The Good, The Bad, And The Undead

"Hey, Ray-ray. It's me," came Nick's voice, sounding ti

My breath came in anticipation as it clicked off. I had met Takata four years ago when he spotted me in the balcony at a solstice concert. I had thought I was going to be kicked out when a thick Were in a staff shirt escorted me backstage while the warm-up band played.

Turned out Takata had seen my frizzy hair and wanted to know if it was spelled or natural, and if natural, did I have a charm to get something that wild to lie flat? Starstuck and repeatedly embarrassing myself, I admitted it was natural, though I had encouraged it that night, then gave him one of the charms my mother and I spent my entire high school career perfecting to tame it. He laughed then, unwinding one of his blond dreadlocks to show me his hair was worse than mine, static making it float and stick to everything. I hadn't straightened my hair since.

My friends and I had watched the show from backstage, and afterward, Takata and I led his bodyguards on a merry chase through Cinci

A smile twitched the corner of my mouth as I fingered the answering machine. He was all right for an old guy. 'Course, anyone over the age of thirty had seemed old to me at the time.

Nick's was the only message, and I found myself pacing as I picked up the phone and punched in the Howlers' number. I plucked at my shirt as the number rang. After ru

There was a click, and a low voice nearly growled, " 'Ello. Ya got the Howlers."

"Coach!" I exclaimed, recognizing the Were's voice. "Good news."

There was a slight pause. "Who is this?" he asked. "How did you get this number?"

I started. "This is Rachel Morgan," I said slowly. "Of Vampiric Charms?"

There was a half-heard shout directed off the phone, "Which one of you dogs called the escort service? You're athletes, for God's sake. Can't you pin your own bitches without having to buy them?"

"Wait!" I said before he could hang up. "You hired me to find your mascot."

"Oh!" There was a pause, and I heard several war whoops in the background. "Right."

I briefly weighed the trouble of changing our name against the fuss Ivy would raise: a thousand glossy black business cards, the page ad in the phone book, the matched oversized mugs she had imprinted our name on in gold foil. It wasn't going to happen.

"I recovered your fish," I said, bringing myself back. "When can someone pick it up?"

"Uh," the coach muttered. "Didn't anyone call you?"

My face went slack. "No."

"One of the guys moved her while they cleaned her tank and didn't tell anyone," he said. "She was never gone."

Her? I thought. The fish was a her? How could they tell? Then I got angry. I had broken into a Were's office for nothing? "No," I said coldly. "No one called me."

"Mmmm. Sorry about that. Thanks for your help, though."

"Whoa! Wait a moment," I cried, hearing the brush-off in his voice. "I spent three days pla

"And we appreciate that—" the coach started.

I spun in an angry circle and stared out at the garden through the shoulder-high windows. The sun glinted on the tombstones beyond. "I don't think you do, Coach. We're talking bullets!"

"But she was never lost," the coach insisted. "You don't have our fish. I'm sorry."

"Sorry won't keep those Weres off my tail." Furious, I paced around the coffee table.

"Look," he said. "I'll send you some tickets to the exhibition game coming up."

"Tickets!" I exclaimed, astounded. "For breaking into Mr. Ray's office?"

"Simon Ray?" the coach said. "You broke into Simon's office? Damn, that's rough. 'Bye now."

"No, wait!" I shouted, but the phone clicked off. I stared at the humming receiver. Didn't they know who I was? Didn't they know I could curse their bats to crack and their pop flies to land foul? Did they think I would sit back and do nothing when they owed me my rent!

I flopped into Ivy's gray suede chair with a feeling of helplessness. "Yeah, right," I said softly. A noncontact spell required a wand. Tuition at the community college hadn't covered wand making, just potions and amulets. I didn't have the expertise, much less the recipe, for anything that complicated. I guess they knew who I was right enough.

The sound of a foot scraping linoleum came from the kitchen, and I glanced at the hall. Swell. Gle

Gle

"It's Gle

I made a scoffing bark of laughter. "Your dad just loves to bend the rules, doesn't he?"

He frowned. "Yes ma'am."

"We aren't going to Dan's apartment until Sara Jane gets off work." Then I slumped. Gle

"I'd prefer to stay." He scratched at the welt showing a light pink under his watchband.

"Sure," I said sourly. "Whatever. I gotta shower, though." Clearly he was concerned I'd go without him. The worry was well-founded. Leaning to the window over the sink, I shouted out into the lavish, pixy-tended garden, "Jenks!"

The pixy buzzed in through the hole in the screen so fast, I was willing to bet he'd been eavesdropping. "You bellowed, princess of stink?" he said, landing beside Mr. Fish on the sill.

I gave him a weary look. "Would you show Gle

Jenks's wings blurred into motion. "Yeah," he said, going to make wide wary circles around Gle

"Jenks," I warned, and he gave me a grin, tossing his blond hair artfully over his eyes.

"This way, Gle

I heard the back door shut, and I leaned to the window. "Jenks?"

"What!" The pixy darted back in the window, his face creased with irritation.

I crossed my arms in thought. "Would you bring in some mullein leaves and jewelweed flowers when you get the chance? And do we have any dandelions that haven't gone to seed?"

"Dandelions?" He dropped an inch in surprise, his wings clattering. "You going soft on me? You're going to make him an anti-itch spell, aren't you?"

I leaned to see Gle

"Sure," he said. "He's not much good like that, is he?"

I choked back a laugh, and Jenks flew out the window to join Gle