Read Shepherd's Moon for Free Online

with water. The metal stakes were enough to keep a Newborn quiet and weakened them substantially if they stayed in place too long.
    Brutal, but effective.
    It never should have killed them though. So the news caught me off guard. How did that happen?
    He shrugged and reached for a file. It happens.
    Secrets. Great. I shook my head. I don’t have any great love of vampires, but if I’m required to bring them in alive, I figure Richard at least has the obligation to keep them that way. It hadn’t even been 24 hours. But, arguing the point would be a waste of time. Richard does what he wants, when he wants.
    “Okay — so you need the Handler.”
    “Yes.”
    “But, you want me to go talk to a cat first.”
    He nodded once, without looking up. “I’m putting Billy on this case for now.”
    “Not without a partner.” Regardless of who Billy works for, he’s still under my protection and there was no way I would let him out on the streets alone.
    “Brock has agreed to help out for a few days, “ Richard answered.
    I rolled my eyes. “You know how that’s going to turn out. Thanks a lot for that, by the way. Geez. You don’t put an alpha wolf and a coyote on the same case together, Richard. It’s a recipe for disaster, and I’ll be the one cleaning up the mess.”
    “They’re on warning to get along.” Closing the file, he glanced up at me. “Besides, a little time away from this case may give you some perspective.”
    I don’t fail often, but when I do, I’m not afraid to take my lumps. And he was right. I hadn’t found the Handler. “Fine. I’ll go see your neighbor about her damned cat. What’s her name?”
    “Meg Jensen.”
    “And what does Meg Jensen do besides worry about her cat?” I asked.
    He shot me a warning glance. Apparently I was pushing my luck. “She just retired from the Parallax Corporation.”
    “The pharmaceutical company?”
    “That’s one of their subsidiaries.” He tapped his foot, a sure sign he was growing bored with the conversation. I was obviously keeping him from something. “But they work with everything from biotechnology to publication of trade magazines.”
    “Biotechnology, huh?” I frowned. “They do any animal testing?”
    “It’s scientific research, Alex.” He signed off on the file and placed it atop a growing stack of papers. “That would be a logical conclusion to draw.”
    I grunted my disapproval, making my feelings as obvious as I could make them. “And which area did she work in?”
    Richard raised his hand, warning me against my predictable tangent on the evils of testing on animals. “Don’t start, Alexandra. She’s a scientist. I suspect she has delved into the evils of animal testing at some point in her career.”
    I shrugged. “Fine. I just hope this unusual cat wasn’t one of her prior subjects.”
    My casual comment seemed to catch his attention, but he dismissed whatever he was thinking with a shake of his head.
    “Is this something I need to mention to the Council?” The last thing I needed was to jeopardize my standing in the Council. Again.
    It represents the only real law that a preternatural, or a Shepherd, is held accountable too. Each continent has a specific number of Shepherds delegated to a region. North America has a total of five Shepherds, including myself. For the most part, the states are split up equitably. South America has two Shepherds, but in my opinion, could use a few more. Africa is our most densely populated region with twelve Shepherds and Europe is a close second. Once a year, we all get together for a weeklong working conference. And each week, the North American Shepherds have a virtual meeting to update one another on the events of our territory. It’s one way I stay grounded in a very demanding position with a lot of responsibility.
    “I don’t think that’s necessary yet.” Richard glanced at the calendar on the desk, tracing his finger along the large blotter. “When’s your next