growled.
"We're back," Opal walked into the kitchen and sat beside Charles with a sigh.
"Get anything?" Trajan asked. "Want coffee?"
"I just want orange juice and a bed," Opal grumped. "Bill, Hank and Jayson will be in here in a minute. They're unloading the van."
"What are they unloading?"
"Contraband, seized from one of Vernon's neighbors. It's a taxidermic shifter. A small one." Opal snorted in disgust. "Looks like some of the werewolf scent we got from the site may have been Vernon's helpers and not his victims," she added.
"That pisses me off," Trajan rose, his voice a rumbled snarl.
"A bunny?" Charles stared when the mounted flop-eared rabbit was carried in by Hank. "That's somebody's relative," he added after getting the scent.
"For sure, and since the shifters aren't organized and generally keep to themselves, there's no registry or anything to track down family," Opal shook her head. "This is awful."
"It irritates me that a citizen was murdered, and there's not a damn thing we can do about it," Bill said.
"We can track down Vernon Clark and make him dead," Jayson pointed out.
"I think that's our mission," Charles agreed.
* * *
Avendor—present
Breanne's Journal
Kevis was doing a session. Well, forcing a session was a better description. Kay wanted to talk to me; Kevis wanted both of us to talk to him . Or spill our guts to him.
"Breanne, why don't you start?" The doctor was definitely in.
We sat in Ashe's solarium, with windows all around the turreted space and plants scattered throughout, making the space inviting. Comfortable chairs and sofas were also placed strategically so a magnificent view of the groves could be had from almost any angle.
By we, I meant Kay, Kevis, Ashe, Corent, Trevor, Bill and me. Trajan and Kooper were teaching the reptanoids hand-fighting techniques somewhere in the groves.
"All anybody has to do is read that awful book," I pointed out.
"What awful book?" Kay turned to me.
"This awful book." I used up some of my precious reserve of strength and Pulled a copy of Torture in Texas into my hand. "I know you can read this, I just warn against it. And looking at the photographs," I added.
"Oh, no. That was you?" Kay shuddered as I showed her the cover. "I couldn't read it—before. It just looked too horrible."
"I don't recommend doing it now, since you have Kalia's memories, too," I said. "Why don't you talk about things on Earth?"
"I died in a bank robbery," Kay shivered. "And then I woke up in Kalia's head. It was awful."
"Breanne said it was," Kevis agreed. "Can you tell us what was happening, or is it too painful?"
"It makes me sick," Kay said. "There was so much blood." She and I had some things in common, and none of it was pretty or comfortable to discuss in a crowd.
"Kay, may I sit with you?" Ashe asked.
"If Breanne will sit with me, too," she quavered. "This is so upsetting, and I'm terrified Kalia will wake and I'll be lost again."
"Kay needs you beside her," Kevis nodded to me.
"Then I'm coming with Breanne," Bill muttered. "She needs somebody, too."
"I won't argue that point, but there's limited space on Kay's sofa."
"I can fix that," Ashe said and held out a hand. The sofa became long enough for six people—instead of three. Bill rose, walked to my chair and took my hand. Once all four of us were settled comfortably on the sofa, Kevis began again.
"Kay, can you tell us now?" he asked gently.
"Iversti Foculis wouldn't leave Kalia alone," Kay's voice trembled as she began her story. "He wanted to make sure everybody recognized her as his property."
* * *
"Tell me about Kalia's husband," Ashe insisted, once Kevis declared the session over for the day and Fes managed to entice Kalia into the kitchen for a bowl of gishi fruit ice cream. I wanted ice cream, too, but Ashe wanted information.
"He only wanted her because he knew he could sell her. Iversti was the first—and only buyer," I said.
"If he weren't dead already," Ashe's fists
"We're back," Opal walked into the kitchen and sat beside Charles with a sigh.
"Get anything?" Trajan asked. "Want coffee?"
"I just want orange juice and a bed," Opal grumped. "Bill, Hank and Jayson will be in here in a minute. They're unloading the van."
"What are they unloading?"
"Contraband, seized from one of Vernon's neighbors. It's a taxidermic shifter. A small one." Opal snorted in disgust. "Looks like some of the werewolf scent we got from the site may have been Vernon's helpers and not his victims," she added.
"That pisses me off," Trajan rose, his voice a rumbled snarl.
"A bunny?" Charles stared when the mounted flop-eared rabbit was carried in by Hank. "That's somebody's relative," he added after getting the scent.
"For sure, and since the shifters aren't organized and generally keep to themselves, there's no registry or anything to track down family," Opal shook her head. "This is awful."
"It irritates me that a citizen was murdered, and there's not a damn thing we can do about it," Bill said.
"We can track down Vernon Clark and make him dead," Jayson pointed out.
"I think that's our mission," Charles agreed.
* * *
Avendor—present
Breanne's Journal
Kevis was doing a session. Well, forcing a session was a better description. Kay wanted to talk to me; Kevis wanted both of us to talk to him . Or spill our guts to him.
"Breanne, why don't you start?" The doctor was definitely in.
We sat in Ashe's solarium, with windows all around the turreted space and plants scattered throughout, making the space inviting. Comfortable chairs and sofas were also placed strategically so a magnificent view of the groves could be had from almost any angle.
By we, I meant Kay, Kevis, Ashe, Corent, Trevor, Bill and me. Trajan and Kooper were teaching the reptanoids hand-fighting techniques somewhere in the groves.
"All anybody has to do is read that awful book," I pointed out.
"What awful book?" Kay turned to me.
"This awful book." I used up some of my precious reserve of strength and Pulled a copy of Torture in Texas into my hand. "I know you can read this, I just warn against it. And looking at the photographs," I added.
"Oh, no. That was you?" Kay shuddered as I showed her the cover. "I couldn't read it—before. It just looked too horrible."
"I don't recommend doing it now, since you have Kalia's memories, too," I said. "Why don't you talk about things on Earth?"
"I died in a bank robbery," Kay shivered. "And then I woke up in Kalia's head. It was awful."
"Breanne said it was," Kevis agreed. "Can you tell us what was happening, or is it too painful?"
"It makes me sick," Kay said. "There was so much blood." She and I had some things in common, and none of it was pretty or comfortable to discuss in a crowd.
"Kay, may I sit with you?" Ashe asked.
"If Breanne will sit with me, too," she quavered. "This is so upsetting, and I'm terrified Kalia will wake and I'll be lost again."
"Kay needs you beside her," Kevis nodded to me.
"Then I'm coming with Breanne," Bill muttered. "She needs somebody, too."
"I won't argue that point, but there's limited space on Kay's sofa."
"I can fix that," Ashe said and held out a hand. The sofa became long enough for six people—instead of three. Bill rose, walked to my chair and took my hand. Once all four of us were settled comfortably on the sofa, Kevis began again.
"Kay, can you tell us now?" he asked gently.
"Iversti Foculis wouldn't leave Kalia alone," Kay's voice trembled as she began her story. "He wanted to make sure everybody recognized her as his property."
* * *
"Tell me about Kalia's husband," Ashe insisted, once Kevis declared the session over for the day and Fes managed to entice Kalia into the kitchen for a bowl of gishi fruit ice cream. I wanted ice cream, too, but Ashe wanted information.
"He only wanted her because he knew he could sell her. Iversti was the first—and only buyer," I said.
"If he weren't dead already," Ashe's fists
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