Fiends and Familiars - Debra Dunbar Page 0,50
next to a stock trailer. The setting sun had turned the sky a swirling mix of orange and gray as we walked through the mown hayfield to the bonfire.
Lonnie introduced me to a few people on the way in, then we grabbed a beer and made the rounds. Within half an hour I was chatting away with a group of guys about termite control while Lonnie was off helping with the food. Termite control probably wasn’t the most party-worthy topic, but Derrick had mentioned an issue that had cropped up on an inspection for a home he had an offer on, and suddenly we were all about baits, termiticides for barrier and soil treatment, and more organic methods.
He was cute—really cute. If I wasn’t moping over a demon right now, I might have tried flirting a little.
“You’re really a wildlife control person?” Ralph grinned at me. “Like those guys on TV who wrestle crocodiles and snakes? Not like the guys who just go around your house and spray poison?”
I shuddered. “There’s no reason for that poison. Insects, rodents, birds, you name it—they can all be removed from a home without subjecting them, yourselves, your family, or your pets to harmful substances.”
That was the line I gave when someone wanted me to throw down bait for mice. Clients were often skeptical, but I got results. Of course, I got them with magic, but no one this side of Accident’s wards knew that.
“So for rodents you use those humane traps?” Derrick was looking skeptical. “When you let them go, don’t they just head right back inside the house? And how does that work for termites?”
“I do use humane traps when I need to, and I make sure to relocate the animals as far away from homes as possible. As for insects, I have a method where they will move their activity to a suitable place. For termites, that’s usually a rotted tree trunk that I put up for them.”
Ralph snorted. “And when they’re done with that, they go right back to the house and you get to collect another fee.”
“No, they won’t ever return to your house.” I held up my hand. “Money back guarantee.”
“How do you do that?” Derrick asked.
“Magic.” I winked and they laughed. “It’s a trade secret. If I let everyone know, all my competitors would be taking my clients away.”
None of my competitors could do what I did, but Ralph and Derrick didn’t need to know that.
“I’ll see if the sellers will agree to hire you,” Derrick vowed. “And if they don’t, I’ll have you come in after closing to make sure they actually got rid of the little buggers.”
Great. It was always nice to pick up new work, but I’d come here to make friends, and I wasn’t sure if getting rid of termites in Derrick’s real estate properties was a path to friendship. Lonnie was right, though. He was a good-looking guy. Awesome smile. Nice. Cute butt.
And there was zero spark between us, darn it.
I left him and Ralph and weaved through the crowd, grabbing another beer from the cooler and trying to decide how to insert myself into a conversatsion at a party where everyone seemed to know everyone besides me.
“You’re Lonnie’s friend?” a woman asked. She had a long blonde ponytail and was wearing an incredibly tight tank top with jean shorts and bright purple sneakers.
“Her sister, Adrienne.” I smiled at the woman. “You’re…?”
“Rita. I know Lonnie from the gym.”
I nodded, wondering if I should join the gym. “I just moved here from Accident. Lonnie’s been nice enough to take me around and introduce me to some of her friends.”
“Accident?” Rita wrinkled her pert nose. “That’s the little town in the valley about twenty miles east, isn’t it? I think we went there once a few years ago, but I can’t really remember.”
That would be because of the wards. Humans who came into Accident forgot about all they’d seen once they left. It kept our supernatural citizens safe from discovery. Trusted humans who’d decided to make their home with us had charms that kept their memories intact. If they ever moved, they were sworn to secrecy. Nobody wanted to get on the bad side of a town full of witches, shifters, fae, and vampires, so humans took those oaths seriously. Plus after living with us for years, or even decades, they were friends and wouldn’t betray us.
But Rita and her buddies? They would have had a good time, perhaps a little freaked out by