stop him?”
“And risk him lashing out at the kids? Nah. I don’t think so.”
“She’s right.” I backed her call without hesitation. “He approached as the kids were crowding us to reach their parents.”
Had he been armed and the confrontation gone sideways, the party could have turned into a massacre.
“Toss the snacks and the drinks. All of it. Everything,” Liam ordered. “Sloane, don’t leave her side until I give you the all clear. If she needs to pee, you better be there holding the toilet paper.”
“That’s me every day,” she joked, mostly, “so no problem there.”
Sharks cut through water with less predatory grace than Liam pursued the stranger.
“We need to start dumping the food.” I linked hands with Sloane. “Then we’ll warn Rían.”
Without knowing for certain if the man was connected to the earlier poisoning, and with only a tenuous connection to the car bomb, we had to tread lightly until we could verify his identity and hear his side of the story.
But that didn’t mean I would risk Rían or anyone else in Clan Walsh on a hope.
Four or five yards ahead, Rían stood in conversation with a small gathering.
Thank God, his hands were empty.
Though it earned me a few sharp looks, I hooked Rían’s arm and hauled him away from the others.
“We might have a problem.” I kept my voice low as I explained the situation. “Have you had anything to eat or drink tonight?”
“Only what you served me.”
“Good.” A tremor shook my knees with relief. “Keep it that way.”
Hand sliding through my hair, he held me still when I rocked back on my heels. “What about you?”
“I haven’t had time.” I planted my hands on his wide chest. “I have to get to the kitchen.”
“I’ll handle things out here.” He released me with reluctance. “Just be careful.”
“I know, I know.” Sloane held up her hands. “Watch her pee and wipe her butt.”
“What?” Rían shook his head. “Never mind.” He brought my hands to his mouth. “Be safe.”
“That goes double for you.” I hesitated before withdrawing. “Send Goldie to me?”
The kid was tough, and she would want to pitch in, but I couldn’t rest until I set eyes on her myself.
“That can be arranged.” His warm smile coiled heat low in my belly. “I’ll check in soon.”
As we entered the house, a wave of awareness spread through the crowd as word trickled out. Parents gathered with their kids near the obstacle course under the watchful eyes of enforcers who fanned out in search of the stranger.
Afraid to let my mind wander, I focused on dumping the food and pouring out the drinks.
I was about to start tossing the fridge and freezer, just in case, when light footsteps pattered toward me with an urgency that had me setting down my trash bag. Goldie stepped up beside me, sawing her teeth over her already ragged bottom lip.
“The grownups are saying someone put something bad in the food and that the kids might get sick.” Her chin wobbled. “If that happens, the parents won’t let their kids come back, Ana. They’ll blame me if they get hurt, and I—”
“This isn’t your fault.” I peeled off my gloves and propped my bag against the wall.
“We don’t know for sure that anything happened, but we’re being careful.
Just in case.” As soon as my legs were clear, she threw herself against them and held on until my toes tingled from lack of circulation.
“No one is going to blame you, and if they try, Rían will fix it.”
“What if they don’t listen?” She crushed her eyes shut against tears. “What if…?”
“Then I’ll shift and bite them,” Sloane volunteered. “How about that?”
“Then they’ll worry their kids will get bitten if they come over.” A hiccup caught in her throat. “What do I do, Ana? I want them to like me.” She sniffled. “I don’t have a mom and a dad, but I have you and Rían. I wanted the other kids to see that I’m like them now. Then they might like me more.”
Her scribbled plans hadn’t been pay-to-play after all. Just play. Like any normal kid.
“It’s going to be okay.” I bent down to embrace her. “I promise.”
Moisture soaked into my jeans where she pressed her tears into the fabric, and I made up my mind right then and there I would do anything to put a smile back on her face. Tonight’s festivities had been ruined, but I would salvage this for her. Somehow.
“You can help me take attendance.” Fayne bustled into the kitchen with a sharp glance at the bags of wasted food. “There’s a greater risk of contamination in here than out there.” She rubbed Goldie’s back. “You would be doing me a big favor.”
“All right.”
Her sigh said it all, that she knew she was being ushered away for her own good, but she went.
How many times had I been told that growing up? Too many. I hated the phrase with a passion. Even when the words weren’t spoken, I heard them ring out loud and clear. So did she. We had that in common.
But Fayne was right that Goldie was safer outside than in. Had she touched a surface contaminated with dragonsbane, she would have ended up in the emergency clinic alongside Becca. If we were lucky. Had it been ingested, she might not recover.
With so many other species in attendance, I wasn’t sure how soon to expect a reaction, or how severe it might be.
The children were the biggest concern, but everyone had proven vulnerable to some extent.
It was terrifying, and that fear motivated me as I pulled on fresh gloves and got back to cleaning.
Whether we found the stranger or not, I had big plans for tomorrow, and Rían wasn’t going to like them.