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“Why the confusion?” Josie cut in. “You’re insubstantial, but we know you’re still alive.”
Gun snorted with laughter.
“The hunters only appear phantomlike, usually when they’re on horseback,” I said. “Some of you have tarot cards that turn you into a shadow. That doesn’t mean you’re a shade that I can control.”
Franco swilled his beer. “Got it.”
Josie raised her chin. “Are you sure? Because I’d be more than happy to show you the difference between dead and alive.”
A low whistle erupted from Monica. “What did you do to get on Josephine’s bad side?”
“His dues were late,” Josie answered. “Again.”
Vaughn reached into his pocket and retrieved his wallet. “I think mine are overdue too. I’ve got cash.”
“You don’t make a habit of it,” Josie told him.
Franco slunk against his chair. “My assistant quit, and I haven’t had time to hire a new one.”
“Your assistant quit six months ago,” Josie said. “Stop being such a man-child and get your shit together.”
“Thank you, Josephine.” Kane leveled her with a look I recognized as back off.
“Forget the animals,” a petite redheaded woman said. I was fairly certain this was the first time I’d ever heard her speak. “What about the hunting party? Shouldn’t we be more worried about them running around Wild Acres?”
“And then what?” Franco asked. “Justine’s right. Are we supposed to just ignore the Wild Hunt when they ride into town and hope they don’t wreak havoc?”
“One step at a time,” I said. Rehoming the white stag was the first priority.
Alfonso set aside his empty glass. “It seems to me that, even if we capture this mystical stag, you’re going to be right back here in a couple days, begging us to defend Wild Acres against invaders. We might as well vote with that in mind.”
Justine bit her thin lip that was almost as pale as the rest of her. “This is supposed to be our safe haven. Fairhaven soil is sacred.”
“That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use our skills to defend the town against external threats,” Gun replied.
“What if we kill one of the land spirits in self-defense?” Vaughn asked. “If they’re not technically dead, won’t we have our membership revoked?”
“And get booted out of town,” Alfonso added.
Gun tipped back his head to look at Kane. “Could we add a temporary rider to the by-laws that allows us to act in self-defense for the purpose of defending the town?”
“We should always be able to act in defense of the town,” Camryn said. “That should be a standard exception to the rules.”
“But that could be easily manipulated,” Josie said. “If one of you decided to take out a local enemy, you’d be clever enough to frame it as self-defense.”
“She has a point,” Vaughn said. “We are an exceedingly clever bunch.”
“Not clever enough to figure out how to defeat the Wild Hunt without whining about it for an hour first,” Josie murmured.
“This isn’t the type of fighting we do,” Vaughn said. “Wild Hunts are old school.”
“You’re in an ancient society of mages that dates back to fifteenth century Florence,” Josie shot back. “It doesn’t get more old school than that.”
Gun smirked. “Our magic is exceptionally old.”
“We’re not all mages,” Justine protested.
Gun’s head bobbed. “That’s fair. So what’s your plan, vampiress?” He turned his gaze to me. “Are land spirits affected by puncture wounds?”
