“Since I stopped taking the sublimation potions, I’ve struggled to keep my alter ego from springing out and pouncing on people.”
“Cats pounce. Wolves maim and mutilate.”
“That doesn’t sound as elegant.”
“You’vemetthe family, right?”
I snorted. Yes. We could be graceful during the hunt, but we did trend a touch brutish. More so than non-magical wolves in the wilds.Theyhad equanimity.
“Almost there.” Jasmine pointed at the map on her phone.
Her car didn’t have a screen to tie into it, but neither did my truck. I was used to modest amenities when it came to transportation. And, unlike my truck, both of her fenders were attached.
“This is in an expensive part of town.” Jasmine eyed the high-rises as we drove past.
“I don’t think Bellevue has anyinexpensiveparts.”
“Well, there are places where the median home price is less than others.”
“So, under a million dollars?”
“Notthatmuch less.” Jasmine smirked. “It’s why I’ll probably end up with a condo in Everett instead. The kind that overlooks the freeway or an alley. Probably an alleynextto a freeway. That’s if I’m lucky enough to find something. Home ownership isn’t exactly easy to swing in the Seattle area on a single person’s income. I might have to move into one of your apartments and rent for a while.”
“They won’t be my apartments for long.”
I didn’t point out that being the property manager didn’t give me a claim on ownership. She knew that.
“That’s a bummer. You’ve kept them up really well.”
“Thank you.” Since we were almost there, I delved into my purse and sifted through my budgeting envelopes. I pulled a few bills out of the one labeled GAS and tucked them into one of the drink holders.
“Is that a tip for good driving?”
“I’m chipping in for gas money.”
“Since I’m currently unemployed, I’m not going to be too proud to take it.”
“Good.”
At a stoplight, Jasmine slipped the bills into her purse. “The next owners won’t know what to do if your apartment complex gets overrun with werewolves.”
“Fewer landlords than you’d think know what to do in that circumstance.”
“I know for a fact that deer repellent doesn’t work on werewolves. Dad sprayed his fruit trees with the stuff, and, the first time Emilio and Alessio visited, they headed straight to the backyard. I think Emilio licked a leaf.”
“Must have dried blood in the mix. I’ve tried all the various repellents to keep rabbits from noshing on the pansies and petunias I plant around the grounds in the spring. I finally gave up and hung them in baskets instead of putting them in the ground.”
“This is a weird conversation for carnivores to have.”
“I’m not the one with a relative growing fruit trees.”
“Dad produces apple and pear cider with his fruit. Making booze appeals to carnivores as well as normies.” Jasmine nodded toward a turn ahead. We were passing more tall modern buildings, one with walls appearing to be made entirely of glass, the western side reflecting the setting sun. “It’s just around the corner.”
Hopefully, taking this time away from figuring out what Radomir and Abrams were up to wouldn’t prove a mistake. Duncan had said he would keep an eye on Sylvan Serenity in case any trouble came by this evening, and the police patrol car was back in the street near the lot.
Such deterrents might keep the tenants’ vehicles from being vandalized, but they wouldn’t get me any closer to figuring out how to help Duncan or what Radomir and Abrams were up to.
We pulled into a parking lot full of sporty Porsches, convertible BMWs, and, for the more ruggedly-inclined luxury auto buyer, Bentley and Rolls-Royce SUVs. I spotted a similar model G-Wagon to what Bolin had but in a different color. It gleamed from a recent detail and lacked bird droppings of any kind.
