One

Genevieve idly rubbed the black sapphire pendant on her necklace. The stone and silver chain were meant to help keep her calm and cool but the large ‘men’ browsing in the shop were making her feel anxious. They were trying to be surreptitious, she was sure, but they had no interest in the crystals and tarot decks on the displays they lingered over. They were here to get a look at the new arrival.

She’d heard about werewolves, but never had the misfortune of being so close to any. An inner voice prodded her forward. This would go more quickly if she just got it over with. Closing her eyes for a moment she felt the flow of energy in the shop and when she opened them she walked carefully to the one leading the little foray into her place of employment. 

“There is a table for tarot readings just outside the office. It’s quieter back there.” It was dead quiet in the shop with these men in it, but she refrained from pointing out the reason they might want to speak with a little privacy. “And less likely to be interrupted. If you wanted to see a deck of the cards you’re browsing.” She gave him a tight smile.

His distrustful look didn’t fade as he gave a curt nod. 

In the back, she pulled out her cloth wrapped deck from its wooden box to have something to do with her hands and sat at the table. “Sit please.”

“I’m not paying to have my fortune told,” his quiet growl raised the hairs on the back of her neck.

“No. But I’m nervous and I need something to do with my hands.” She’d be clearing the deck afterward but it was nice to have something familiar to do. “Ask what you want.”

“Do you know who I am?”

“No. But I know what you are.” She pulled a card and laid it down, The Devil. Care and prudence are required.

“You think I’m the devil?” He snorted.

Genevieve shook her head. “No, it means at the present I require care and prudence. You’re looking to catch me out at something.” Next came the eight of cups. “There is something that’s happened, something oddly personal. It’s bothering you and it’s going to make things difficult for me.”

“Oddly personal?” 

“It’s a feeling.”

The Lovers. “An emotional burden. I get the feeling it’s been aggravated by a more recent conflict.” Death. “Something is about to change.” Something big and not necessarily in a good way. She hesitated before drawing the next card.

Laying the card above she smiled with some relief, the Queen of Wands. “I’m going to have someone giving me advice, someone I can rely on.”

Seven of swords below. “That’s not very nice.” The next four she laid out quickly. Five of pentacles, King of Swords, Strength, The Star. Giving a half nod, half shake of her head, “Well, at least it may all turn out alright.” 

A look back up at the annoyed ‘man’ told her he didn’t really want to know. 

“Why did you come here?”

“I moved for work. My friend owns this place and he wanted me to come down and help out. I was not in a good place, so I agreed.”

“There’s been some trouble with witches, we’re not happy to have you here.” The look he gave her told her she should be looking at moving.

“I don’t know anything about that and I’m not really thrilled to be where I’m not wanted. I can promise you, however, I will avoid you and yours as much as humanly possible if you avoid me in return.”

He looked dubious, narrowing his eyes. She saw his nose flare as if he were trying to smell if she were lying. “We can try that. If it doesn’t work well, you will be moving.” 

She inclined her head, feeling a little sick to her stomach, “Understood.” 

Job hunting at the library when she got off work seemed to be the order of the day. Brandon was going to be pissed that she was flaking but this was too much. The bell on the door gave its cheerful jingle and she tried to excuse herself. 

“If that’s a customer I have to go.”

“It’s not.” He stood anyway and turned to speak to a man with a large ragged scar like a vicious dog bite across the left side of his face. 

That must have been who entered. He shouldn’t be one of the werewolves, they were supposed to heal too quickly and too well to walk around with scars like that, but he was just as huge as the rest of the men wandering the shop trying to look innocuous.

The scarred man had opened his mouth to speak and then he looked at her as if he were shocked and horrified. His face distorted and darkened as he lurched forward. It seemed like the one next to him was reaching out to grab him but she was already in motion herself.

A scream escaped her mouth and she threw the cards as she bolted into the office. That door wouldn’t do anything to keep back a werewolf. Neither would the back door to the building but she felt a little safer having both between that thing and herself. 

Genevieve knew about them, but she’d never met one in person and she’d never thought about what it must look like when they changed. A shudder ran through her as she tried to shake off the image of his face contorting and calm herself on the other side of the fenced parking lot. She couldn’t tell if time was passing slowly from fear or if they really were taking a long time in there. Would they leave on their own or would she need to… the door opened and a face tentatively peered out. The one that had lunged at her.

She cursed at Brandon under her breath for putting barbed wire across the top of the fence back here, this was going to hurt. Climbing the fence, she swung her leg up over the wire without hesitating. The way Brandon had rolled the wire around and through the top of the fence himself made it uneven and she got over it with only a little scratch. As quick as she was that thing was quicker and he was staring at her through the fence as she came down on the other side.

“Don’t run. Please.” He put his hands flat on the fence, palms toward her. “I didn’t-I wasn’t going to hurt you.”

The hair was standing on her arms and the back of her neck, “I just made an agreement with the other one. I avoid you, you avoid me. Please. Leave.”

His voice was a soft whisper, “I can’t.” He was looking at her as if she had stolen something.

“Then I will. Tell him I’ll move, just stay away.” Genevieve backed away carefully.

His fingers curled bending the wire fence. “Don’t. Don’t run from me.”

“Remi!” The one she had spoken to barked from the doorway.

He turned his head slowly to look and she took the opportunity to head toward the apartments across the dirt lot. Brandon lived there and she could beat on his door until he either opened it or the neighbors called the cops. 

It took every ounce of self control she had not to move at a dead run and not to look back. A little voice in her head kept whispering, don’t run from dogs, they’ll chase you. Wolves weren’t that different. Her hands were shaking and she thought she might faint by the time she made it to the relative safety of the apartments. 

Brandon was carrying groceries from his car as she started up the stairs. “Hey! What-” He hurried to her taking in the look on her face. “What happened? Are you alright?”

“I don’t-I don’t know. Some big guys came in and scared me. Chased me out the back.” She held up her arm with the cut near her elbow, “I went over the fence.” Brandon almost dropped his groceries in his haste to hug her close and rub her back. 

“It’s ok, I’ll call Sage and the police and have them meet us there. You’re gonna be alright. Alright?!”

Nodding into his shoulder, she tried to calm herself. He squeezed her and then let go, running up his stairs. Genevieve looked at the groceries around her feet and started to pick them up, might as well. Doing something normal would make her feel normal. Gathering up the groceries she carried them up, her arms straining at the weight as the canvas bags bit into her skin. He couldn’t make two trips?

His door was standing open and he was already on the phone with Sage. Sage was a sweetheart but the two of them together worked almost as well as a jet powered aquarium. They’d started a business together before they realized the relationship was hopeless and now…

“No, I didn’t ask her if they had a gun. She was terrified, she went over the back fence!”

Cold things in the fridge and the rest could be laid out on the counter to be put away later. She tried to keep some focus on a task. Sage would want answers, what had they done to frighten her? Why did she run instead of calling the police? It would give her a way to quit and move anywhere else, though. As long as she didn’t mind living out of her car and doing tarot readings for cheap to get some food until she got a job wherever she ended up.

Leaning over the counter and rubbing her face, she couldn’t help but think it wasn’t fair. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Brandon shoved the phone in her face.

“Sage wants to talk to you, I’m going to call the police from my cell, I left it in the car.” Watching as he darted back out the door she put the phone to her ear.

“Sage?”

“What the hell happened? Brandon says you’re ok?”

“I’m kind of shaken up and I got a scratch from that damned barbed wire. But yeah.” With a deep sigh she started to explain. “These big guys came in, looking around but not looking at anything, if that makes sense. They were looking for me. They said they don’t want me here.” There was silence on the other end. “I did try to diffuse the situation, I thought things were going to be ok and then one of them lunged at me and chased me out the back.”

“Why would they do that?” He sounded baffled. 

It wasn’t a lie, even though it wasn’t all of the truth, “I don’t know.”

“Did you hear any names? Can you describe these men?”

She shuddered. If she did there would be more trouble. “I’m too rattled. I don’t know.” This at least wasn’t a lie.

“I’ll see you at the shop.” He didn’t sound convinced. The man was sharp and avoiding the truth with him in person would be worse.

Reaching for her necklace she realized it was no longer there. It must have come off crossing the fence. She hadn’t even felt it. Crossing the room to the door, she peeked out to see Brandon nervously coming up the stairs. “What happened?” 

“An SUV full of huge guys in shades just drove through the parking lot really slowly like they were looking for someone.” He let her wrap her arms around him. “I called the cops but they didn’t seem to care, they’re only sending someone over to the store.” 

“Sage is going to meet us at the shop.”

They went back in to wait, wanting to make sure the men had gotten bored and driven off before coming back out. Brandon made her a cup of herbal tea to soothe her nerves before they went back to the shop.

Sage was just arriving and an annoyed officer was standing in front of the door. She started to apologize, “I’m sorry, we wanted to make sure they weren’t still hanging around.”

He pushed the door open and the shop looked as though it had been trashed. Displays knocked over and books strewn around. Somehow it felt very deliberate. She didn’t have to look closely to know nothing had been broken. Everything could be righted in a matter of hours. They wanted to give her a reason to go without hurting the local business owners.

Brandon was telling the officer and Sage about the SUV. Genevieve started wondering where she should go. Staying was obviously not an option. She jumped as Sage put his hand on her shoulder.

“God, you are rattled.” He blinked at her. 

“Little bit.” She wrapped her arms around herself and looked around. “I’m so sorry. I feel like this is my fault.”

“It’s not. It’s the fault of whoever did this.” He patted her shoulder awkwardly. “Do you remember any faces, any names, anything?”

They were trying to play nice, as nice as those things could get, sending the police out to poke around would not be viewed well. “No. Nothing.”

“You have a mark on the back of your neck, it looks like someone tore your necklace off.” Sage touched her neck and she flinched.

“I can’t identify anyone, I don’t remember my necklace coming off, I’m not a threat to them and I’m not going to be. I’m-I’m leaving. I’ll help you clean up the mess but I’m gone. I can’t, I just, I can't, I'm sorry.” Her eyes were burning and Sage looked like he’d just stepped into a hornet’s nest. 

“Nonononono- Sweetie, Vivi.” Brandon was almost suffocating her with a bear hug. “This is no big thing. We’re going to smudge everything and you’re not going to be alone here anymore, ok? I will find a way to hire someone else. It’s going to be fine.” 

She could almost see the words he was mouthing to Sage over her head, Reassure her! Sage would be looking like a deer in the headlights. Genevieve sighed. 

“You can’t let a few a******s run you out of town.” She looked up in surprise at the officer. “I know you’re not from here, but I don’t think they would have hurt you, I think they just wanted to scare you. Don’t give’em the satisfaction.” 

No one pressed her for details, the shop was cleaned up quickly and the officer promised to have someone coming by to keep an eye on things. Her ways of getting out of this gracefully felt like they were drying up. Sage even offered, reluctantly and probably with a great deal of prodding, to let her sleep on his sofa for the night. 

It was an offer she gratefully accepted. Her purse had been moved, she couldn’t really tell if anyone had gone through it, the inside was always chaotic. She didn’t want to be home alone and have one of them coming through the door to make sure she got their point.

Brandon tried to offer to get her clothes for her, but she grimaced. They were heaped in the laundry basket, she hadn’t gotten a dresser yet so she wasn’t bothering with folding. But his offer to come with her was welcomed.

After the shop was locked up Genevieve climbed in her little silver-grey hatchback. The car was old and, for a Mustang, severely underpowered but it was reliable and that was all she really needed. Brandon climbed into the passenger seat and absentmindedly swiped at the dust on the dash with disapproval. 

Biting her tongue, she buckled in and started the car. The house she was renting was a little crap shack on the outskirts of town. Tiny and a little worse from having sat empty for a long while, it wasn’t pretty but it was cheap enough and far enough away from her landlady’s house she felt comfortable. 

“Why did you even rent this place.” Brandon sighed as they pulled up to it.

“I don’t like apartments. I like a buffer between me and people. You know that.” Genevieve smiled, they’d been having this discussion about every little crap hole he helped her move into before he’d moved back home.

“Vivi that’s what walls are for. The apartments by me are almost soundproof.” His look said he was going to start shoving pamphlets under her door. 

“This place is not that bad. I like being out here.” Getting out of the car just meant that he followed her with his opinions. 

“The girl out in the woods by herself is almost guaranteed to die in every slasher flick, just saying.”

“Thank you. You always know just what to say Brandon.” She flipped him the bird and he laughed sheepishly. 

“Sorry, sorry. I just don’t like you out here, Vivi, you should be closer.”

A low growl from somewhere in the trees had her fumbling for her keys. “In in in.”

“Do you have coyotes or something out here?” He sounded nervous.

“Wouldn’t surprise me.” Genevieve got the door open and shoved him in before turning and deadbolting it closed. Going back to the car was sure to be fun. “Let’s get my stuff and-” 

Brandon was looking at some stones on the floor in the living room. “Sardonyx. You were worried when you moved in here.” 

Sighing, she rubbed her face. “Yes. And if that was on the floor it means someone opened that window.” He looked around with wide eyes. 

The reassuringly solid length of steel cable she kept near the door was still there. Picking it up she checked the rooms in the house. The bathroom was empty. Her bedroom looked tidy, the clothes folded and laid out on the made bed, the dirty clothes in the basket. Not how she left it at all. Nothing else seemed moved and no one seemed to still be here.

“I hadn’t expected you to be so tidy, Vivi. Last time I was at your place your bed was unmade and the dirty clothes were in a heap.” He was trying to tease.

“That was how I left things, yes. The clean clothes were not folded, they were in the basket.”

“Wait, someone broke in and cleaned up your bedroom?” Brandon looked partly creeped out and partly jealous. 

“Yep. I am not sleeping here.”

“Maybe they’ll come back and clean your bathroom.” His flippant remark almost made her break into hysterical laughter.

“Before or after they cut me into tiny pieces and wash me down the drain?” They looked at each other for a moment and then both broke into sobs of laughter. When they settled, both sitting on the living room floor, she shook her head. “So if my life is turning into a slasher flick how do I survive?”

“I am going to talk to Sage, we will get you out of this lease and into an apartment, you need to be somewhere people will hear you when you scream for starters.” He looked around, “So all you have is a recliner, the bed, and what?”

“The chair belongs to the landlady, it has a pull out bed in it that I slept on before my mattress and frame got delivered. I have some pots and pans, some toiletries, my crystals scattered all over, and my clothes. Everything else stayed with the a*****e.”

“So what you’re saying is, except for the bed, you could be moved out tonight?” He got up off of the floor and helped her to her feet.

“Yep.”

“Let’s do that.” Brandon dragged her to the kitchen and started opening cabinets. “Oh my god, you don’t even have food in here.”

“I have some instant coffee and oreos.” She started pulling the two battered non-stick skillets, and three different sized pots out of the bottom cabinet. Four forks, four knives, three spoons, a steak knife, and a spaghetti spoon came out of the drawer. 

“Vivi. You cannot live like this. We are going shopping for some basics like plates that aren’t made out of paper tomorrow.” He tossed the stack of plates onto the counter next to the pans with disgust.

“With what money? You’re trying to run a shop not a charity, and I’m flat broke. I’m going to be lucky if my paycheck covers the cost of me hauling a*s out of here. I blew almost all of my cushion of money on the bed and some sheets.”

“You are not hauling a*s out of here. You have me, you have Sage, you have a job-”

“I have a creepy stalker breaking into my house to fold my clothes and make my bed.”

“See, you’re ahead of the game!” 

She had to bite her lips not to laugh and Brandon grinned at her. 

“They are not running you off. Now do you have a suitcase for your clothes?”

“Nope. I have a laundry basket and trash bags.”

“I swear to god, I don’t know how you live like this. Go. Go get your s**t together. I will put your pots and pans and what is this? All three of your spoons? I’m putting this in the car before it depresses me too much to deal with.” He threw his hands up before stacking things together and heading to the door. “And if I get mauled you will be waiting on me hand and foot while I recover, Vivi.” She heard him muttering as he went to the car. “You and your nightmare house.”

Shaking out a trash bag, she dumped her dirty clothes into it and then started to stack her folded things in the basket. “No. I am not wearing things some rando has been pawing through without rewashing them.” Genevieve threw them all in the dirty clothes bag. 

“I’m sorry.” The voice made the hair stand on the back of her neck and she turned to see the big scarred man from the shop. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just-I need to see you. To smell you. Please.” He came closer holding out his hands and she started reaching for the steel cable. “You shouldn’t be afraid of me.”

“And yet I am. I don’t know why you’re stalking me. Or why you came to the shop. I just want you to leave me alone.” The wall was blocking her way backward and the cable didn’t seem to be in reach on the bed, she was afraid to look down for it.

“My name is Remiel, everyone calls me Remi. Please.” His voice was softly pleading.

“That’s an auspicious name, someone must have had high hopes for you.” She eyed him warily as he stepped out of the direct path of the doorway and sat on the bed with his head in his hands.

“You really don’t feel it?” 

She could feel the anguish radiating off of him. “I can feel the distress pouring off of you. And a voice is cautioning me that a hurt animal will always lash out.”

Remi raised his head and looked at her incredulously, she noticed how far he turned his head to do it. “You think I’m an animal.”

“I know you are, I saw it earlier.” Shaking her head, she stepped away from the bed and moved to sit by the wall on the other side of the doorway. “I don’t know much about,” she made a gesture toward him, “I do know they’re dangerous and can be unpredictable. Before today I’d never actually met any.”

“You don’t feel anything when you smell me?”

“I can’t smell you. I don’t have a sense of smell.” 

One of his eyes widened. The other she noted didn’t change much in shape and she had a feeling it might be made of glass. “Why?” 

“Concussion.” Already knowing his next question she cut him off. “I’m not great at playing the dating game. And it’s not a favorite subject.”

“What…” Remi took a deep breath. “What’s your name?”

“Where is Brandon?” 

“Talking.” He seemed to be studying his fingers.

“I should go check on him.” She stood from the floor keeping an eye on him.

“Talk to me. Why won’t you tell me your name?” The frustration in his voice was clear but he didn’t look up at her.

“Because you already know it, and I don’t like being played with.” She paused in the doorway glancing back at him.

His voice was almost inaudible. “He calls you Vivi.” 

“Brandon wanted to give me a nickname, and I hate Ginny.” 

He almost smiled as he looked up. “Genevieve is such a pretty name. Why would he want to shorten it?” 

“It’s too long.” Genevieve shrugged. “So I’m told. Remiel is a much more distinguished name than Remi. Which do you prefer?”

“If you’d rather call me Remiel…” He nodded. 

“That’s not what I asked. What do you prefer? You might find Remiel too stuffy or-”

“No one’s called me Remiel in a long time. Remi. Please.”

“Remi. Remi isn’t a bad name either.”

“You like Remiel better.” He looked at her pensively.

“I know what Remiel means. God’s mercy.” She tilted her head. “I like the name.”

“What does Genevieve mean?” Remi stood slowly. His movements were deliberate as if he were approaching a skittish kitten.

“It depends on where you look.” Genevieve stepped back half a step as he got close enough to touch her. He stood still. “Kin, family, woman of the race.”

“Woman of the race?” He was studying her face.

“I think my mother picked it because it was pretty.” His right eye was definitely more alive than the other. “She wasn’t the most thoughtful.”

“And you are.” He was inching forward again.

“I like names. They’re important.” She almost stopped breathing as he lifted his hand and lightly touched her arm.

“You will not believe what just happened, Vivi! You have some really nice neighbors.” Brandon came bustling in and dropped her pots and pans back on the counter. “Who’s your friend?” 

Genevieve stepped away from him with her arms crossed, “Brandon this is Remi, Remi, Brandon.” 

Brandon looked at them critically. “You don’t look very comfortable.”

“It’s fine. Why did you bring those back in?” She came closer and leaned on the counter with her back to Remi.

“I think I scared her. I didn’t mean to.” Remi was standing almost at her hip.

“Don’t do that.” Brandon frowned as he cautioned Remi. “Don’t touch her when she’s all closed off like that. She’s practically screaming not to be touched.”

Closing her eyes, the pain coming off of Remi was enough to make her shiver. “Forgive me.” The man was almost bolting for the door. 

“What was that about?” Brandon looked at her curiously. “Your neighbors took up a collection for you, by the way. Word travelled about the incident at the shop and they’ve heard from Mrs. Yopp that you are basically subsisting out here. They want you to feel welcome and they really don’t want you to leave.” He pulled an envelope out of the pot that had her utensils in it. “We are going shopping tomorrow.”

“You feel better about me out here in my ‘nightmare house’?”

“Much. I told them you wanted to sleep at a friend’s house tonight because of the scare but I think you staying out here will be good if you can make some friends. They want to come back by tomorrow when we get done shopping.” He looked thrilled.

“Who’s minding the shop tomorrow?”

“I’m going to ask Sage to do it. When he hears how you’re living he’ll have to agree.” Brandon shrugged.

“That’s not fair to him.” Genevieve shook her head and straightened to put away her things. “You’re being a great friend to me and a crappy one to him. You need a little balance, Brandon.”

“God, you put the same inflection on my name that my mother used to sometimes.” He looked at her like she was being a pain in the a*s. 

“I loved your mom. Every time she came to visit she made me pie.” 

“She also told you, you should switch to women because your taste in men was s**t.” He sniffed and looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

“She wasn’t wrong. Had I listened I would still have a sense of smell and I probably would’ve had a lot more orgasms.” Genevieve grinned sheepishly.

“So you’re not interested in tall, dark, and terrifying? He looks like your type. Someone that could crack your skull with a single sucker punch if dinner is late.”

“And there’s your balance. Opting to be a s****y friend to both of us instead of trying to be a good one?”

“Just reminding you. You moved here to get away from the last one.”

“I remember.” Pinching the bridge of her nose she headed toward her room. “Let me get my bag of clothes and let’s go. They all need washing. I threw them all together since someone pawed through them.”

“Sage has a washer and dryer.”

Tossing the bag into the basket she picked it up and lugged it toward the door. Remi didn’t seem so terrifying after she’d spoken to him. Caution and prudence wouldn’t be amiss though. None of them had seemed terrifying, right up until they did. 

Brandon chattered about the things she needed to get as she put the basket in the back. She closed the hatchback and reached for her necklace absentmindedly and remembered it was probably in the dirt next to the fence. Tomorrow. First thing.