“That depends on how forthcoming my sources are.”Cyrus put a hand around the back of my head and rubbed his thumb along the side of my neck.“Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.And keep your head down.”
I waited until his footsteps had vanished.Then I waited some more, because there was a good chance that he was hanging around the parking lot to see if I’d follow.I switched channels to a Christmas special coming from somewhere with actual snow.
After sitting through two musical numbers, including a dog that barked Jingle Bells and an appropriately timed antacid commercial, I decided it had been long enough.A full moon illuminated the parking lot, but there weren’t any wolves prowling around.Of course, there wouldn’t have been even if Cyrus had still been there.The old stories are a myth, based on the writings of one screwy medieval monk: Weres can change at will.It’s one of the things that makes them so deadly.
I caught a cab back to Fremont, where my Christmas present to myself was safe in valet parking.Fortunately, old habits die hard, and I’d tagged Cyrus at the motel.The little spell caused me to turn my beat-up Honda motorcycle, brand new in 1983, in the direction of its faint tug from the east.
* * *
Tracking spells areuseful, but they only do so much.They usually get me to the right general area, but don’t tell me exactly where a person is.But I didn’t have a long search that time, because that road only led one place.
“Strictly Pleasure, where we’re strictest about ensuringyourpleasure.What fantasy can we help you fulfill tonight?”
The woman who answered the door of the plain brick structure was young, Asian and extremely pretty. Or, at least, I assumed she was.The silk-clad body had elegant curves and the dark hair was long and sleek.But the face was covered in enough makeup to make a geisha jealous.
“I’d like a Were.Female,” I said tersely.
“Of course.”She waved me into a vestibule with an adjacent small office.“Would you like a dom or a sub this evening?”I just looked at her.“ That would be a sub, then.Do you have a preference as to species?”
“Wolf.”
“I’m sorry.We’re a little short on those lately.Will a wererat work for you?They’re very sturdy—can take almost as much pain as a wolf, and it’s been my experience that they heal even faster.”
That was a lie, but I didn’t call her on it.“I don’t know.Has she been here a while?”I needed someone who might know what was going on.
The woman looked torn.She wasn’t sure what I wanted to hear: that the sex worker with whom I was contemplating spending my Christmas Eve was fresh and relatively untouched, or experienced and skilled.“She’s been here a few months,” she finally admitted.“But with their healing abilities, honestly, you can’t tell.She has almost no marks at all.”
Anything that would leave a permanent mark on a Were would have been lethal to a human.I made a note to file a report on Strictly Pleasure’s idea of safe working conditions.“I’ll take her.”
After the processing of my credit card and the reading of a few rules, which were repeated so fast that they were almost unintelligible, I was led down a corridor to “Jezebel’s” room.She turned out to be a short, muscular brunette with a dark tan and a world-weary demeanor that didn’t match her maybe twenty years.She didn’t look submissive, but I guess these things are relative, and Ihadasked for a Were.The room was a surprise, too, with a cluttered, college dorm feel, complete with rock-star posters on the wall, clothes dribbling out of an overstuffed wardrobe, and a Hello Kitty wall clock.
“You were expecting maybe a dungeon?”she asked, seeing my expression.
“Something like that.”
“They’re downstairs.Rent by the hour.”
“I’m just here to talk.”
“Dirty?”she sounded hopeful.
“Only if it includes information.”
The hopeful look was replaced by a frown.“What kind of information?”
“About Weres.Wolves, in particular.”
The frown became a scowl.“Why?What have they got that I don’t?”
That was the big question.“There aren’t any here, then?”
“Our last two wolf girls left a month ago.”
“Left for where?”
She shrugged.“One day, I got up, and new people were moving into their rooms.”
“Is that normal?”
