a sampling breath, and caught the faintest trace of horse.
Conal turned to her with a smile. “Helena, this is Dion Chiron. He’s basically the police chief of Beltane. Dion, this is Helena Baker.”
He’s Centauri, she realized belatedly, stepping forward to shake the big man’s hand. What the hell is he doing on Earth? Though come to think of it, given what she’d heard about the Centauri’s ruthless power structure, he was probably a refugee -- just like every other Sidhe and Changeling on Mortal Earth.
The big blond gripped her hand in the careful way of someone with inhuman strength attempting to handle eggshells -- or humans. “What brings the Mother’s troubleshooter to Beltane?” Dion asked with a broad white grin.
Helena instantly went on guard. Was he another of Siobhan’s spies? “What leads you to believe that?”
“I meant no offense.” He waved a big hand. “You know how it is with us wee folk.” There was a dry note to that last. Dion wasn’t a “wee” anything. “Anything one of us knows, the rest find out twenty minutes later. And Conal squiring around Maeve’s enforcer is a bit of gossip too delightful to resist.”
Conal cleared his throat. “Not sure ‘squiring around’ is the best term.”
Dion turn to Conal. “So why did Maeve let you have her? You need any more help? Because if you do, you can always call on my arm. I have not forgotten what I owe you, and by the hooves of my future sons, I will not.”
Conal gave him a smile. “We’ve got it under control for the moment. But I assure you, if I need your considerable muscle, I’ll definitely give you a call.”
“Which leads me to another question.” The centaur gestured, calling magic. Helena tensed and almost shifted before she realized it was only a sound-suppressing spell. “Conal, our people are getting a little nervous.” Dion’s smile vanished, his eyes going serious. “Between the Magekind being outed and this thing with the werewolves…” He shook his head. “The mortals are growing increasingly paranoid, and it’s making everyone nervous. Kaida and I have been working on creating stronger glamour charms. She’s distributing them through her shop.”
“Good,” Conal nodded. “Let me know how much I owe you for them.”
Dion waved a big hand. “No, no, we’ve got it. Point is, the charms will help, but it’s not a long-term solution. And the fact that we’re kind of…” he waved a hand around at the store fronts, many with Fairy-related logos. “Out… Well, what are we going to do if the mortal authorities start looking at us? Look at that riot in Georgia. That poor bastard wasn’t even a werewolf. Just a big guy with a lot of body hair.” He snorted. “Not that you can blame them for being paranoid. I mean, magically resistant killing machines…”
Helena stiffened. “Not all of us,” she said coldly.
“Helena saved my life yesterday, Dion,” Conal said, his tone warning. “I’d be dead now if it wasn’t for her. She rescued me from a Warlock’s Wrath cell.”
Dion’s eyes widened in appalled realization. “Shit, Conal, I had no idea. I’m sorry. That was really insensitive. I apologize, Helena.” He stomped one foot in what she recognized as an equine gesture. For a moment, she glimpsed a ghostly image of a huge horse body around his lower torso. She breathed in, scenting. His chagrin was sincere.
“I mean,” Dion fumbled. “You’re really the only werewolf I’ve ever met. And then there was that…” He snapped his teeth closed.
“Warlock’s Wrath video,” Helena finished and sighed. “Yeah, I can see how watching that would give you a pretty dark opinion of us.”
“Which is basically the whole problem.” Conal looked at Dion. “Anything else I need to know?”
The Centauri paused, pursing his lips. “Well, there have been a couple of domestics, but I’m dealing with those. Beltane is a pretty laid back community. They know they’ve got a good thing here, and they don’t want to lose it.” His lips curved and he slapped Conal on the shoulder. “Thanks to you.” Glancing at Helena, he explained, “Ever since Ansgar died, Conal has been working to establish Beltane as a refuge for Changelings and those of us who can no longer live among our own people.”
Conal shrugged. “I know what it’s like to be on the run from powerful assholes. If I’d had somewhere to go…” He shook his head.
“Well, we’re all aware of what you’ve done for us,” Dion said. “The loans you’ve given people to start businesses, the