Page 93 of Oracles Always Win

“Dillonwasn’t withVanand the others?”

Jeremyshook his head. “He’snot officially an officer yet.Vanmust have called him in when they arrived and knew what they were dealing with out there.Itisn’t like with the human police.Theseguys call in other civilian supes when things get dicey.It’sa thing.”

Ileaned over to look out the window withJeremyin time to see a red-faced, scowlingAshjump out of a carIdidn’t recognize.Heslammed the door andDillonwinced from the driver’s seat.TosayAshwas unimpressed would be like saying boiling water was a tad warm.Itwas strange to realize he was as magical as all the rest of the peopleI’dmet inWillowLake.Hejust seemed so… normal.

IdoubtedI’dever stop being surprised about people’s powers.

AsAshstomped over to the motorhome and let himself in,Dillonpeeled out of the parking lot and followed a cluster of other vehicles heading west out of town.Noneof those vehicles had sirens or official decals on their doors.Theywere just ordinary vehicles, driven byordinarysupernatural people.And, apparently, they were all responding toVan’scall for help.

“Icould have helped,”Ashmuttered as he flung himself into a chair. “Dillon’san asshole.JustbecauseI’ma mage doesn’t meanIneed to be coddled.Canyou believe he actually tried to stop me from even coming here after he had me borrow our neighbor’s car?”

“You’restill recovering from being shot,”Jeremyreminded him. “Yourmagic isn’t fully healed yet either.And, based on all my research, not every supe is built for fighting the way shifters are.”

Ashnarrowed his eyes at his friend andJeremysnapped his mouth shut.

Nowwe were all sitting around the table inGage’smotorhome, waiting for news about what was happening.Sofar not a single fucking update had come in.Thesilence was making me crazy.

“So…”Isaid.

“So…”Ashsaid.

“So…”Jeremysaid.

Thiswas going great.

“Oh,Iknow,”Jeremysaid suddenly. “Tellme aboutMr.Dimples.”Hewaggled his eyebrows. “Forresearch reasons,I’masking everyone about what they’ve got in their pants.So, you know.What’shis dick like?Doesit look different?Doesit do anything special?”

Igaped at him.ThenIremembered he’d asked that before.Didhe really expect me to answer?

“Jeremy, don’t ask him shit like that,”Ashreprimanded.Thenhe looked at me. “Seriously, just ignore him.”

“ButIneed details for my books.IfIdon’t ask, how willIknow?”

Ashscowled at him.

“Fine.Butif you ever want to talk…”

“Jeremy!”Ashsnapped at him.

Silencefell over us again.Icouldn’t handle it.

“So…”Istarted again. “Whateveris happening, it has to do with the same werewolves who stole my grandfather’s stuff, right?”Iasked, more to break up the quiet than anything else.Itwas hard to make conversation when all you wanted was your phone to ring, butIwas trying.Ineeded to think about something besidesGageand the others going off to fight. “Andthey are the same ones who bombed the inn too, right?”

“Yeah,”Jeremysaid as he checked the volume on his phone again, then dropped his hand down to absently petEmma’sfur. “Dot, the officer who shotAshhere, she was a deer shifter, who’dallegedlybeen intimidated by those wolves into helping them rob your place.”

“Dotwas a shapeshifter?”

Ashsnorted. “Wejust say shifter.”

Jeremynodded and patted my arm. “LikeIsaid before,I’vegot you covered.It’sbeen quite the thing, learning about all of this.Iknow where you’re coming from.Like, obviously, the word shifter is derived from shapeshifter, right?Froman etymological standpoint.Butif you say that, people will just think you’re weird.”

“Or, maybe their bodies shift, so they are shifters, as simple as that,”Ashsaid. “Don’tmake it difficult.”

Jeremyrolled his eyes, butAshdidn’t see.Hewas looking out the window of the motorhome toward the road, where a few more cars were speeding out of town.

“Shiftersare pretty cool, regardless of why they are called that,”Isaid. “IsGageconsidered a shifter since he can change his body too?Oris that designation only reserved for people who change to animal forms?”Itapped to refresh my text messages again, then went back to the main screen.Stillno new messages.

“Icall it battle ready… or sometimes high-test… or undiluted.I’mstill working out the terminology for my book,”Jeremysaid, then he looked atAsh. “ButMr.Dimpleswouldn’t be considered a shifter, right?”