Chapter 3

It was a beautiful spring day—sunny but with a breeze off the river, still cool enough for a brisk stride—and the paranormal club was within walking distance. As Rory, his sisters, and their new dragon friend walked the few blocks, Drake explained the philosophy of the place and how it started.

“As you probably know, there are many different paranormal factions. For some reason, they all seem to like Boston, but not always each other.”

Rory glanced at Chloe, who shrugged. The only other paranormals they had met were the leprechauns. Drake was still speaking, so Rory didn’t interrupt.

“Boston Uncommon used to be a bar, and the bar’s owner believed that if the different species of paranormals got to know each other, they’d find commonalities and learn to respect one another’s differences. ‘To know me is to love me,’ so to speak.”

“And did it work?” Shannon asked.

“Indeed it did. Although not right away. But when faced with a common enemy, they were able to work together and neutralize the problem.”

Neutralize. That word had a host of different meanings. Would Rory have to fight for his family’s place here if they couldn’t return home? He was hoping that this club might hold an answer to their supernatural problem. Perhaps one of these other species would have a suggestion.

Chloe cleared her throat. “Just what kind of species are we apt to find there?”

Drake shrugged. “Shapeshifters mostly. Some of them live in the building. There are several apartments, all rented to paranormals or the paranormal-friendly. One of the apartments has been converted to a club space. As long as you’re inside the club, you’re safe to ask any of the members what special powers they have.”

At the mention of shifters, Rory had to ask… “I guess we could be considered shifters, since we shift from human form to dragons and back again. Is that what you’re talkin’ about?”

“Yes, although as far as I know, the three of you and I are the only dragons in the city.”

“Really?” Chloe asked. “I knew we were rare, but I figured in a big city like Boston there might be more.”

“Boston isn’t all that big. It’s smaller than New York, and I only know one dragon there.”

“Gettin’ back to the other species…” Rory said. “What else are there besides shifters?”

“Oh, you know…witches, wizards, vampires—”

Shannon gasped. “Vampires! What? How? Bollocks!”

“Watch your language, lass,” Rory said.

“They don’t all belong to the club. Only those paranormals who want to keep the peace with each other will be there. As long as you believe you can do that, you’ll be welcome.”

“I see no reason why we couldn’t,” Rory said. He shot a pointed look at Chloe.

“What?” she asked. “You don’t think I can hold me temper when I need to?”

He leveled his eyes with hers. “You’d better.”

Fortunately Shannon distracted them with another question. “Are there leprechauns here? We’re used to them.”

Drake’s eyes widened. “They’re real? We have the occasional house brownie, but leprechauns?”

“Sure’n they’re the reason we got kicked out of Ireland,” Chloe said.

Drake stopped walking and stared at them. “How bad do you have to be to get kicked out of Ireland?” Then he caught himself. “Oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

“No offense taken,” Rory said.

Chloe chuckled. Shannon just shook her head.

“Actually, we didn’t do a damn thing,” Chloe said. “The little bastards accused us of takin’ their gold, but we didn’t.”

Rory added, “They thought because we’re dragons and like our treasure as much as they value their gold that we stole it.”

Drake nodded in understanding.

“We had all we needed and then some,” Chloe said.

Rory sighed. “We knew that livin’ high and mighty would call attention to us, so years ago we moved to a caretaker’s cottage and had our castle hidden by magic.”

“The magic of leprechauns,” Shannon added.

“And now our castle is exposed and vulnerable,” Rory said. “And they set up some kind of force field to keep us out of our own country. We need to find a way around that.”

At last they stopped in front of a typical lovely brownstone.

“Here we are,” Drake said.

“That’s it?” Chloe asked. “It looks like a normal building.”

Drake chuckled. “What did you expect? Bats in the belfry?”

“Well, no…”

“Come on. I’ll show you the secret to getting in.”

They followed him up the steps to the stoop. He bypassed the intercom buzzers and opened the outer door with no problem. Rory was about to ask what the big secret was when they entered a foyer and stopped at the inner door, and another intercom materialized on the wall.

“This is the one we use,” Drake said.

“Holy mother,” Chloe muttered. “Whose magic is that?”

“One of the managers is a witch. Actually, she’s a witch and a vampire.”

Shannon started to tremble. “I-I don’t know about this, Rory…”

“Please, don’t worry,” Drake said. “I wouldn’t have brought you here if you were in any danger. She’s a real pussycat.”

“Wait.” Shannon folded her arms. “She’s a cat-shifter and a vampire and a witch?”

Drake chuckled. “No, not a real pussycat. It’s an expression, meaning she’s sweet and harmless.”

“As long as she doesn’t swipe us with claws, we should be all right,” Chloe said.

Rory set a reassuring hand on Shannon’s shoulder. “I imagine they’ll be asleep now anyway.”

“Actually, these particular vampires aren’t nocturnal. They’ve found a cure for most of the negative aspects of vampirism—including the bloodlust. Trust me. They won’t snack on you. They won’t even be tempted.”

Shannon blew out a deep breath.

“Are you ready to meet them?” Drake asked.

All three Arish dragons exchanged a look and nodded.

* * *

The Arish siblings stood in the lobby of the beautiful brownstone on Beacon Street. Marble floors and gleaming dark wood stairs greeted them. Gazing up, Rory noticed a huge crystal chandelier. If we were into stealing treasure… He quickly squashed that thought. Sly, the building manager standing before them, was a vampire, Rory reminded himself. Hopefully Sly couldn’t read minds.

They were just getting to know each other when Drake got a phone call.

“I’m sorry, I need to leave. It’s Bliss, and it sounds like she’s in labor.”

Everyone exclaimed their congratulations, mostly in Irish, and added wishes for good luck.

Sly asked Drake to call when he had good news and details that could be shared with the other members. “They’ll all want to know. You two have a lot of friends here.”

Drake glanced at the Arish clan, especially focusing on Shannon. “Will you be all right if I leave you here?”

She glanced at Rory. “I feel safe enough.”

“Go.” Rory slapped Drake on the back. “Give Bliss our very best.”

“I’ll bet you wish you could use your wings now,” Chloe added.

“Yup. But Brandee is with her, and a run will do me good.” With that he waved and bolted out of the building.

Sly smiled at the trio. “Would you like to see the club?”

They seemed to have passed the initial test, and Rory was relieved. “We’d love to.”

Sly led the way up the grand staircase and opened an unlocked door on the second floor. A buxom blond in a slinky red dress and a guy with a buzz cut were playing pool. Rory noticed a dartboard on the opposite wall. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves were filled with volumes of all sizes, some paperbacks and some hardcovers. A rolling ladder allowed access to the higher shelves.

Shannon wandered over to peruse the titles.

“There’s a quieter room for reading down the hall, as well as a bathroom,” Sly said.

The two pool players had just finished their game with a cheer and a groan. Obviously the woman had won.

Sly said, “Let me introduce you to a couple of our regulars, Ruxandra”—he pointed to the woman scooping up the stack of bills from the edge of the pool table—“and Kurt”—he indicated the solidly built guy with a tattoo on his bicep that read “Semper Fi.”

“Be careful if you play this one,” Ruxandra said. “You can never be sure if he’s using wizard magic to win.”

“I don’t need to use it to win against anyone—even you, most of the time,” Kurt said.

“Guys, I’d like you to meet the Arish family. Rory, Shannon, and Chloe. Drake recommended them,” Sly said.

They both came over and shook hands with Rory and his sisters—as if it didn’t matter what they were. According to Drake, it really didn’t.

Dare he ask? Apparently one was a wizard, but the other wasn’t.

“So, are you shapeshifters? Vampires? Something new and exotic?” Kurt asked.

Rory chuckled. “We’re shapeshifters, I guess.”

Ruxandra laughed. “You guess?”

“Well, we’re dragons.”

“Nice. I’m a vampire,” she said.

Rory tried to act cool as if they’d known dozens of them, but Shannon squashed that impression. “Really? I’ve ne’er known any until today, and now we’ve met two of you.”

Ruxandra smiled. “There aren’t a lot of us.”

That was welcome information.

“And you?” Chloe asked Kurt. “Are you a wizard only, or somethin’ else?”

Ruxandra smirked. “Oh, he’s something else all right.”

“She means that metaphorically. I’m one hundred percent human. I just happen to have a talent for magic and became a wizard with a lot of study and practice.”

I wonder if he knows enough about magic to outsmart the leprechauns, Rory thought.

“Well, we have to get going. We promised to help a friend move some heavy furniture,” Ruxandra said. “She’s always redecorating.”

She and Kurt waved as they left.

Damn. There went our chance to get to know the wizard. There seemed to be a lot of kinds of people—er, creatures—he still hadn’t met. Maybe if they stuck close to the club, somewhere along the line he and the wizard would run into each other again. Or perhaps he’d meet someone else skilled in magic. Someone had mentioned a witch…

“So, are you up for a game of darts, Sly?” Rory asked.

“Sure. My wife is showing a potential tenant one of the vacant apartments, but when she’s finished I’ll introduce you to her.” He gathered the darts from the board and returned to the group.

“You have flats to rent?” Chloe asked. “In this buildin’?”

“Yes. We have two available at the moment.”

The siblings glanced at each other and seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Rory accepted the yellow-tipped darts and at the same time asked, “Would you be open to a small clan of displaced dragons?”

Sly smiled. “Each unit is only a one-bedroom apartment. Do you need a place to stay long-term?”

“Yes.”

“My sister and I can share,” Chloe said. She shot Shannon a look so fierce that it could have impaled her on a spit.

Shannon took a step back. “We’ve shared a room all our lives, and even a bed when friends came to visit. But we were young then.”

“Great! My wife and her cousin used to share the one-bedroom apartment we live in now. Would you like to have a look at the vacant ones?”

“We’d love to,” Rory said. His sisters nodded their heads enthusiastically.

“We can have our game first, if you like.”

Rory chuckled. “No need. If we live here, there will be plenty of time for games.”

Sly set his darts on the bar-height table that must have been for observers. Then he dug a key ring out of his pocket. The dozens of keys clattered together as he found the right one.

“The first place is right across the hall,” he said. “We’ve done some soundproofing, so you shouldn’t be bothered by noise from the club—not that it’s all that busy.”

“Oh? Not many members then?” Chloe asked as she followed him.

“About a dozen total.”

Sly opened the door to a spacious, open-concept living room, kitchen, and dining area. To the right stood the big bay window Rory had seen from the outside. Without furniture or rugs to hide them, the beautiful hardwood floors gleamed. A fireplace with a majestic mantel stood out as the room’s focal point.

Shannon took in a deep breath and wandered toward the kitchen as if in awe. Chloe nodded and said, “I’ll take a look at the bedroom.” Rory inspected the bathroom. A large glass shower took up the entire back wall. A small window let in some natural light, but the glass was frosted so no one would be putting on a show for the neighbors across the alley. The other necessary parts were there, including a claw-foot tub, and everything looked sparkling clean.

When the three of them converged again in the living room, Sly said, “The place downstairs has exactly the same layout and decor, but it’s a bit smaller—allowing room for the foyer.”

Chloe sighed. “You should see the size of that walk-in closet. If Shannon and I needed some separation from each other, she could just move in there.”

Sly and Rory laughed. Shannon huffed and raised herself to her full height. “Just because I’m the youngest doesn’t mean I’m the smallest anymore.”

“I’m kiddin’, Shan. But think of the fun we could have fillin’ that closet with new clothes.”

Shannon glanced down at her rugged jeans and favorite sweater, knowing she’d been wearing them too long. “’Tis true,” she said. Then she turned to Rory. “Can we afford this place?”

“That depends. How much is the rent for both flats?”

Sly stroked his chin. “I’ve never rented two at once before. I suppose we could strike a deal if you’re willing to sign a year’s lease.”

Both Rory and Chloe stared at Shannon. At last, she nodded.

“You won’t find a better deal anywhere in Back Bay. We take care of our own. I just need to know one other thing…”

“Ask us anythin’ you wish,” Rory said.

“Can you control your powers? And I mean one hundred percent of the time. We had an Asian dragon a couple of years ago who had allergies. She sneezed fire and scorched the floors in her apartment. They had to be replaced. We hate to evict a good tenant, but for everyone’s safety, she had to go.”

They all expressed appropriate horror. Chloe shook her head emphatically. “We have no such problems.”

“Sneezing fire! Imagine!” Shannon said.

“Okay. I’m glad to hear that.”

“So…the rent?” Rory reminded him.

“Ah, yes. We could let you have both places for twenty-five hundred per month. Fifteen hundred for this one and a thousand for the smaller one downstairs.”

Rory almost swallowed an audible gulp, but he managed to keep his poker face on. He knew rents were high in Boston, but he hadn’t realized how high. And that was the best deal in the city?

“Ordinarily the larger one goes for that amount all by itself. You’d be getting a two-for-one deal,” Sly added.

“Then we’ll take it,” Rory said. He asked Chloe for his wallet. It was so fat that he couldn’t fit it in his back pocket anymore and had to keep it in her purse, along with two large envelopes of cash. They’d planned to find a nearby bank after they had an address.

Rory counted off five thousand, feeling like a millionaire. If it weren’t for having to sell off priceless artifacts at a tenth of their worth, he might have been a billionaire. “That should take care of two months up front.”

“Actually,” Sly said with an apologetic expression, “that will take care of the first month and the security deposit.” He shrugged. “It will serve as your last month’s rent if there are no damages.”

Were they being lied to? Was Sly really sly? They weren’t in a position to argue.

Rory stuck out his hand and they shook on it. In Ireland, the deal would have been done at that point, but Sly said, “Okay. Let’s go upstairs and fill out the paperwork. Hopefully my wife is finished showing the place downstairs, and you can meet her.”

* * *

Amber had just signed the contract when the door to the managers’ apartment opened. Along with the manager’s husband, in traipsed Rory, the unbelievably hot guy she’d met on the sidewalk, and his Irish sisters.

“Wow, small world,” she said.

Sly glanced back and forth between his little group and Amber. “You know each other?”

“We’ve met briefly,” Rory said and smiled. Amber’s heart fluttered.

Blond, willowy Morgaine rose. “I haven’t met your friends, Sly.”

“I was just bringing them up to introduce them to you. Morgaine, these fine folks are our new tenants, Rory, Chloe, and Shannon Arish. They’re taking both apartments 2B and 1B. So, we’re full up,” he said, glancing at his wife and Amber. “No more vacancies.”

Morgaine’s mouth dropped open. When she didn’t speak right away, Amber gestured to the papers in front of her. “I rented 1B. I think the ink just dried on my signed lease.”

“Drake recommended the Arishes,” Sly said.

“And Brandee recommended Amber,” Morgaine added.

Sly stared at his wife. The two managers did the oddest thing. First Morgaine folded her arms. Then Sly placed his hands on his hips. Then Morgaine began tapping her foot. It was as if they were having a completely silent argument.

What the…

Rory and his sisters glanced at each other, looking equally confused.

“But we paid…in cash,” Chloe said. She rubbed her fingers together, then glared at the check Amber had sitting on the table like it wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on.

Amber returned her gaze to the stalemate between the managers. Were they able to argue with their eyes? Did they solve all their problems with a staring contest?

Rory whispered to his sisters, “Do you think they’re telepathic?”

Chloe and Shannon shrugged.

That would be one explanation, Amber thought. One very weird explanation.

“Look. I’m sorry, but I got here first, and I can’t lose this apartment,” Amber said to Rory. “My whole building is being renovated and turned into condos. Everyone has been evicted.”

He cocked his head. “Well, I’m very sorry for your troubles, but I believe we have the right of it. We already paid first and last month’s rents on both apartments—in cash, as my sister mentioned.”

At that point, Sly withdrew quite a wad of hundred-dollar bills from his pocket and held it out to Morgaine. She took a step back and shook her head as if the money were on fire.

“This is the oddest spat I’ve ever witnessed,” Shannon muttered.

Chloe chuckled. “We’ve seen some outrageous disputes, but you’re right. This one’s downright peculiar.”

Morgaine leaned forward with her hands on her hips and stamped her foot.

Finally, Sly rose to his full height and said, “In this country, possession is nine-tenths of the law.”

Amber and Rory exchanged a look, and telepathy wasn’t needed to interpret what they were thinking. They both took off and charged down the stairs. Chloe and Shannon were right behind them.

“Grab 2B, Sisters. I’ll get the first floor,” Rory called over his shoulder.

Chloe almost knocked Amber over, then pushed her way into the partially open door of apartment 2B. Amber lost some precious time righting herself, and Rory almost passed her. She elbowed him in the ribs and regained her lead.

As she was rounding the bottom of the stairs, he vaulted over the railing and they both tried to charge into the vacant first-floor apartment at the same time. Getting stuck in the doorjamb for a moment, Amber and Rory were squashed into each other. At last, as if something went “pop,” they unceremoniously tumbled inside.

Righting themselves, they faced off and stared at each other. “I was here first,” Rory said, panting.

“Ha! You wish. I got my foot in first.”

A thin guy who must have been one of the other tenants rolled his bike through the inside door at that moment. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, nothin’…” Rory said.

“We’re trying to decide which of us got here first. We both want to be your neighbor, and apparently the managers rented to the two of us separately but at the same time.”

The guy leaned back and laughed. “Perfect. I’m Nathan, by the way.”

Rory didn’t take his eyes off Amber, but addressed the bicyclist. “I hear that possession is nine-tenths of the law here. Is that true?”

The guy was still chuckling. “Uh, yeah. I guess so. At least that’s what I’ve heard.”

“The manager said it aloud,” Amber said. “I figured whichever one of us got here first would be allowed to stay…even though I signed the lease.”

“But I paid in cash, and we shook on it,” Rory said. “Did you see which one of us entered the place first?”

“Nope,” Nathan said. “But there’s still a way you can let that rule work it out for you.”

“How?” they both asked at once.

“Well, since you both possess it now, whoever leaves first is giving up possession.”

They glared at each other, and then a smirk stole across Rory’s lips.

“Oh, you think you’ve got it, don’t you? Just because you have sisters who can go get you food and whatever else you need, huh?”

He grinned. “I imagine so, since they live just upstairs—and there are two of them.”

She was furious and felt her cheeks heat. Her purse was upstairs. Her cell phone was in her purse. If she could get someone to bring it to her, she could arrange to have her furniture moved in—and then let him try to prove the place was his. Ha!

Suddenly the bizarre offer from Mother Nature smacked her upside the head. That could be her secret weapon! If I were a muse, I could go to the bathroom, pop over to the store, and come back with groceries.

Oh, right… She’d have a hard time explaining how she managed to buy groceries in the bathroom, and Mother Nature had that pesky law about not revealing the paranormal world. Damn.

Still, something about having the powers of a muse sounded like it might work in her favor. But how could she contact Mother Nature? Maybe through Brandee or Bliss? How long would it be before one of them came to the paranormal club?

She might starve to death by then.

The important thing was not to let this arrogant Irishman think he’d won. She strolled off toward the bedroom. At least she could claim that and have her privacy…or maybe she should claim the bathroom. She almost burst out laughing. Yup. Not having a place to pee would drive him out pretty quickly.

Amber made a sharp right turn and hurtled into the little room. “I claim the bathroom. Gotcha!” She quickly slammed and locked the door.

She heard Nathan the bicyclist laugh loudly and say, “Oh yes. You guys are going to be wicked fun neighbors.”

* * *

“Finn…Finn! Get off the floor,” Mrs. O’Malley yelled.

Finn Kelley felt a couple of strong hands grab him. It must have been the Burke brothers. They were farmers and smelled of cow dung. One on either side, they lifted Finn enough to drag his deadweight out the door of the pub and deposit him on the lush, green grass. Standing over him, they summed up his condition.

“He’s fluthered, all right,” one said.

“Twisted and sozzeled,” added the other.

“You’d be scuttered too, if your fiancée suddenly went missin’.” Finn’s best friend, Patrick, must have felt the need to defend his friend, although he had cautioned him about drinking a fourth glass of whiskey in so short a time—or was it his fifth?

“That Arish girl? The young one?” Mr. O’Malley asked. He must have followed them outside.

“That’s the one,” Pat said. “Shannon. They’ve been pre-engaged forever. Rather, they were.”

Finn rolled over and mumbled, “Shannon…Shannon, where are you?”

“She isn’t here,” the village doctor snapped. He must have followed them outside too. “And you won’t find her by passin’ out at O’Malley’s.”

Finn’s arm flopped over his eyes as if to block out the sun—but the sun wasn’t shining. More likely he wanted to block out the doctor’s logic.

“I wish the Irish had never invented whiskey,” Pat said.

Mr. O’Malley smirked. “The Irish didn’t invent it. God did. It was his way of keepin’ the Irish from takin’ over the world.”

“I’ll be headin’ back to me office,” the doctor said. “Tell Mr. Kelley here to take two aspirin and not to call me unless he really is dead—not just dead drunk.”

One of the farmers asked, “How can he call anyone if he’s dead?”

“I don’t think he much cares,” the other one said. “We should be gettin’ back. It looks like rain is comin’.”

“But a rainy day is the perfect day to spend at the pub.”

Finn briefly opened one eye to check for dark clouds.

“Right you are,” Mr. O’Malley said. He wrapped his arms around the brothers’ broad shoulders, and all three ambled back into the pub.

Patrick squatted beside Finn and pried his eyes open again. “Get up.”

“Leave me be.”

Patrick rose and leaned against the rustic building. “I hope you’ll be soberin’ up soon. I can’t keep the garda from tossin’ you in jail if they’ve a mind to.”

Finn pushed himself up to a sitting position, then slumped over. “Why?” he asked for the hundredth time. “Why would she leave me without a word? If they went on holiday, she’d have told me in advance.”

And for the hundredth time, Patrick answered, “I don’t know, Finn. It’s a mystery.”

Finn took a deep breath and leaned back on his hands. “Somethin’s not right.” Focused on the heavens, he called out, “I’ve been prayin’ for a sign.” Then more quietly, he added, “If God knows where she is, he ain’t talkin’.”

“I’m sure wherever she is, she’ll be callin’ you when she can.”

“If she can.” Finn put his head in his hands and began to shake. Tears burned the back of his eyes.

“None of that, now. C’mon. The Irish ignore everything they can’t drink or punch.”

“I wish I knew who to punch,” Finn said. “Lord knows the drink ain’t workin’.”