It was almost an hour later when two men with identical uniforms and mirrored sunglasses stepped out of an olive-colored truck with Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, or TWRA for short, written on the side. The men both looked like they could hold their own in a fight if need be, even though one of them looked like he was well into his fifties. His dark hair was peppered with gray, giving him a weathered, but capable air.
“Disgusting, vile creatures,” Mom spat, almost slamming her mug down onto the table. “I knew it! I knew those shifters were going to be trouble!”Zephyra sighed and then frowned. Perhaps telling her mother about the animals was a bad idea. Zephyra looked at her mother as she continued to fu
Zephyra’s fingers tapped to the beat of the music as she watched the band playing. They weren’t half bad, but she wasn’t really in the mood for music or dance tonight. What Officer Richards had said in that interrogation yesterday wouldn’t leave her. Why did Ethan ask her for help? Also, how did this Officer Richards know so much about aberrations? They may have come out seven years ago, but aberrations still kept their secrets close.
The anger in Ethan’s face vanished as a smile appeared on his face and a question in his eyes. “I’m all for gender equality and all that, but I’m well over six feet tall. You’re what? Five-foot five, five foot six? There is no way you can make me leave.”Zephyra narrowed her e
Zephyra stared out one of the many large windows along the wall of Angie’s, listening to the general murmur of the lunch crowd as she waited for Brady to show up. She didn’t get why he wanted to talk about their past so much. It was giving her the urge to punch him. Despite the common belief, rehashing the past didn’t always give you closure or a way to move on. Nope. More times than not, it just made the old wound fester and bleed some more.
Though she wasn’t ready to be yelled at by another old woman, Zephyra answered the phone.“Zephyra Evelyn Callahan, what is wrong with you?” her mother demanded as soon as she answered.
Zephyra saw Ophelia sit down at a small table. An idea struck her as she saw the fae. Ophelia had the gift of foresight. She may have seen something about the animals. “Hey, Ophelia,” Zephyra said, sitting down next to her and then waving at Max, her son.Ophelia gave her a knowing grin. “What
Zephyra rubbed her forehead as she stepped onto her porch. The tension of the day was starting to give her a headache. When Zephyra looked up, she saw a scrap of paper taped to her door. It looked like an improvised note. Like the ones, people used to pass around before cell phones became so popular. The edges were jagged as though it had been ripped from a larger piece and folded in half. Zephyra pulled it off the door and opened it. It wasn’t handwritten but typed, and read:
Trap marks? Zephyra’s eyes widened. “Shifters don’t need to use traps. They have claws and teeth for that.” He nodded, and it was her turn to frown. “So who are we looking at? It can’t be poachers. Nothing was missing, right?”Brady shook his head. “Nope. Fur, meat