Chapter Text
It’s a humid day in June on this particular mid-afternoon. The sun is shining, and there hasn’t been any rainfall in days. The warm wind coming from the ocean brings with it the scent of salt as it spreads throughout the grounds of the manor house. The windows are open throughout the estate, the sound of Glenn Miller’s Orchestra coming from a window on the second floor. There is a glass door open on the ground floor, and one can hear the soft rustling of paper as pages in a book are being turned.
The day has been quiet, no sense of urgency in the actions of the people gathered in the room. Everyone is focused on their tasks, working together as a cohesive unit even in the silence. It merely takes an arch of a brow or a quirk of a lip for them to know what the others want or need. The familiarity is comforting, and it’s that part that Stiles is drawn to as his mind stops wandering around the estate and returns to him.
There’s magic still in the air, and a dull ache behind his right eye from his overexertion with the puzzle that’s captivated him for the past two nights. The curse is unique, and he’s been enjoying the challenge of trying to find the right way to break it. His body is feeling a slight fatigue, nothing too drastic, but just a physical reminder that he needs to adhere to his own boundaries instead of losing himself quite so easily in the mystery. His eyes are closed, but he knows where his companions are without needing them to be open.
The soft pecking of fingers against buttons on a keyboard lets him know that Danny is working on his laptop. Erica is lying on the floor, her fingernails making a low clicking noise as she repeatedly strums them against the tile floor while reading the open book in front of her. The page turners are Jackson and Kira, both sitting in their favorite chairs at either end of the sitting area, skimming quickly for any important information. The low buzz of grinding steel is coming from the desk, where Allison is sitting and sharpening her knives. Lydia and Scott aren’t in the library with them, both occupied with other tasks in different areas of the house.
A low groan suddenly breaks the calm silence. “I really fucking hate trolls.”
The words are muttered into the quiet room with a hint of frustration that makes everyone else pause in their own activities to look over at the person who just spoke. Feeling the attention of his companions makes Jackson scowl, blue eyes narrowing slightly as if preparing to defend his opinion.
Before he can speak, Stiles opens his eyes and straightens up. He closes the book he’s been holding and tosses it on the table beside him. It makes a soft thud as it lands, just loud enough to draw everyone’s attention to him. He pushes himself to his feet and stretches, glancing at Jackson, who is now also focused on him. “Well, that’s good, since they aren’t too fond of you, either.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I seem to remember that one in Lithuania last century that was very fond of our Jackson,” Allison says, flashing dimples when Stiles huffs a laugh at the memory. “She wanted him to stay and play house with her, if I remember correctly.”
“That’s because she didn’t realize he’s a big pain in the ass,” Danny points out, shutting the laptop in front of him and rubbing the bridge of his nose. “She’d have eaten him in no time, I’m sure.”
“Whatever. I’m a gem and you know it. Besides, you like me being a pain in your ass,” Jackson says, throwing a pillow in Danny’s direction. Danny laughs and bats it away with his arm before it can hit him, causing it to land on Erica’s head. With a low growl, she grabs the pillow and smacks Danny with it before pouncing on Jackson, knocking him out of his chair.
“I swear, sometimes it’s like living in a daycare,” Lydia says, shaking her head as she enters the room and steps over Erica and Jackson, who are now wrestling on the floor. She walks over to Stiles and hands him a mug with tea in it, the sweet scent of honey making his nose twitch. “Here, drink this while it’s still warm.”
“Thanks, Lydia. What would I do without you?” He takes the mug, leaning down to brush a kiss across her forehead before taking a sip. The honey is very sweet, the tea a special kind given to them by a djinn they’d encountered many, many years ago. It always seems to give Stiles a boost of energy after he’s used a lot of magic. He sees Erica rip Jackson’s shirt and shakes his head. “Ally, you need to get your kids under control.”
“Why is it that they’re my kids when they’re being difficult, but they’re your kids when they’re behaving?” Allison puts down the knife she’s been sharpening and stands up, stretching as she eyes the two blonds rolling around the floor by her feet. “I think you’re confused as to which one of us is the bad influence, babe.”
“You’re both bad influences.” Lydia rolls her eyes when he and Allison stick their tongues out at her. Allison walks over to them, taking a sip of his tea before leaning against his chest to watch their friends being ridiculous. Lydia pokes him in the side, sighing dramatically when he just grins at her. “Fine. If they break something, you two are cleaning it up,” she warns before straightening up and snapping, “Erica, put the claws away. We don’t want blood on the rug again.”
“The tail needs to go, too, Jax,” Danny warns, pulling his legs up to rest his feet on his chair as the rolling twosome heads his way. “Play fair, kids. After all, cheaters never win.” He laughs when two hands reach out to show him middle fingers, kicking at the hands that then try to grab his feet to pull him into the mix.
Luckily for Danny, the door to the library opens, the squeak of hinges distracting Erica and Jackson from their joint effort to pull Danny into the mix. Stiles grins as Scott carefully peeks around the edge of the wood. Scott hasn’t been with them that long, not even a century yet, so he still has moments where it’s obvious that he hasn’t fully adjusted to their brand of crazy. “I can hear you fighting down the hall. Did I miss something? I was only gone for half an hour.”
“Yeah, you missed me kicking Jackson’s ass for being a whiny brat.” Erica looks over at Scott and smiles. “He has no respect for his savior.”
“Oh God. Not that again,” Jackson bucks up and rolls them, snapping at the air by Erica’s face. “I hate when you do that. Savior, my ass. Besides, I’m not even the one who hit you with the pillow, you know?”
“Maybe not, but Danny wouldn’t have had the pillow if you hadn’t thrown it at him in the first place, so it still comes back to being your fault.” Erica leans up and bites Jackson’s bottom lip before looking over his shoulder and slowly smiling. “Reinforcements incoming!”
Before Jackson has a chance to react, Kira has jumped on his back, laughing as he swats at her to try to get her off. Stiles sips more of his tea, nudging Allison’s shoulder when she leans against him. “I think we need to schedule some training tomorrow. All the research is breaking their brains. They need to work off some energy in productive ways.”
“I’ll work on a training program tonight.” She glances up at him, flashing the dimples again. “This is what always happens when they get too bored. Maybe we should send them out for something small soon.”
“There are reports of pixies causing some trouble, south of Dublin,” Scott offers as he joins them. “I just got the email today asking for some help if we had the time.” At Stiles’ curious look, he gets his phone out and brings up the email. “It’s from Cillian, so I planned to run it by you later to get your input.”
“Cillian, huh? It’s been a while since he’s reached out.” Stiles sits the mug of tea on the table and takes the phone from Scott, quickly skimming the email. It’s a straight-forward request, nothing major has happened yet, but Cillian seems to think it’s only a matter of time before there’s an incident, so he’s asking for some assistance if they have time. Stiles happens to agree with him since they’ve worked with pixies before, and they’re always a bunch of annoying trouble.
“Sounds like a good one,” Allison says, reading the email along with him. “Should only need three of us to take care of it at this point.”
He nods his head, handing the phone back to Scott. “Pixies are fun. Easily handled and a quick little case for them.” He looks over to see that the trio has now pulled Danny off his chair, all four wrestling around like children. He glances at Lydia and sees her giving him a patented ‘I told you—nothing but a bunch of toddlers’ look. Bringing his fingers to his mouth, he whistles sharply, causing them to freeze in place and look up at him like they’ve been caught being naughty. “Enough play time for today, kids. We’ve got serious grown-up business to handle now.”
“How does he do that?” Jackson mutters, letting go of Erica’s hair and pushing himself off Danny. “I feel like I’ve been scolded just from one look.”
“It’s because he’s authoritative and dominant,” Kira tells him, giving Stiles an apologetic smile. “He’s also our leader, so we’ve developed an unconscious tendency to want to please him.”
“In more ways than one,” Danny adds, winking at Stiles as he stands up and dusts off his pants. “Sorry, Boss.”
“He’s also old as dirt, so he’s had years to find out how to make us feel bad for doing stupid shit.” Erica shrugs when Stiles snorts. “What? It’s true. You probably remember the dinosaurs, old man.”
“Did Stiles really live with dinosaurs?” Scott whispers to Lydia, who punches his arm in response. “Geesh. Don’t snap your cap. I’m sorry for asking.”
“It was a ridiculous question, Scott. He’s not that old. Besides, science has indicated that dinosaurs existed before mankind as we know it now.” Lydia tosses her hair over her shoulder and walks over to sit on the couch. “Before the impromptu wrestling match, did you happen to find out anything useful regarding the troll problem in Ehrwald, Jackson?”
“Same old stuff we already know.” Jackson falls back into his chair, putting his feet up and yawning. “Reminded me that I can’t stand the dumbasses but, yeah, nothing about immigration patterns or why they might be encroaching on tatzelwurm territory.”
“Well, the last thing we want is a feud between trolls and tatzelwurms. No way humans wouldn’t notice a bunch of poisoned trolls scattered around if it comes to that,” Stiles says, grabbing the cup of tea and joining Lydia on the couch.
“Besides, trolls are traditionally not that intelligent so it’s sort of our duty to help save them from themselves if they aren’t being violent and destructive,” Kira adds as she sits down, ever the optimist on their team.
“If we tried to save everyone who is stupid, we’d never get a break,” Allison points out, sitting on the floor by the couch and using Stiles’ legs as a backrest. “I agree that keeping the mundane world from finding out about our world is the priority for this issue in Ehrwald. If we happen to save some trolls, great, but it’s not going to be our primary focus.”
“No, it isn’t.” Stiles agrees with her because their main purpose is always about keeping a distinct separation between the supernatural and the mundane worlds. Some of them have lived through times when the lines got blurred, were witnesses to what humans can do against things they don’t understand or fear, and it isn’t something any of them want their world to experience again. Humans are cruel enough to each other without enlightening them to all the creatures that exist outside of their rigid perception of the world. “We’ll kill anything that gets in the way of preserving secrecy and peace.”
Scott makes a face at Stiles’ words, but he doesn’t argue. When they’d first found him, he’d been very vocal about not wanting to kill anyone even if it was deserved. Now, he’s realized that it’s a necessary part of their job, and he’s chosen to be part of their family, so he’s had to accept it. It doesn’t mean he likes it, but Stiles doesn’t care about any moral dilemmas that Scott might have because he’s proven he can be trusted when it’s needed. They wouldn’t have let him stay if he hadn’t, after all.
“Is there a problem, Scott?” Lydia asks, arching a brow as she casually flips through the pages of the book Stiles had been reading earlier.
“No, no problem. We’ll do what we have to do,” Scott says, shrugging a shoulder. “Just hoping that won’t include killing some dumb old trolls if they’re not guilty of anything evil.”
“Man, it’s been like eighty years. Why do we still have to listen to that self-righteous garbage?” Jackson gives Scott a dirty look. “We aren’t murderers, as you well know. If they aren’t guilty of something, we aren’t likely to kill them. We only kill to protect those who need our protection.”
“Jackson’s right. You’ve been with us for a while now, Scott. You know us well enough to know that we’re the good guys, even if we have to do some bad things in the name of good sometimes,” Danny adds, obviously uncomfortable having to remind Scott of this fact.
He exchanges a look with Stiles, and Stiles knows that Danny’s thinking about their past, when such lines weren’t so strict for them and when they all got innocent blood on their hands in their pursuit for justice in whatever way was necessary. They’ve evolved since then, expanded the group, gotten smarter and more advanced, so they don’t end up in those difficult situations very often anymore. The earlier members of the team have all done some really bad things, though, and it’s not something they can pretend never happened.
“I know we aren’t murderers. If we were, I’d have never felt like I belonged here,” Scott points out, giving Stiles and Allison a worried look. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I just prefer the cases where we don’t have to kill. That’s all.”
“It’s fine.” Allison stretches her legs out in front of her, resting her head against Stiles’ knees. “Your humanity helps balance those of us who can’t remember what that’s like anymore. It just pokes some of us the wrong way sometimes, is all.”
“Eh, it’s probably my fault that everyone’s a bit on edge today,” Stiles says, shifting slightly so he can lean against Lydia’s arm while he’s massaging Allison’s scalp. He soon feels Lydia’s fingers idly brushing through his hair. “I didn’t intend to use so much magic this morning. I was working on breaking the curses on that music box Erica found last week, and it was too easy to lose myself in trying to solve the puzzle. I know my residue magic can make everyone irritable when I overdo it like that.”
“This might come as a complete surprise, but the world doesn’t revolve around you, Stiles.” Jackson rolls his eyes. “You might be our leader, but it’s not like our moods are dependent on yours or some stupid shit like that. Hell, it’s been a few weeks of downtime following all the excitement in Cairo, so we’re just starting to get antsy. Speaking of excitement, I heard something about pixies?”
“Ugh…pixies? Seriously?” Erica makes a face. “They’re flying evil demons with sharp teeth. I’d take a dozen trolls over a pixie any day. Can’t believe you’d think they’re exciting.” She smirks suddenly. “No, wait, it’s you. Of course, you find them interesting.”
“Can I choose neither? They’re both a pain,” Kira says. “Pixie blood always stains my clothes, and I end up having to throw them out.”
“I guess you’d better buy some new clothes then,” Stiles tells her, “because we’ve been asked to deal with a pixie problem in Ireland. Humans aren’t involved yet, but the communication said that local livestock has been attacked.”
“Attacked or killed?” Danny picks up his glass and takes a drink. “If we’re dealing with dead livestock, it could mean the pixies are escalating, so we’d need to act fast.”
“Just attacked so far. A couple of sheep were apparently left in bad shape, and the locals are looking for wild animals.” Scott has his phone out with the email from Cillian open. He moves his fingers, and Stiles soon feels a buzz from his phone notifying him that he’s got an email. “I just sent all of you the email with the specifics we received.”
“We’ll want to send a team over there to check things out,” Allison says. “Stiles and I are thinking Erica, Jackson, and Kira would be able to handle it. You can always call if you need back-up, but it doesn’t sound like the problem is too involved yet.”
“Sounds like a good way to get us out of the house, too.” Erica smiles. “I get it. We’re antsy, like Jax said, and killing some pixies is a nice distraction from troll investigations. I’ll take the tiny flying terrors over more books for sure. We should be able to leave tomorrow.”
The sound of breaking glass interrupts Stiles before he can agree that tomorrow is good. He looks to his left, seeing that Danny is rigid, his glass broken on the floor, his eyes completely black as he stares at nothing. His breathing is even, his jaw clenched, and body frozen in place. Stiles is up quickly, almost stepping on Allison’s hand as she gets to her feet, too.
“What do you see, Danny?” he asks quietly, keeping his voice low and calm. Allison grips his arm tightly, staring at Danny intently. When they first met Danny, he’d have visions more often, almost always something major that required their attention, usually dangerous. He doesn’t have them as often these days, and it’s been a long time since he’s had one this deep. Probably fifty or sixty years, if Stiles is remembering right.
“Fire. It’s bright against the dark sky.” Danny’s voice is monotone, distant as he keeps staring, sweat starting to bead along his forehead. “People are screaming. Fire is everywhere.”
“What else?” Stiles exchanges a look with Lydia, who is already writing notes on what Danny is saying and doing.
“A woman. She’s laughing. Blonde hair shiny from the firelight.” A muscle in Danny’s cheek twitches. “I can’t see her face.”
“That’s okay. What else do you see? What do you hear?” Stiles hopes there’s more because there is no way they’ll be able to figure this out with that limited information.
“Screams. And howling. I hear howling.” Danny’s hand reaches for Stiles’ arm, gripping it tight. His skin is hot, almost as if he’s channeling some of the fire as he keeps staring at the vision that only he can see. “Twinkling lights are covering the trees by the burning house. An inflatable snowman is on the ground by the blonde woman’s foot. It’s cold, but there isn’t any snow. Just darkness and fire. She won’t stop laughing. She’s enjoying this.”
“Where are you, Danny? Can you tell where you are?” Stiles’ mind is racing. It’s currently June, and they’re in England at an estate Jackson was able to keep from his father’s properties centuries ago. Danny is seeing into the future, which isn’t surprising considering the visions he usually receives, but Christmas lights and cold don’t help narrow the world down. Unfortunately, neither do crazy blonde women.
“I don’t know where I am,” Danny admits. “I see trees. There are a lot of trees around. Hills. I think there are hills. I don’t see them, but I sense hills. She’s speaking English. I can’t hear the words…but I know. American. She’s American. And there are shadows. People listening to her, making the fire burn brighter. There’s something on her back. It’s a symbol of some kind. It’s glowing now…silver. It’s silver and it’s flickering. No, wait. It isn’t really on her back. I can see through it, like it’s hovering around her. Bright silver.”
His arm is going to bruise from how tight Danny is holding it. He’s just glad it’s only bruises and not a break. The time that Danny’s vision was so bad he broke Stiles’ arm while he was having it was one of the only assignments that they couldn’t finish successfully. Stiles dislikes failure, they all do, so that incident is always a reminder that they must be strong and can’t give up. It’s easier now, though, with technology and the internet. If they’d had that back then, he has no doubt they could have pulled it off.
“There’s a shadow by the fire. Not one of hers. It’s lit up, like a beacon. Burning bright. Howling and crying and screaming and her laughter. She won’t stop laughing.” Danny squeezes harder before suddenly letting go. He starts to fall forward in his chair, but Allison is there to catch him. Lydia is reading over the notes, and Kira hands Stiles a wet cloth. He uses it to carefully wipe the sweat off Danny’s face.
“You okay, Danny boy?” he asks, moving his left hand behind Danny so he can stroke his back in a soothing way.
Danny blinks up at him, looking a bit dazed. “I had one, didn’t I? I feel like shit, so I must have.”
“Yeah, you did.” Stiles finishes washing Danny’s face, moving slightly so Jackson can hand over a cold bottle of water. “Do you remember any of it?”
“No, there’s nothing. I was listening to you talk about pixies, then there was darkness. I was really hot, though?” Danny chugs half the bottle of water before running his hand over his face. “I don’t feel so great. That one must have been intense.”
“Some crazy lady laughing while people were burning to death,” Erica tells him. “It sounded pretty fucking awful.”
“Good grief. Guess that explains why I was so hot,” Danny makes a face. “Did I see anything useful?”
“Everything you see is useful,” Allison reminds him. “You aren’t sent a vision without a reason.”
“Yeah, well, it would be really nice if the powers that be, or whoever the hell it is who send me these damn things, would bother to let me remember them or give us helpful information like navigational coordinators or details on why I’m having the vision in the place.” Danny’s frustration is evident, and Stiles can understand it even if he isn’t a seer like Danny.
He leans down to brush his lips against Danny’s cheek. “You did great, Danny. You gave us a lot of details. We’re going to be able to figure this one out.”
“You think so?” Danny looks up at him, his lips quirking slightly. “Yeah, you’re right. We’ll figure it out this time. Right now, though, I need to go take shower and change clothes because I’m all sweaty and it’s not due to fun activities.”
“Hey man, I’ll go up with you and help,” Scott offers, giving Danny a smile. “We can do some of those ‘fun activities’ while the brains work on the new mystery.”
“Great idea, Scott!” Erica gets to her feet and leers. “I wanna watch.”
“Finally, an idea that I can totally get behind. Not the watching, but the ‘fun activities’ part.” Jackson takes Erica’s offered hand and lets her pull him to his feet. He pulls her closer before looking at Stiles. “But I disagree about the brains. Puzzles can wait. If some of us are heading to Ireland tomorrow, we should spend some quality time together now.”
“It’ll help you replenish your magic faster,” Allison adds, waggling her eyebrows at him as she takes his hand.
He threads his fingers with hers but looks at the notes that Lydia has on the table. “Yeah, but the new puzzle…and vision.”
“Like Jackson said, it can wait for a few hours. Besides, sex always helps stabilize your magic,” Lydia says, taking his other hand. “You’re not going to be much help for anything if you burn out.”
“I don’t burn out.” Stiles squeezes her hand because he knows she worries when he’s used excessive magic, but he also knows he must have limits. He might be reckless in a lot of areas of his life and their work, but never with magic because he’s seen how it can be misused and abused by those who lose control.
The vision is intriguing because Danny doesn’t get them that often, the last time leading them to another one like them, a man they helped adjust but wasn’t meant to join them that way. But they’re right. It’ll be there waiting for him to solve later, after they’ve taken care of Danny and gotten some rest.
~~~~~~~~~~~
“It would really be helpful if whatever it is that sends me these stupid visions would send along a cliff notes version with important information highlighted.” Danny groans. “I know I say it every time, but seriously. It’s annoying.”
“Stop your grumbling. You know how bad it was before the internet.” Stiles nudges Danny’s leg with his foot and makes a funny face when Danny looks over at him. “I mean, remember Braeden? That was an awful search. All we had that time was sand, some scent you couldn’t place, red eyes, a camel, a dead kid, and heat. Still surprised we ever found her.”
“As if she’d ever let anyone forget her?” Danny snorts and grabs Stiles’ foot. “But, yeah, I seem to recall weeks of traveling across desolate land looking for a feral werewolf with a camel. It was just oodles and oodles of fun.”
“May the gods bless everyone who helped invent airplanes and automobiles,” Allison says, holding up her bottle of water as if making a toast. “My ass is very thankful we moved beyond animal drawn wagons and carriages.”
“And what a nice ass it is.” Stiles waggles his eyebrows at her before nudging Danny again. “Anyway, stop your complaining, youngster. I remember the days when walking was the only real option you had if you couldn’t afford an animal.”
“This is me playing my tiny violin for you.” Allison makes a hand motion, spilling a little water out of the top of her bottle. She licks the water off her arm, winking at him when she realizes he’s staring. “Besides, I remember you telling me about your reindeer before, old man.”
“Well, your memory is better than mine then because I can’t remember all the details from that long ago.” Stiles shrugs, knowing he remembers all the important things that have happened in his past. He’s just let the minutiae fade with time. Only way to stay sane with all the information he’s learned filed away in his head. He guesses reindeer must have been important in the early days of meeting Allison. “Reindeer are cool, though. I also remember enjoying the boats.”
Danny groans. “Nope. Don’t even mention boats. I still get seasick on the open ocean as you well know. That first trip is why I still say all these centuries later to never trust a Spaniard to steer a ship, especially if there’s rum around.”
“Generalizations are bad, Danny boy.” Stiles wiggles his toes as he presses the heel of his foot against Danny’s thigh. “We’ve met some Spaniards who can hold their liquor just fine.”
“Colonizers are worse.” Danny flashes his dimples as he begins to rub Stiles’ foot, massaging the bottom with firm strokes. “But, to their credit, it let me escape my island and find you, so I shouldn’t complain too much. The mass slaughter of my people to disease versus my freedom and having the ability to live in the open is a selfish choice, but what can you do?”
“Awww, we love you, too, Dee.” Allison makes kissy faces at him from her chair, effectively distracting him from one of his infamous rants about colonization. They support most of his opinions, but they’ve heard them all so many times that it’s best to distract him before he gets started.
“Idiot,” Danny mutters fondly before blowing her kisses.
“It’s not being selfish to let events play out as they do and to take advantage of things outside your control. They’d have killed you again if you’d tried telling them about the vision of invaders anyway. Besides, we needed you. I was way outnumbered by the ladies when we met you. I needed some testosterone,” Stiles says, leering playfully.
“Such a hardship to be surrounded by three beautiful women.” Danny laughs before slapping his leg lightly. “To get back to my original complaint, I don’t care if it’s easier now than it was three hundred years ago. It’s still a pain in the ass that I can’t ever remember what I see and that the visions don’t come with detailed notes.”
“Where’s the fun in that? They can’t make it too easy on us, after all.” Stiles snorts a laugh when Danny tickles a spot on his foot in retaliation for his positive sarcasm. “Stop that.”
“Hey, we eventually did find that feral werewolf with a camel, and we got Braeden out of the deal.” Allison is always a calm voice of reason. Well, not always, since she’s just as reckless and daring as he is, so scratch that. Lydia is always the calm voice, and he and Allison are the risk takers. Unfortunately for Lydia, most of their team tends to follow their example. “She was definitely worth the search.”
“Agreed. She’s one of the best trackers out there, not to mention a total badass.” Stiles needs to reach out to her since she might know something that could help with this current vision. “In fact, she can probably help with this case. She’s always got her ear to the ground.”
“Too true. She does better solo in that regard. If you ask her for help, she’ll definitely agree.” Allison grins. “Just promise her that the young ones won’t show up if we have to meet her anywhere.”
“Now, Ally, you know Braeden just loves Jackson and Erica. They’re two of her favorites.” Stiles tries to keep a straight face but can’t. He returns Allison’s grin because they both know that when Braeden decided it was time to leave their team and do her own thing just happened to coincide a little too well with the arrival of both Jackson and Erica within the same century.
“Even I know that’s bullshit,” Danny says, shaking his head. “They are definitely an acquired taste, can’t argue with that. Hell, the last few people we’ve come across that needed help with their transition were all so eager to split once they’d adjusted. Still can’t believe Scott actually wanted to stay with us.”
“Of course, he did. We’re the best. The others aren’t interested in being as active and helpful as we are, so it makes sense they wanted to sort of settle down somewhere once they knew how to live like this. Scott still has purpose, plus he’s head over heels for you, Danny boy.” Allison tosses her empty water bottle into the trash, doing a little victory boogie in her chair when it goes right in. “And Braeden works better alone but knowing we’ve got her back if she needs us and vice versa. Same as some of the others we’ve helped transition.”
“Speaking of Braeden and the others, do you guys think this one is going to lead us to someone new?” Danny asks casually, his expression indicating that he’s thought about that possibility a lot over the last few days.
Stiles nods. “I’d be surprised if it doesn’t. The vision you had took you deeper than usual, and that probably means we should prepare for someone needing to transition. Those powers that be of yours seem to have designated us as the standard ‘welcome to immortality’ greeting committee, after all.”
“Yeah, the signs are all there, so we should definitely be ready for the possibility,” Allison says. “But it could also be some other disaster that we need to prevent. The fact we had so much warning is interesting, though. I mean, people don’t start putting up Christmas decorations until later in the year, do they?”
“I think we’re going to find someone.” Danny leans his head back against the couch. “I have that same feeling in my gut that I did when we crossed into Belgium and found Scott. That one gave us two months, even if we were too late to save him or his squad.”
“We’ll keep our eyes open then. Lydia will know if she comes across someone transitioning, but it’s not like we can have her meet everyone wherever this place is to make sure we don’t miss them.” Allison glances at Stiles, quirking her lip slightly. He’s really on point when it comes to identifying others like them, but he’s still not a hundred percent accurate when it comes to those still alive at the time they meet. Lydia’s gift allows her to feel the connection regardless. “Stiles can be back up, as usual.”
“We have to figure out where we’re going first.” Stiles shifts his laptop and scans the document with the notes they have from the vision. So far, there isn’t a ton of intel they’ve been able to discover. “We need to try something else because this isn’t working yet. I really wanted to have more information to present when Lydia and Scott get back from Mumbai.”
“At this rate, I just hope we have an idea by the end of the month at the rate we’re going. Or not going.” Danny groans. “I keep trying to remember but just can’t. There’s nothing there. Just emptiness and some gut feelings at times.”
“Stiles is right. We got really distracted with the sudden trip to Mumbai, and unexpectedly losing two members of our research team. We haven’t had a chance to figure out any solid leads yet, so I think we should wipe it all out of our heads and just start over.” Allison gets up and goes to the desk, grabbing her laptop from where it’s been charging. “Seriously, blank slate time. Let’s focus and see what we can figure out.”
“We can start with what we know is definitely involved. Like, we know there’s going to be a big old fire. Crazy blonde chick is probably an arsonist since we know she’s human. She’s got minions doing dirty work for her.” Stiles reviews the notes. “It’s Christmas decoration time, and she’s American. Do we want to assume that we’ll be going to the States or do we focus on the whole world first?”
“I don’t think we can rule out anywhere else, especially since Americans like to take over everywhere they can,” Danny says, chewing on his lip as he considers it. “But it’s odd I was able to tell she was American. You said I couldn’t hear her, right? There’s that gut feeling again.”
“Right. You said you couldn’t hear but you knew she was American and speaking English,” Stiles says as he types a few things in the notes. “I think maybe we start with America to try to narrow it down somehow. We can always expand the search if we rule out the United States.”
“I think that Danny felt she was American because that’s important somehow. The powers that be might not give you cliff notes, but they do give you signs sometimes,” Allison points out, typing as she talks. “You heard howling. Do we think it’s canine, like a dog kennel, or wolf, like an animal, or werewolf, like Erica?”
“I know I said start over but really? I don’t think Danny’s likely to get a vision to save a dog kennel,” Stiles says. “Not that there’s anything wrong with saving dogs. They’re great animals but not really in our line of business. We all agreed it has to be werewolves before the others flew out.”
“Lots of howling probably means a pack of werewolves. You said I mentioned trees?” At Stiles nod, Danny says, “Then we’re probably dealing with a larger pack near a forest of some kind. That could be a way to rule out a lot of packs, since so many prefer urban living these days.”
“Let me do some recon. Time to bring in our ground listener.” Stiles grabs his phone and opens his messenger program. With a few clicks, he’s got a message ready to send to Braeden. American werewolf packs living by a forest. And go!
“While he’s doing that, what else can we confirm or narrow down?” Allison starts typing. “According to the expert, aka Google, the most popular time for Americans to start decorating for Christmas is the weekend after Thanksgiving. And that seems to be the fourth Thursday of every November so we’re looking at Crazy Bitch lighting things up sometime in December most likely.”
The sound of a motorcycle revving precedes the buzzing of Stiles’ phone. Personalized text tones are the best!
Hello to you, too. There are about a dozen I can think of off the top of my head. With more details I could narrow it down more for you. You good or need an extra set of hands for this one?
Hello, wonderful angel and goddess of all things badass. We don’t have many more details, unfortunately. D had a vague one sent his way the other day. We know it gets cold there in December, but there isn’t snow (if you happen to be overly familiar with the weather patterns in the United States). Oh, and there are hills and trees. Real helpful, I know.
“Braeden says she knows of a dozen packs that might fit the description of living near a forest in North America. She also offered to help if we need it.” Stiles waits while Braeden is typing, listening to Allison and Danny talking about stupid American holidays.
Flattery will get you everywhere, as you well know. As for the packs, you’re probably looking at one of these three: the Montoya pack, mid-size around Albuquerque New Mexico, the Hale pack, large one in Beacon Hills California, or the McAllister pack, large pack in Carver Hills Georgia. NM can get snow so I’d place it low on your list. I’d focus on the other two first.
You’re amazing as always. Where are you hanging out these days? We’ll have to get together soon to catch up. It’s been too long.
I’m in Peru currently. If you need me for this one, give me a day’s notice and I’ll be there. Catch up is good. Just leave the kids at home.
Will do. It’s been ages since I’ve had some good ceviche. And you for dessert makes it even better. (Too bad there isn’t a leering emoji) You know you love the kids. Can’t fool me.
You and the others are way more tolerant. I want to enjoy my life, not deal with a bunch of whiny brats. We both know that you’ll be the dessert so be prepared. Give the others my best. See you soon.
I’m always prepared. See you soon. Stiles exits the chat program and tunes back to the conversation that Danny and Allison are having. “Braeden wants us to visit her soon and sends her best along to everyone but the kids.”
“Sometimes I wonder if we made the right trade off,” Allison muses, dimpling as Danny snorts a laugh. “Kidding. Jackson and Erica are a handful, but they’re our handful. Did she have anything useful for us or were you just flirting with her?”
“I’m multi-talented. I can flirt and get information at the same time,” Stiles says. “Put down the McAllister pack from Carver Hills, Georgia, and the Hale pack from Beacon Hills, California as possibilities. They’re both large packs who live near or in forests.”
“Beacon Hills?” Allison frowns. “Read over Lydia’s notes again, would you? That sounds familiar.”
Danny nods slowly. “Yeah, there’s something there, I think.”
“Here it is. A shadow by the fire that’s lit up, like a beacon. Burning bright.” Stiles looks up at them. “Do we think it’s a coincidence or a sign?”
“I think cliff notes would be way easier, but they’re at least maybe giving us some hints finally?” Danny pushes Stiles’ legs off his lap and stands up. He crosses the room to his computer set-up, falling into the chair and bringing up their database. “The Hale pack out of Beacon Hills. Let’s see what our sources have on you. I’ll also check out the one you mentioned in Georgia.”
“While you’re checking the database, see if you can find anything on silver symbols that ties into our side of the world. Google isn’t being helpful for that one. I already know the chemical symbol for silver, after all, and I’m not interested in buying cheap jewelry.” Allison closes her laptop and stands up, walking over to take Danny’s recently vacated spot. She shifts around until she’s sitting across from Stiles, her legs moving between his.
“Too bad we couldn’t just Google ‘crazy blonde bitches with pyromaniac tendencies’ to really save ourselves some trouble,” Stiles says. He listens to the clicking of keys as Danny searches their database, knowing he’ll likely be at this for hours with as much data as there is to sift through.
“That’d be too easy. Where’s the fun in that?” Danny mimics Stiles’ tone, shooting him a grin over his shoulder. “Now hush. It’s my turn to do some magic and see if I can get some answers for us.”
“Yeah yeah.” Stiles unlocks his phone and starts scanning social media for anything interesting. When he sees a picture of a rainbow-colored sheep, he texts it to Jackson. Don’t let the pixies kill this one!
“What mischief are you into over there?” Allison moves her foot against his crotch and slowly smiles when he looks up from his phone. “You’ve got that stupid grin on your face that says you’re pestering someone.”
“Just letting Jackson know we miss him.” He puts his phone down and shifts slightly. “Danny’s going to be in database hell for hours. Whatever can we do to entertain ourselves while we wait?”
“No fucking on the couch. Lydia will castrate you if you do it again,” Danny warns. “Well, she’ll threaten to, but she’d never do it. At least wait until I can join in.”
“There’s tons we can do while waiting for you.” Allison moves, crawling up Stiles’ body. She kisses him lightly, enjoying the tease. She looks over at Danny and smiles. “Foreplay is always the best part anyway.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
The piano is still tuned perfectly even though it’s been a few years since its last use. The manor house is Jackson’s, one that his family had near Torquay as he was growing up and rarely used, so he kept in his possession after he joined them. They always have an estate manager employed to maintain the property and keep it clean since they often use it as a primary residence when they have time between assignments. There are several properties like this one throughout the world, but they aren’t usually kept in such pristine condition. Jackson is a fastidious snob, though, so it really is little surprise he ensures his estate is always livable.
It works in their favor, so Stiles isn’t going to complain. It means that he’s able to sit at the piano and start playing without worries about dust or tuning. Muscle memory is guiding his fingers along the keys, a soft melody filling the quiet air. Mozart was definitely a genius, having an ability to compose sonatas that still sound fresh and exciting all these years later. He plays a few of them before switching to other composers he’s learned over the years. When he hears the door to the sitting room open, he looks over but keeps playing.
“Welcome back,” he murmurs, giving Lydia a crooked smile.
“The house is too quiet,” she says, quietly shutting the door behind her. “It took me a while to find you.”
“Kira and the kids got back from Ireland yesterday, and the pixies wore them out. They’re still sleeping. Danny went out for a run earlier, so he’s either still out or showering.” Stiles scoots over a little on the bench when Lydia approaches him. “And Allison is pursuing some intel in Paris, but she should be back today.”
“Paris, huh? And you didn’t go with her?” Lydia sits beside him, putting a gift bag on the floor beside them before leaning her head against his shoulder. “That’s surprising. You rarely miss an opportunity to drop by the Louvre.”
“She’s meeting Victoria to ask about the silver symbol from Danny’s vision,” he explains, kissing the top of her head. “She went over to London yesterday and took the train over. As you know, Victoria is less likely to share information if I’m around. That woman can’t stand me.”
“You just had to say Victoria for me to know why you’re here instead of there.” Lydia laughs when he elbows her. “Can you blame her for disliking you? You stole Allison from her.”
“I’d think grudges have an expiration date,” he mutters. “That was well over a thousand years ago, and she’s still a resentful bitch. Also, I didn’t steal anyone. It’s not my fault I’m far too charming and irresistible for my own good.”
“Yes, well, Victoria didn’t expect Allison to run off with the first pretty face to come along as soon as she felt confident with her transition to immortality,” Lydia points out. “She was probably counting on having a companion for a few decades after helping Ally.”
“I was just too pretty for her to resist, and Victoria should get over it.” Stiles starts a new sonata that he knows is one of Lydia’s favorites. “Back to your question, we figured it would be best if Ally went alone since we think Victoria will know more about the symbol. We couldn’t find anything in our database, and Danny’s spent a couple of days trying to find something without results.”
“If you’re involving Victoria’s knowledge, you must suspect that it’s some type of hunter symbol?” She looks up at him. “We should have thought to ask Danny to describe it, but hindsight and all that.”
“We aren’t entirely sure, but it would make sense that a hunter might be involved. If nothing else, we can rule that angle out if Victoria doesn’t know anything helpful.” Stiles presses a quick kiss against her lips. “It’s all about ruling out possibilities at this point. How was Mumbai?”
“It was non-eventful. Scott was able to use his medical training, so he enjoyed that opportunity.” She smiles slightly. “Though I highly doubt he expected to have to do a C-section on an Apsara when he was going through medical school.”
“He’s probably flying high after that accomplishment,” he says, returning her smile. “Good. He needs some personal successes, since I know he’s still trying to find his exact place on the team. I’m glad he felt comfortable doing it since that definitely isn’t something that usually comes our way.” He looks thoughtful. “You know, I still suspect that he has some type of low-level healing abilities or something that caused our paths to cross with his.”
Lydia rolls her eyes. “He’s just a human, Stiles. It doesn’t make him any less one of us, though.”
“Hey, don’t say it like that. Allison is human, too. She might have been aware of the supernatural when she died, but it doesn’t change the fact she’s normal.” Stiles stops playing for a moment, frowning down at Lydia. “I like humans just fine. I was just saying that I think Scott has something unique about his abilities.”
“Keep playing,” she says, kissing his cheek before looping her arms around his left arm. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I know. I just didn’t want Scott thinking he isn’t wanted here.” Stiles flexes his fingers and shifts slightly, Lydia’s hold on his arm preventing him from using it quite as freely as before. He starts playing another tune he knows she enjoys.
“Scott knows he’s part of our family, and he’s very happy that he had a chance to deliver a baby. I happen to be extremely happy that our payment for his services was a half-dozen volumes on magic written in original Sanskrit for us to translate.” Lydia stops and listens to what he’s playing, her lips curving into a sweet smile. “I haven’t heard this song in years.”
“I remember you really liked it.” Stiles is eager to start working on the translations to the books that Ekavir had offered in exchange for their assistance with the Apsara’s birth. They have more money than they need to live very well for many more centuries so it’s nice to receive knowledge in lieu of monetary payment sometimes. Not that they usually do what they do for payments.
“It takes me back to those months in Vienna,” she says thoughtfully. “Marianna was extremely talented. It’s a shame her name is not as well-known as the men who composed at the same time.”
“History rarely elevates the contributions of women. It sucks, but that’s how the world seems to have been for far too long, even if it’s slowly changing. There are many who are familiar with Marianna, though, and we certainly remember her influence in the day.”
“Yes, I guess she’s a lucky one who hasn’t been lost to history like so many others.” Lydia begins to hum quietly, remembering the tune well. “I still plan to write a book about some of the amazing women we’ve met during our lifespan.”
“It’ll be a best seller whenever you complete it.” Stiles knows that Lydia will succeed at anything she determines to do, though she’s been speaking about writing a book for so many decades that he isn’t sure she intends to ever follow through with that idea.
They sit together while he plays several more compositions, quietly talking about events in the not so distant past when they were hearing the music performed live by the composers themselves. At the time, they hadn’t known it would endure so long and even become famous in some cases, but that’s the way life seems to happen. They rarely know when they’re experiencing events that will be talked about and remembers for years to come.
A knock on the door puts a halt to the private concert. Reality intrudes once again as Kira pops her head in and smiles. “Hey, you two. Sorry to interrupt, but Allison is back and asked me to get everyone together in the library. She wants us to debrief for both trips we’ve taken, and she’s also got some news to share about Danny’s latest vision.”
“Oh good. I’m glad her overnight to Paris must have paid off.” Stiles closes the piano before standing up and offering Lydia a hand. “Are Jackson and Erica awake?”
“Yep. They’ve showered and had some lunch already.” Kira gives him a hug when he reaches her, leaning up to kiss his cheek. “It’s good to see you without the sleepy haze of pixie warfare exhausting me.”
“Pixie warfare sounds like a new punk rock group,” Lydia says, kissing Kira as she hugs her. “I’m glad you’re back.”
“Me too!” Kira grins. “You totally owe me for dealing with the kids alone, by the way. We’ve spoiled them too much, I fear. They’re obnoxious when they really get going.”
“We can all be obnoxious sometimes,” Stiles reminds her, leaning down and picking her up. She squeals and hits his chest, laughing as he carries her to the staircase. “They just tend to combust a bit when they’re together without distractions, is all.”
“I can walk, Stiles. My feet work just fine,” Kira says, looping her arm around his neck as they start up the stairs. “You could just say you missed me, you know? I missed you. I always feel a little more grounded when you’re with me.”
“Why bother with words when I can carry you instead?” He gives her a not so chaste kiss, listening to Lydia stifling a laugh behind him. “But, yes, I missed you. All of you.”
“Hey! I wanna be carried, too,” Erica says, walking along the landing and leaning against the rail. “I’m the one that got bit by the damn pixies.”
“Oh no. One stupid bite that didn’t even make a mark. However did you survive?” Jackson mocks as he strolls by her. He leans in and gives Stiles a filthy kiss when he reaches the landing. “I don’t want to be carried, if anyone is keeping track.”
“Noted.” Stiles puts Kira down and raises his arm, letting Erica snuggle against him as they walk to the library. When they enter, they see Scott talking to Danny and Allison, his hands moving excitedly as he speaks.
“The gang’s all back together again,” Danny says, leaning back in his desk chair as he nods a greeting to them. “Welcome home.”
“I vote that Danny has to fight pixies next time, and I’ll stay here.” Jackson walks over and falls into the chair, scooting around until he’s comfortable. “I’ve decided that trolls are better, by the way. We had several days to discuss the pros and cons of both.”
“Ugh, hopefully we won’t have to deal with any more pixies to even worry about who has to fight them,” Erica says. “Those little bastards like to bite, and they’re bigger assholes than Jackson.”
“They didn’t bite me,” Jackson points out in a gloating manner.
“Guess it’s because I’m so sweet.” Erica grins sharply. “And you’re poisonous.”
“I’ll take venomous blood over sickeningly sweet any day if it means I don’t get bit.” Jackson shrugs. “Anyway, we’re here. What’s this about Scott and Lydia going to India?”
“We left shortly after you three went to Ireland.” Lydia walks over to sit on the arm of Jackson’s chair. “A friend from Mumbai knows an Apsara that was having difficulty with a birth, and he remembered Scott’s medical background.”
“I got to deliver a baby.” Scott grins. “It was really sweet, even if I hadn’t done surgery like that since before the war.”
“Good job, Doc. No idea what the fuck an Apsara is, but kudos for performing surgery without killing anyone.” Jackson looks at them curiously. “What exactly is an Apsara?”
“it’s like a nymph,” Kira says. “They’re beautiful creatures.”
“Yeah, she was real pretty,” Scott agrees. “The baby was adorable, too. They invited us back for a ceremony next year, but we told them that we probably can’t make it.”
“We’ll see what’s happening then.” Stiles looks at Kira. “How did the pixies go?”
“We had to kill the nest because they were escalating. Negotiations wouldn’t work at all, and we finally just took care of the problem when they killed someone’s goat. It was pretty gross and awful, so their death was justified.”
“We think something was wrong with them,” Erica adds. “Like feral but for pixies? Cillian said there wasn’t any type of curse or magic around, but they were worse than the other pixies we’ve come across.”
“That’s certainly a new one,” Allison says, arching a brow and looking at Stiles. He shrugs a shoulder, and she nods, knowing that they’ll be reaching out to Cillian to follow-up just in case something is truly off.
“Well, we did research while you were off fighting pixies and delivering babies,” Danny says, spinning his chair back and forth. “As of yesterday morning, we’ve narrowed things down to two different werewolf packs in North America: one in California and one in Georgia. Nothing came up in searches for either pack regarding violating laws, killing people, or turning humans randomly.”
“The pack in Georgia is relatively new. It’s been around for half a century or so, relocating from Massachusetts in the fifties. Nothing stands out as being a reason to draw attention from someone wanting to kill them all.” Stiles runs his fingers through his hair. “Same with the California pack. They’re older, dating back into the nineteenth century from what we could find. Larger than the Georgia pack, but also more familial than casual connections.”
“The most important thing we found out is that there’s a nemeton in Beacon Hills, which is where the Hale pack lives. Nothing like that around Georgia.” Danny taps his foot against the foot of his chair. “Also, there’s the whole beacon thing, considering I mentioned a beacon in the vision. Odd coincidence.”
“Right. Danny was able to find that out, and it’s something we can’t ignore looking at in this case,” Stiles says, nodding at Danny. “Someone could want control of the nemeton, which could give a motive for killing a local pack with history in the area that isn’t doing anything wrong. We’re pretty sure the blonde pyro is from a hunter line, though, which doesn’t quite fit with wanting a nemeton. Hunters don’t have magic and that’s about the only use for a nemeton’s power. If they really want to fuck things up badly, they could kill it, but I don’t think even the worst hunters are that stupid.”
“Most hunters follow a code,” Allison says. “Especially now that things are a bit more organized and set in historic routines. If the nemeton is a factor, which I’m honestly not convinced of, then it’s someone not following the code. It would mean they were involved with a magic user, which doesn’t necessarily fit in with wanting to attack a strong pack.”
“Did your meeting with Vicky reap any positive results?” Stiles asks, grinning when Allison rolls her eyes at how he says the name.
“Victoria would have your balls on skewers if you ever called her that to her face,” she mutters, shaking her head. “But, yes, I think we have a solid lead for who might be involved in this attack. I told her we weren’t having any luck finding out about a silver symbol that might be involved with a hunter group, and she immediately had a suggestion even without needing to know about a symbol: the Argent family.”
“Argent?” Stiles groans. “Well, now I feel pretty stupid. Silver. Argent. Duh. In my defense, we haven’t dealt with that family in a few centuries, and they were good guys then, not potential arsonists. Plus, French isn’t one of my first languages.”
“You’re not the only one who missed it, so no explanation needed, babe.” Allison laughs. “We were so focused on the symbol itself that we missed an obvious potential connection. Don’t worry. Victoria was very happy to point it out as a likely avenue to explore. She also told me that there have been some rumors around the hunting circles in Europe that the Argents in the US are having trouble since the matriarch died two years ago.”
“What kind of trouble?” Lydia leans forward slightly. “If there are rumors over here about it, I’d think it might have some validity. Victoria isn’t likely to indulge in rumors from what I know of her.”
“Apparently, there are power struggles happening between one branch and the former matriarch’s husband. Next in line is a sister of the deceased but he’s pushing for his daughter to take over. Victoria said there’s just whispers right now, but he’s supposedly a real piece of work. The hunters she’s aware of don’t want to deal with him if that says anything.” Allison shrugs. “I don’t know more than that, and it’ll probably take some time to find out more since hunters are notoriously tight-lipped and private.”
“Well, fortunately, we have time. We need to wrap up the troll situation and take care of the few other open cases on our plate so we can really focus on this case and make sure we stop that vision from happening,” Stiles says. “Did Victoria say anything about the wolf packs?”
“She said the Hale pack has an excellent reputation worldwide, and that she’d suggest looking at them as a potential target if someone is wanting to make a big statement. The McAllister pack is sprawled out around Georgia and Tennessee, and it would probably require a lot of organization to target the whole pack.” Allison smiles. “Then she said she was done sharing information, and we had a lovely meal at a café on the Seine.”
“I’m glad you didn’t go with Ally or we wouldn’t know any of that,” Danny says, flashing Stiles his dimples. “Victoria wouldn’t have been nearly as helpful with you there.”
“Oh, stop that. Victoria doesn’t hate Stiles,” Allison defends, always loyal to the woman who first met her and helped her transition after death. When she sees Stiles giving her a ‘you’re a liar’ look, she huffs. “She doesn’t! She thinks you and our team are doing great things for the world. She actually complimented the job you did helping the znakhar last year.”
“Are you sure she wasn’t possessed or drunk?” Lydia asks sweetly. She laughs when Allison sticks her tongue out at her. “Don’t be tempting me. I’ve been away for a week, and Scott is only interested in Danny.”
“Before things digress to temptations and nudity, do we think we should aim at checking out both packs or do we just want to focus on the Hale pack? Knowing about the beacon thing, that there’s a local nemeton, and that Victoria feels they could possibly be a target for a crazy hunter has me wondering if we’d just be wasting time with the other one,” Stiles admits. “But I’d hate to focus on one and then it turns out to be the other.”
“We have time, like you said.” Jackson shrugs. “We don’t have to decide right this minute. But I think we’d target a group who was close knit and centralized for an easy attack versus going after a group that was spread out, if we ever had a choice on targets. If this blonde lady is smart, and I’d guess she must be pretty damn smart to have managed to pull it off based on what Danny was seeing as the current outcome, then I’d say we should plan for California.”
“Yeah, Jackson’s right. If you’re going to try to burn up as many people as you can for whatever reason, that Hale pack makes more sense strategically.” Erica pushes her hair back from her face. “I can take care of ground transportation when we arrive. We left the RV in storage in Utah, so it’ll be easy enough to reach out to Luke to get it delivered to California.”
“I’ll start looking into possible short-term rental options,” Lydia says. “With everything currently outstanding, I figure we can be done and arriving by the end of July or early August.”
“Alright. Sounds like we’re going to California. We’ll see what we can find out about the Argents, but let’s not give ourselves tunnel vision on that as the answer and end up missing a potential culprit.” Stiles stands up and smiles. “Great job, guys. I’m going to grab some lunch, and you can get back to tempting Lydia.”