I smirked.
As if on cue, three knocks sounded on the metal door to the street, and then the bell tinkled as it swung open. The sounds of the Darkmoon District flooded in—thumping bass beats from the bars, shouts, and chiming bells from street vendors.
“Jolene? It’s me, Peter. Is it, uh, okay if I come up?”
I lifted my chin and shouted, “I’m ready actually—I’ll be right down!”
I reached out and took Heidi’s small soft hand and Will’s enormous paw in each of my own and squeezed.
“Don’t worry, we’ll clean all this up and lock up on our way out.” Heidi raised a brow. “And I want a full report on the night, ASAP!”
I gave her a serious nod. “Aye aye, captain.”
Will pointed a giant finger at me, inches from my face. “Don’t take off that mask, and for fin’s sake, don’t embarrass yourself at the buffet.”
I raised my brows. “There’s gonna be a buffet?” Not that I could fit anything more into this dress. If I ate a baby carrot, I’d probably split a seam.
Will took me by my bare shoulders, spun me around, and pushed me out the door. “Go.”
I hiked up my skirt and wobbled my way to the beaded curtain. I took a big breath, then blew it out and stepped through onto the landing. Peter stood just inside at the bottom of the ridiculously narrow stairway, and he looked up at the sound of the clacking beads, then froze.
I grinned down at him. “Hey, Peter.” He wore a dress uniform, white gloves, and a simple black mask that covered the top portion of his face. “You clean up nice.” I winked.
He froze, mouth half open, and stared up at me. After a few long moments, where I began to wonder if I had spinach in my teeth, he blew out a gust of air and gaped at me like I was the most wondrous thing he’d ever seen. “Sea snakes,” he breathed.
Yeah. I thought of the full day of primping and prepping and grinned as I started down the stairs. It was worth it, just for that.
POLICEMAN'S BALL
I stood beside Peter and gazed up at the tall four-masted ship that towered above us. Its enormous white sails snapped, standing out against the inky night sky under a nearly full moon. The wind picked up, and I shivered and edged closer to Peter. It was nearly the end of summer, which meant the annual Sansea winds were starting to pick up. Waves lapped against the dock, and the wooden boards creaked below us.
The policeman beside me took a deep breath, his chest puffing up, then blew it out. Peter shot me a quick glance, his eyes tight behind his black mask, but managed a wan smile. “Ready?”
I frowned up at him a little, though I doubted he could read my expression behind my own feathered mask. He seemed more nervous than I was. This was the policeman’s ball, for sand’s sake, he should feel right at home—shouldn’t he?
He offered me his arm. I grinned and looped one hand through his elbow, then gathered up my full skirt with the other. We started up the wide gangplank and I squeezed hold of him tighter, grateful for the extra stability as the wooden beams swayed slightly below us. Our footsteps thudded as we moved up the ramp toward the top deck and the golden lights that spilled out from the cabins. Orchestral music and the murmur of voices blended with the sounds of the cawing gulls who circled overhead.
“Caw!” Brady? Brady! That was my snail! I told you I called dibs.
The other gull, presumably Brady, answered back. “Peal!” I was hungry, Susan! Oh, now I can’t be hungry? You just want me to starve?
I rolled my eyes and grumbled to myself. “So inane.”
Peter glanced over at me. “Hm?”
“Oh!” My eyes widened in surprise. Oh, right. Had to keep the fact that I could speak with animals a secret from him. As far as he knew, I could only read their minds.
Which might have seemed like only a minor distinction, if speaking with animals wasn’t such a big fat clue that I was a shifter. And judging by past experiences, as soon as anyone I knew and liked found out the truth about what I was, they dropped me like an anchor.
I let out a little titter of laughter. “I was just saying, wow, this is so insane!”
Daisy, who’d been padding along quietly on Peter’s other side, barked, making me jump.
Liar!
She hung back to peek around Peter, and we glared at each other. I’d been so caught up in the impressive ship before me and the anticipation of the ball that I’d forgotten to watch myself around the policeman’s lie-sniffing German shepherd partner. Sigh.
She snarled at me, white teeth bared against her dark lips. You look like a common crow in that getup. Is that what kind of shifter you are? Why don’t you go peck something, crow!
I let out a whine. Good one, Daisy. Good one. I rolled my eyes. And no, I’m not a crow.
In fact, I was an owl shifter… or used to be, before my jealous former coworker had cursed me. But not like I was going to tell Daisy that and give her any more ammo.
She’d pretty much immediately figured out I was a shifter when I spoke to her. You’d think the context, me saving her life, might have mattered a little, but the dog was a stickler for telling the truth and a wee bit overprotective of Peter. Though, I could appreciate that.
I glanced up at the puzzled officer who admonished his dog. “Daisy! Be nice.” He turned to me and grimaced. “Sorry. Not sure what’s gotten into her lately.”
I blinked innocently at him. “Maybe she’s rabid.”
His eyes widened behind his mask and he paled.
Oops.
I made a face. “Kidding.”
“Oh.” His
