She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. “The brewery….”

“If they can’t spare you for a few days, I’ll come down.” I loosened my hold, letting my sister go. “When I’m ready. When we’re ready. I… We’ll make a day of it.”

She brightened. “Okay. Deal.” Zoey popped up onto her toes and kissed my cheek. I took the opportunity to draw in the scent of her, mentally wrapping it around myself like a security blanket. Zoey had been home for so long. What would I do without her?

She pulled away. “I’m going to go up so you don’t see me getting all smoopy.”

I laughed, though it sounded brittle around the edges. “Yes, being smoopy is the enemy. We are wolves. We must be fierce at all times.”

She gave me a little push, and I climbed into the SUV, watching Zoey in the rear-view mirror until she was back into my apartment building. I sat in the seat for a moment. It wasn’t my apartment building—not anymore. Everything that was mine was in the car. It still hurt, but it also felt good. I was ready. A whole new life awaited me. I turned the key, and the engine rumbled to life. Then I popped the brake and hit the gas.

Seattle, here I come.

Chapter Three

Lou

I walked to Wicked Brews, the closest—and luckily best—potionary in town. Just down the block from Family Familiar, Wicked Brews fit perfectly in Briar Creek, a trendy neighborhood in the north end of Seattle. It was barely still in the city, perching on the edge between a traditionally human district and the place where the magic users lived. Even after a century and a half of being in the open, the Uncanny still made some humans nervous.

The invention of the camera pretty much did us in. Magic users showed up funny in the first photographs. Turns out you can see our auras. Imagine expecting a sepia-tinted photo with stiff-looking people and getting a wash of color instead. Digital cameras don’t have the same issue, but I’ve seen some of the old photos online and they’re pretty wild.

I mean, the writing was on the wall, anyway. Humanity was everywhere, the wild places smaller. We simply had fewer places to hide. Some Uncanny blended better with humanity than others. Witches like me, for example. Others, like Dammit, not so much.

I thought it was all for the best, but not everyone agreed. Still, you’d think everyone would be used to it by now.

The bell above the door tinkled as I swung it open, the scent of coffee wafting out into the spring air. I held the door, earning me a smile from the elderly Hind walking through, one hand full of a cardboard tray of drinks, the other clutching the hand of a little Fawn chattering away next to her. From the smear of icing down the front of her pink T-shirt, the Fawn had already had a treat. She was young enough that she still had spots on her deer-like lower half, but my guess was they would fade soon enough. The older Hind smiled indulgently down at her as they clopped into the street. Dammit chirped drowsily from his carrier and the little Fawn glanced back at me. I gave a little wave before ducking into the potionary.