Silver Fox (Silver Shifters 2)

“Because, dickwad, on account of there aren’t any. Ever seen a zombie, ‘cept on TV? No. Nobody has, on account of, they don’t exist.”

“That’s not what Will’s cellmate said. He said, he seen ‘em. In Texas, right there. And anyways, I say, if we can shift, why can’t there be zombies?”

Joey forced himself to stay a safe distance behind the pair as the zombie argument went endlessly. He couldn’t help thinking of the book excerpt Bill had read in the writing group. These two bozos would fit right in with Bill’s cast of characters.

But he had actually learned something useful. The reference to bonfires made him sure that the boss they were referring to was Cang.

When at last the lighted walls of the compound glinted through the trees, Joey dropped behind. He thought about sneaking in after the two flunkies, but didn’t want to leave the house unguarded. Not with the enemy on the prowl. Anyway, Xi Yong was watching the compound; Joey couldn’t see him, but he sensed the qilin shifter nearby.

He had a quick mental exchange with Xi Yong catching him up on the situation, then raced back down the slope as the wind kicked up, swirling the snow around him. Halfway there, he spotted Vic’s wolf. The two met and trotted to the safety of a line of shrubs before returning to their human forms. Joey, who could bring his clothing in and out of the mythic dimension, pulled off the sweater he wore over his shirt and offered it to Vic.

“Nah, I’m fine for a few minutes,” Vic said, stark naked and dancing from foot to foot. “Vanessa’s got the house patrol right now. We’ve been swapping off. She sniffed those two dudes coming down the mountain before they sniffed us, because the wind was in our favor. So we hid.”

“I take it you sniffed out that they are wolves,” Joey asked.

“Yeah. We can tell our own kind. We also smelled what Grandpa calls ‘bad pack’ on them.”

“Fear and fighting?”

“Yes. Lots of fear. Lots of fighting.”

“I heard them talking,” Joey said quietly. “I’m even more sure now that Cang is inside that building. At the moment, though, they seem to have ruled out the Lebowitz house as a threat, since they didn’t find any shifters there.” He smiled grimly. “Good thing you and Vic were outside. Be careful, okay? We don’t want them crossing paths with you, and we know now that they’re looking.”

“We’re always careful,” Vic declared solemnly as Vanessa trotted up to them, plumed tail high.

Joey just smiled. He didn’t want to dampen the teenage wolf shifters’ high spirits. Despite his earlier doubts, he was glad he’d brought them along. They had turned out to be responsible and useful.

Though right now Vic was turning a little blue around the edges. Vanessa poked her muzzle into her brother’s leg, rather pointedly.

“We like Ms. Lebowitz, you know,” Vic said through chattering teeth. “I hope you tell her about us soon.”

“That’s my plan—as soon as we can get some quiet time together.” Joey laughed. “Now shift back. Time for the minions to return to minning.”

Vanessa yipped agreement as Vic shifted. Vic’s wolf grinned, tongue lolling, and Joey lifted his hand in farewell. They took off, the way Vanessa had come.

Joey trotted back through the snowy woods. He spotted the glowing lights of the house below, and decided to do a round himself. Not because he didn’t trust the twins, it was more to satisfy himself that all the blinds, shutters, and curtains were closed.

As he circled the house with its welcoming golden light leaking around the edges of the windows, he hoped that a peaceful, snowy night would be solace for Xi Yong’s spirit.

He shifted back, and when he walked in through the mud room door, he found Doris sitting on the bottom step of the staircase. “There you are,” she said, her relief plain.

He bent to kiss her, reveling in how natural it felt. How she turned up her smiling face to his. She smelled of apple and cinnamon and herself, and he had to lock down hard on the wish to whisk her upstairs right now.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Doris said as he sat down beside her, hip to hip.

“They never noticed me. They were too busy arguing over the existence of zombies the entire time I followed them.”

She choked on a laugh. “Zombies? They were arguing about zombies?”

“Let’s just say that I’m not too worried about those two being criminal masterminds. I was perfectly safe, and now I’m back.”

He slid his arm around her shoulder, ready to lift it away if she tensed. But she didn’t. As his arm tightened around her warmth, she leaned against him. “Are the twins okay?”

Oops. He’d forgotten that she would be worried about Vic and Vanessa. “They’re fine. They’re safe. By the way, did Xi Yong come in?”

“Oh, yes. Not long after you left. He’s in the den playing chess with Granny Z. He’s really good at it,” she added, as their fingers laced together. “I actually saw him smile.”

“Last week Vanessa taught him how to play, and by the fourth game he began beating her. He’s an expert at Go.”