Page 2 of Balor

Collin leaned back, stretching his legs out. “So, what’s the word on the street, then?”

I let my gaze drift over him. “I hear there’s a human in town who likes to play house with a bunch of supernaturals. As in keeping them like pets.”

Jackson’s eyes darkened, and I wondered if he’d be seeking out that person and liberating the enslaved people.Ourpeople. There weren’t a lot of humans in this town, not compared to the number of supernatural beings, but the ones we did have didn’t typically cause trouble. But this person was new and clearly didn’t know the rules yet.

“Know what else I heard recently?” I leaned back, my posture relaxed. “Seems a woman in town has been hiding dozens of cats in her home, and it’s taken this long for anyone to notice. Could be why the town has a sudden rat problem. All the feral beasties are off the streets.”

Ben’s lips twitched. “Hadn’t heard that one.”

“Ran into a pixie the other day. Didn’t realize the damn thing was stealing people’s laundry. You’d think she’d find something better to do than take women’s panties and bras off the line,” Clay said.

Ben snorted. “Sounds like a deviant.”

Clay shook his head. “Nope. Just a lonely creature who didn’t realize she scared them. She thought they’d left the things for her to take. Didn’t have the heart to tell her otherwise. I did mention she should leave some flowers or something in trade. Might be why people have been finding bouquets on their porches.”

While I did call the club together to discuss big issues on a regular basis, we never got a chance to swap fun stories like this. At least, not as often as we should. I enjoyed times like these, and it always helped me feel closer to them.

“Speaking of pixies… Want to hear about the pixie who tried to make my bike her pet?” Collin asked.

I eyed him. “Your bike?”

“Damn thing was sitting on the seat, trying to talk to it. She insisted my bike was some sort of giant insect. She wanted to know if it would let her tame it. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was a motorcycle. So, I let her talk to the thing while I went into the store. When I came back out, she was still jabbering away.”

Ben barked out a laugh. “And did your bike talk back?”

“Not this time.” Collin grinned. “I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. She seemed so damn determined to make friends with the thing.”

Jackson smirked. “I’ve heard pixies can be a little strange. Never would have thought one would want to talk to a motorcycle, though.”

“This one was harmless. I’m more concerned with the ones who aren’t. Had a run-in with one a few months back. She’d been trying to use her magick to make people do things for her. I’d heard she’d gotten run off, but I’m not sure how credible that source was. Just because I haven’t seen her doesn’t mean she isn’t around.”

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “You think she’s still close by?”

“Could be.” Collin shrugged. “Don’t know why she’d have left the area. Not unless someone forced her out. I’d heard she’d pissed off a few people.”

“I’ll ask around. See if anyone has seen her,” I said.

“Seem to remember a pixie bringing cookies to the house the other day. Haven’t figured out why, but I wasn’t going to turn down free cookies,” Clay said.

Ben smirked. “Maybe she wanted to thank you.”

“Or maybe she was buttering you up.” Jackson grinned as he headed to the fridge. “Don’t think I don’t know about the way the women in town have taken to you.”

The men laughed, and Jackson tossed me a beer. “Figured you could use that.”

Maybe I could. I twisted the cap off and took a long pull. Whatever Collin had done to make this necromancer comfortable around him must have been impressive. Jackson’s kind weren’t known for being easygoing. Most were standoffish.

“I hear there’s a new shop opening on Main Street,” I said. “Something about a woman opening a bakery.”

“I’d heard that too,” Ben said. “Wonder if she’ll have fresh bread.”

“Women in this town seem to be multiplying,” Clay said. “Hadn’t noticed as many before.”

“They’ve been here. They’re just more willing to come out now. I’d heard they’d had some trouble a while back. Seems to have settled down,” I said. “I don’t like trouble in my town.”

Ben’s lips quirked slightly. “Your town?”

I shrugged. “Darkwood is mine. Ours. Whatever.”