Page 59 of Hellhounds Never Lie

"Oh, that's not—"

"I insist." Jake wasn’t normally a bold or assertive guy, but his tone said he wasn’t going to change his mind about this.

"Thank you," I said, conceding to him. "Is much missing?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I don't think so, but…" Jake shrugged. "I suppose I should go through my grandfather's things at some point. I just… Well, it feels wrong somehow."

I wasn't sure if that was because most of the items were magical relics or because they had belonged to a grandfather he hadn't really known. Either way, it had to be weird for Jake. Especially since he didn't know about supernaturals. Yet.

Come to think of it, maybe Jake shouldn't go through anything by himself anyway. Who knew what he might toss or give away?

"If you want help," I said, putting my hand on Jake's arm. "You let me know, okay?"

"Yeah. Okay." Jake nodded, but he didn't sound convinced.

He wandered back to the bar after taking Hayden's order.

"The kid is wrong. It's like his inability to see supes is making him stupid," Paws said as he sat regally at the center of the group. His newly bathed calico coat was shiny and tidy.

“You finished the inventory yet?” Van asked.

“Wait. What inventory?”

Van stroked his chin. “Right. I guess you haven’t heard. After the attack, we went hunting through the inn, trying to figure out where Dot had gotten all those boxes. I hauled her from room to room until her lies exposed the truth.”

I nodded. Shit. I’d forgotten about those. “So she didn’t just tell you?”

“Nope.” Smoke curled from Van’s nostrils.

Dot wasn’t doing herself any favors, and now I understood why Van was convinced she was holding back more information.

“Well,” Van continued, “it turns out there was a secret passage between that weird room with all the display cases and Ulric’s old suite.”

Hayden rubbed his eyes. “I don’t know why I didn’t know about that one, but I guess it makes sense. Both rooms used to be part of the alpha’s suite.”

Which was his parents’ old suite.

"The warded seal on the door facing the hallway was unbroken, which is why Paws hadn’t noticed anything wrong. But it’s obvious someone’s been in those rooms.”

“I didn’t even think to look for another entrance until I saw all the crap they’d hauled to the basement.” Paws growled. “I’ve been trying to work out what’s missing. Ulric had a list, but I haven’t found it yet. And those stupid thieves made a mess of the place, so it’s slow going. A whack of stuff is missing. Today I realized they even took the Jahaller, the bastards." Paws flicked his tail aggressively.

“What?” Van and Hayden shouted at the same time.

Dillon looked as confused as me.

"What's a Jahaller?" I asked.

"A small creature that defends home and hearth. They usually post themselves beside a fireplace," Van explained. "They look like small statues to most humans. Without supernatural interaction, they become more statue than creature until they are lost completely."

“He should have been safe in Ulric’s room,” Paws said. “The ward should have fed him enough magic to keep him going.”

"Spells and curses, are you sure he’s missing?" I asked, earning a hiss from Paws. "So he could be dying as we speak?"

"If he’s with other supes, maybe not,” Van said, rubbing the back of his neck. “And, well, if he’s not, we need to find him soon, but the change doesn't happen right away—"

"He will not die," Paws said, swatting at Van to stop him from talking. "I won't allow it. We are going to find him and everything else those bastards took. Even if I have to go through Rob's pack lands inch by inch myself."

"They'd rip you apart up there," Hayden said, looking horrified by the idea of Paws trying to infiltrate Rob's pack.