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“Hey, Ed,” I shouted, slowing down beside him to read today’s outrage. He angled the sign for my benefit. In large red letters, he’d written: Forrest Gump should never have won the Oscar for Best Picture.

“Probably time to let that one go,” I said and continued driving.

“Ed Moody,” Penny said, reciting from an unseen list. “Werepanther, right?”

“That’s right. Have you met him?” I asked my unwanted shadow.

“Not yet.”

“What then? You memorized the whole Neighborhood?”

“No, but I’m working on it. I want to be able to recognize everyone on sight. What’s he protesting?”

“Nothing. Hot takes are his favorite form of expression.” I turned left toward the square. “Explain something to me, Penny Beaufort.”

“Those are two names, you know. You can just call me Penny.”

“Explain something to me, Beaufort. How is it that you’re able to work here?”

“There was a job opening after your promotion. Justine hired me to fill it.”

“No, I understand that part. I mean the Fates. It’s my understanding that becoming a fury is like entering Hotel California.”

“I’ve never been to California.”

Judd would’ve understood that reference. I missed Judd.

“I was injured,” Penny continued. “The Fates decided I was no longer able to perform my duties and released me from their service.”

I didn’t dare make eye contact and give myself away. “And they simply…let you go? Couldn’t find another role for you in another division?”

“There were many discussions before a decision was reached, but they decided cutting me loose was best.”

Of course. The Fates had to weigh her worth before they found her wanting.

“You seem surprised,” Penny said. “Did you expect them to put me down like an injured horse?”

I didn’t think—I knew.

At least, I thought I knew. Penny’s presence baffled me. I had to slow the torrent of questions, though, before I raised her suspicions. The average supernatural was more interested in how to survive the latest phase of technology than the practice of divine justice.

“I would’ve expected the Fates to work harder to retain their furies, given how few are left in the world.”

Penny wiggled her butt in her seat like a playful puppy. “I, for one, am much happier to be here. It feels like a permanent vacation.”

“You say that now. Give it time.”

Penny was unfazed. “You seem to like it.”

“I have no desire to leave,” I said. That was one hundred percent true. I didn’t even want to make the occasional trip to Savannah on the mainland, although those trips had become more necessary recently.

We arrived at the square and I immediately spotted the issue. A group of Neighbors were clustered in a circle. I recognized the backs of the McKinley brothers and Sammy. All werewolves.

I parked the cart curbside. “Let’s go.”

Penny looked around, uncertain. “This isn’t an official parking spot.”

“It is for us.”