Nine Lives of an Urban Panther (9 page)

Suddenly, there was something cold and thick running down my face. When I gasped, a bit of it fell into my mouth.

“Ice cream?” I gurgled out.

Jessa wove her fingers through my hair and pulled my head back and smeared an entire ice cream cone over my face like some fancy new exfoliant.

Between the cold milkiness and her soft excited energy pattering along my skin, the burning very slowly dissipated.

“Ice cream, Jessa?” My voice was still raspy, and according to Jessa's smart phone, would be until the inflammation went down from the pepper's oil.

My skin was puffy and sore like a bad sunburn, but with the super healing, that would be gone soon. We sat across from each other at Braum's, known for their homemade burgers and their all-night ice cream. They are not known for their triage, though the woman working behind the counter hadn't flinched when I came in screaming.

“You said milk and this was the closest thing.”

“I'm still getting over the fact there was a Braum's across the street from a Botox place.”

“Not missing the irony,” she said as she ate her ice cream. She'd at least offered to pay for dessert after smashing the first round all over my face to calm the burning of the spray.

“What was that thing?”

Jessa's ice cream seemed to turn sour in her mouth as she put her spoon down and pushed the cup away. “I think you had it right with a ghoul. I've only heard stories.”

“What are the stories?”

Jessa ran her hands up her arms. “Ghouls tend to rise when things are unbalanced. Their hunger contradicts something good.”

I frowned. “So the universe thinks we are too good now?”

Jessa shook her head. “I'm just telling you what I know.”

“So the universe wants everything to come down around me ears. Awesome.”

“All I know is that the universe is about balance. It's one of the reasons that the Veil is so hard to keep up. It's not supposed to be there. We put it up to keep the humans safe.”

“So they wouldn't get snacked on in back alleys?” I asked.

Jessa just gave the look that clearly said she wasn't in the mood for joking. “I'm just saying, if the ghouls are rising, something is out of whack.”

“Huh.” I smiled through my stinging skin. “You said ‘whack.' ”

Jessa rolled her eyes and gave up.

 

Chapter Nine

“V
IOLET?
A
RE YOU
all right? You look like you've been crying.” Chaz cupped his hand under my chin and forced our eyes to meet. His furrow was back and from the bags under his eyes, he hadn't slept either while us girls had been away.

“Met with the rough end of some pepper spray.”

“What?”

Jessa pushed me through the doorway. “That would be my fault.”

“Why did you pepper spray her?” Chaz asked.

“We were attacked. She was being
helpful
.” I made sure my air quotes around the last word were particularly emphatic.

“It was in the heat of battle and the thing was trying to eat her face.”

“It wasn't trying to eat my face,” I snapped as I flopped down on the couch.

“It was trying to eat her face,” Jessa repeated as she perched on the arm of the chair.

Shadow raised his head from the fireplace and then nestled back down again.

“Lexie still asleep?” I asked.

“Hasn't budged.”

“Maybe she didn't notice I was gone.” I sighed. “I need a shower.”

“Yes, you do,” Chaz said. “You smell like death warmed over.”

“I'm pretty sure I was
attacked
by death warmed over.”

The space between my shoulders was beginning to ache and I was getting that crick in my neck I'd get on editing marathons for three days straight with no sleep.

“I'll take a shower on one condition.”

“What?” Chaz asked as he offered his hand to help pull me off the couch.

“You make a full breakfast. We're talking eggs and coffee and pancakes, and coffee.”

“Got it,” Chaz smiled. “Get upstairs.”

Jessa just waved and headed for the door, to no doubt take three showers to get the smell of the ghouls off her. I was as quiet as my leaden feet would allow as I slowly climbed the stairs. The kid must have my super hearing. The second I slipped in the door, she started to stir.

“Is Chaz making breakfast?” Lexie asked as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. Her hair was kinked up on one side and I was thankful that she didn't get my curly hair.

“He's getting started on it right now.”

“Did I keep you awake? Dad says I talk in my sleep but I can't prove it.”

I sat on the edge of the bed next to her. “You didn't keep me awake. How are you feeling about going home this morning?”

Lexie sighed and rolled her shoulders, stretching. “I know Dad has rules and rules are important, but he's got to let me make a few mistakes for myself. I'll never learn anything if he keeps me locked away.”

“I think you're too smart for your own good. You must be a Jordan.”

She rubbed her nose and then lay back down on her pillow. “Tell me a story of growing up with Dad.”

“We didn't grow up together.”

“Tell me about something about Dad as a kid.”

I looked across the barren side of my bed and meant to slink across the lush covers but I think it was more of an elephant tromp because Lexie giggled. The moment my head hit the pillow, I knew it was a bad move. My body relaxed against the memory foam and the aching seemed to stop for a moment and the smell of squishy death faded away.

“Does your Dad still like card tricks?”

Lexie rolled her eyes as she mirrored my position. “He tried to do them at my last birthday party.”

I laughed. “He could guess my card every time. I think he even carried around a deck of cards with him, and if I started moping, he'd pull out those cards.”

As I thought back to those bright and golden days, I couldn't help but feel I'd wasted every single one of them. Being so damn angry at the universe. Ignoring the family that was really just there for me the whole time. Just waiting until I reached out for them. Which I never did, because, I think we've already established, I'm stubborn.

With a resolute sigh, I looked at Lexie. I wasn't going to give her the choice. I was going to be in her life kicking and screaming. “I'm going to take a shower and you can go down to breakfast when you smell the cinnamon, but not a moment before. Must remember to keep the boys waiting for it.”

Somewhere between pancakes and coffee, Devin called. I hadn't talked to my better human half in ages. “How is my favoritest pediatrician in the world?”

“Still kicking. How is my favorite super hero in the world?”

“Still purring.”

Devin laughed. I closed my eyes and leaned forward to hold my head in my hands. His voice soothed me, only slightly revived by the hot coffee and hot cakes.

“Haven't heard from you in a while.”

“I've been swamped.” I looked up at Lexie and paid close attention to my nouns. “Turns out that I wasn't exactly prepared for my new job.”

“How could you be prepared?”

A few months ago, I'd told Devin everything over several bottles of wine. He knew about the Wanderers. He knew about my curse and knew about the pack. And he still stuck around. Didn't mean I was ready to go public with all this. Devin was special and knew the importance of keeping secrets between friends.

“And because of that, I've been a sucky friend.”

“You've had a lot on your plate.”

“Doesn't excuse the suckiness. Want to meet me for coffee?”

“Got a little time this afternoon?”

I had to get up from the breakfast table to find my planner. When I finally found it and then the date, I moaned. “Crap.”

“If today's not good, that's okay.” Devin was too understanding and frankly too good for me.

“No, I missed an appointment last night.”

“What?”

The question echoed from the phone and from across the dining area. I reached across the table and handed Chaz my planner so he could see what I'd missed. Just a checkup with one of my pack members about a job.

“I missed an appointment with a . . .” My eyes fell to Lexie. “With a student.”

“Why are you being weird?” Devin asked.

“My niece is with me.”

“Your niece? I thought you were an only child.”

“This might be one of those coffee conversations.”

“Noted. When is a good time?”

I reached back out for my planner and Chaz frowned as he handed it back. I scanned the pages. “Saturday around ten?”

“As you wish, fearless leader.”

I smiled as I hung up.

“Who was that?” Lexie asked.

I sat back down at the table with my planner. My day was packed and I was about to miss another meeting with LA about the TV show.

“My friend Devin. He's a doctor.”

“You have two boyfriends?”

I laughed. “No, I have one fiancé and one boy who happens to be a friend.”

“And Tucker? What's Tucker?”

I looked up to Chaz, who just shrugged. Note to self: not good lying on his feet. “Tucker is a co-worker.”

“Is he a writer too?”

I sighed. “Actually he's a police officer, but he helps me research police business to make my writing more real.”

“And the others?”

“Tucker's family.”

When Lexie finally looked back at her pancakes, I sunk my head, exhausted. It was all becoming too clear. The Haverty rule of not consorting with humans and not letting them know the truth about Wanderers would never work for me because lying was exhausting. That was what, five lies to Lexie in a matter of minutes?

I wasn't winning the aunt of the year award. Maybe next year.

“I
KNOW THAT
I've been a little incommunicado, but I've given you gold, you just have to spin it, Rumpelstiltskin.” I ran my fingers through my hair and rested my head on the desk.

Five minutes into my conversation with Drew, my boss in LA, about the story arcs for
MoonBlood
, and everything ached. It was more than just a bad breakup that landed me in Dallas. I needed space from Drew. He thought about every detail every time and had to be on top of all of us to make sure that we toed the company line. Hence the reason that I developed a wicked coffee addiction while working for him

“I'm not paying
me
to spin it, princess. I'm paying you to spin it.”

I sighed. “What if I just gave you all the rights to do with it what you wanted?”

The line was silent, and in that silence, my eyes closed and the warmth of my office surrounded me like the universe wrapping a warm blanket around my shoulders. The white buzz of my computer stopped as the screen faded to black and took a little nap as well.

“I don't want the rights to
MoonBlood
.”

“You paid me to write it. I wrote it. Technically, it's already yours.”

“Do you even hear what you are saying, Violet?”

The concern in his voice drew me from the darkness behind my eyelids. Drew didn't show concern often. I slowly sat up. What was I saying? I would never give up one of my characters. Especially one that hit so very particularly close to home. “I'm sorry, Drew. I don't want to give up
MoonBlood
. I'm just tired.”

“Well if you lived in LA, I could . . .”

“I will never live in LA again, scumbag old boyfriend or not.”

“I just worry about you, Violet. I know you're not the intern I hired all those years ago, but I still worry. How about you send me some season-long arcs and I'll have Violet Four see what she can do with them, and then you can rip them apart and make them brilliant before we give it to the Write Pack.”

“Violet Four?”

“There's just no replacing you.”

My eyes watered. It was the nicest thing Drew had ever said to me. Between that and the concern, I'd think he was a completely different person.

“Now, I need to go. I think I just heard a click on the line.”

He hung up quickly. I laughed as I set the phone down. Good to know that his paranoid ways had not changed.

The floor creaked behind me and I sniffed. I still hadn't gotten used to Lexie's smell yet. I turned to face her in the doorway of my office.

“Chaz wanted to know if you wanted to drop me off.”

“Do I have to?”

Her shoulders fell and her gaze hit the floor. “I'm sure I could call Dad.”

Crap. I stood. “No, sweetheart. I meant I'm kinda getting used to having you around. Not sure I want you to go home.”

Lexie smiled up at me—an ear-to-ear grin, and if I wasn't sure she had psychic blood running through her veins, I would have said it was something almost fey-like beaming in her eyes.

“Let me get dressed.”

C
HAZ HAD GOTTEN
a phone call from his modeling agency, so I let him off the hook of dropping off Lexie. I adjusted the charm at my throat and waited for Waylon to answer the door. Lexie hadn't remembered to pack the hotel key in her haste to run away.

When the door opened, I experienced something that only solidified why I needed them in my life.

Waylon's eyes filled with water as her threw his arms around Lexie. She hugged him back with the same vigor, and one would think each was trying to squeeze the air out of the other.

“I'm sorry, Dad.”

“I promise the tyrant has left the building,” he whispered back.

I smiled. Seemed it wasn't a Violet way with words, it was a Jordan thing.

When the two broke and I wiped my eyes too, Waylon hugged me. There was a warmth there that I only vaguely remembered, a baked-cookie sort of feeling as I hugged him back.

“This is why I need you, Violet. To rescue us.”

He let go and pulled me into their suite. I went a little reluctantly, knowing the two of them needed to have a conversation. Lexie slipped her shoes off where there was a pile of shoes and tossed her bag on the chair.

“Lexie?” Waylon said as he walked to the kitchen.

“Tyrant,” she shot back as she picked up the backpack and headed to what was probably her room on the other side of the suite.

“You have no idea what this means to me, Violet.” Waylon poured me a cup of coffee and splashed in milk and two sugars. It was just what I needed.

I took the warm mug and stirred. “She's kind of awesome.”

“She really is. I don't know what I'd do if I lost her.” Waylon put his hand on his hip and looked at me.

I felt that familiar feeling, cool stones running down my back. I was starting to think that my dampening charm was on the fritz. Have to talk to Nash about that.

“Wish you could spend the day with us.” Waylon sighed before he went to fix himself another cup of coffee.

“Something keeping you from asking?” I took a sip of coffee. It wasn't the best but the sentiment made it sweeter.

Waylon frowned. “I'm sure you have a busy day ahead of you.”

“Nonsense.” I dug around in my cavernous bag and pulled out the infamous planner. “I'm sure that I can—”

My day was still packed and there was no moving anything around to tomorrow. “I'm booked. But . . .” I flipped through the next few days. “I can do dinner on Tuesday?”

Waylon smiled. “I'll give you a call on Monday.”

My shoulders sank and I looked at my watch. I had just enough time to get over to the coffee shop for the next meeting. I chugged his coffee as quickly as I could. “Thanks for the java.”

“Lexie. Aunt Violet is leaving,” Waylon called across the suite.

The girl ran back across the apartment and threw her arms around my middle. Every cell in my being wanted to cancel all the appointments to spend the day with her, but there was no rest for the wicked.

“Thank you, Aunt Violet.”

“You are very welcome and I'll see you on Tuesday for dinner.”

Lexie gave one more squeeze before she abandoned me for her father's side. His large arm rested on her shoulder. They were going to be fine, despite the burden of their last name. I was going to see to that.