Page 51 of Moody as a Minotaur

“Based on what they were saying, yes.” Edith nodded, then she met my gaze and held it. “And I think you made quite an impression the other night.”

“Shit, that’s right,” Parker exclaimed. “Levi’s house was broken into after he met them at the pub.” Then he jabbed his finger at his grandmother. “And you… Why were you out skulking around if you already know about supes?”

“Well, I’d always planned to do that.” She lifted a thin shoulder. “I wanted to make sure Davie’s old team hadn’t gone rogue. I’d heard they’d stepped away from the game, and that was suspicious as hell. They were the best team out there. I couldn’t see any reason they’d all quit like that unless something bad had happened. Thought that demon might have flipped to the dark side and dragged them all down with him.”

Davina patted Edith’s hand. An affectionate gesture I wouldn’t have expected from the woman… Nor would I have expected Edith to tolerate it. Weird. “Apparently the people who she’d been talking to forgot to mention Gage had bonded with Willow Lake.”

“Demon? What demon?” Parker squeaked like amouse. His face paled. “First, a hellhound and now a demon?”

“It’s fine,” I tried to soothe him. “It isn’t like what humans say…”

“You owe me that chat. Be prepared, because it’s going to be a long one.” He swallowed hard. “Holy crap… That’s why you brought that tactical case, isn’t it, Nana? Do I even want to know what you have packed in there?” He pushed out of the booth. “I need tea to get through the rest of this conversation. Something soothing. Maybe mint. Jesus,” he muttered as he walked away with his fingers digging into his ginger hair.

Edith watched him leave, before casting her gaze toward me. “He isn’t usually this melodramatic, but once in a while he reminds me that he is his mother’s son.”

“Hey. Lay off him. It’s been a lot for him today,” I said, not liking how Edith was disparaging Parker. I didn’t care if she was his grandmother. Parker was taking this way better than I’d expected.

Her eyes twinkled in amusement, like I’d just fallen into her trap.

“I knew you liked my grandson. Is he your mate?”

It was lucky I wasn’t drinking coffee because I would have spit it across the table again. “He’s human,” I said in a harsh whisper.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Parker returned with his tea. He sat down and straightened his shoulders. He looked in control again.

“Levi and I have a plan. We’re going to infiltrate the group and see what they know,” he announced. “Thenwe’ll know if all this worry and speculation is for nothing. I still think Finley is a good kid.”

“Excellent.” Edith nodded. “Davie and I will be your backup today. Now we need a plan.”

I groaned and wished I’d escaped from the booth when Parker had gone to get his tea.

What had I gotten myself into? This was going to be a disaster.

17

ENTERING LEVI’S MAZE

PARKER

“Do you remember what to say?” Nana prompted as we walked to Levi’s house with Levi and Davina.

I sighed. “It isn’t all that complicated.”

I still couldn’t believe Fin would be involved in something like this, but when Levi said someone had bugged his house and confirmed with Van that Tammy and Kyle’s scents were all over the listening devices, it was hard to argue my point. I just hoped Fin wasn’t as involved as the others.

“Can’t Van just arrest Tammy and Kyle for breaking and entering?” I asked.

“He didn’t find prints,” Levi said. “You can’t arrest someone based on their scent being somewhere it shouldn’t. Humans need more concrete evidence than that.”

“But what about that council thing? Those people aresupes, right? They must know what finding a scent means.”

“They do.” Davina nodded. “But until we can confirm they are hunters and a threat to supes, there isn’t much they can do.”

I frowned. I got why evidence was important, but I hated that Levi might be in danger from these people. It didn’t feel like we were doing enough to protect him.

Davina and Levi walked ahead of us, and I slowed my steps. Nana matched her pace to mine.

“What do we do?” I whispered. “What if Fin is involved?”