The princess laughed once more. She'd known that securing the Abukenti shoes and scoring such a fashion triumph would wound Thrix and Malveria deeply. She'd accurately predicted that both would resort to wine to bolster their crushed spirits and consequently let down their guards even further. Which, she observed, they had. Neither Thrix nor Malveria could be said to be at their brightest at the moment.

The princess disappeared in the crush, and Easterly found himself beside the Mistress of the Werewolves as he entered the auditorium. She greeted him stiffly.

"My daughter's companion," she said to a woman Easterly didn't recognize. Probably a MacRinnalch, from the cast of her features.

Easterly felt a sudden thrill, knowing that he was in the presence of many werewolves, and here under the unwitting protection of one of their number. How many MacRinnalchs might be in the audience tonight? In amongst the crowd of wealthy patrons of the arts, Easterly was sure he'd spotted at least five or six probable werewolves. He'd have to be very careful to dispose of Thrix in some private way to allow himself a chance of escape. It was a task only the most expert of werewolf hunters could manage. He wondered where that most inexpert of werewolf hunters Albermarle was. In London, he hoped. If he followed up on his plan to attack Dominil tonight, he would surely die. Albermarle and his junior associates just didn't have the strength to cope with Dominil, particularly as there was every likelihood of other werewolves being around her at the gig. These werewolves would be unaffected by the princess's spell. When she brought on the eclipse of the moon to steal the enchantress's powers, it would only work in a small area. Anyone outside of Andamair House would be unaffected. If Albermarle chose that moment to attack Dominil, he'd undoubtedly be defeated.

CHAPTER 158.

The Thane was not at his best. He greeted guests and charmed benefactors while sharing hosting duties with his mother but seemed, for some reason, distracted.

"Are you all right?" asked Beatrice, not for the first time.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You keep looking over your shoulder."

Markus brushed the question aside, claiming to be merely concerned that their guests were all being properly looked after. But Markus was indeed distracted. He was here with Beatrice at his side, while Heather was, as far as he knew, currently working backstage. If Heather appeared in the reception hall while he was with Beatrice, there was going to be an embarrassing scene.

"I really should have organized things better," he told himself. "I am Thane, after all."

Just before the assembled crowd was due to filter into the auditorium, the Mistress of the Werewolves approached him, embraced him, and thanked him warmly for his support. "I really couldn't have organized this without you."

Markus embraced his mother in return, unselfconsciously. Verasa smiled at Beatrice. She'd come to like the young castle-archivist more and more and now regarded her as a reasonably suitable partner for her son. While she was not from the most glorious of werewolf heritages-which would have been better, given that Markus was Thane-she was at least respectable. As far as Verasa had been able to find out, there were no skeletons in the young werewolf's closet. Nothing that might bring disgrace on the clan. If only, thought Verasa, she could encourage Markus to settle down, the clan might finally settle into some sort of peace and sobriety. Though the scars of the recent feud had faded, they hadn't disappeared. Nothing would unite the MacRinnalchs like a good wedding, particularly one that involved the Thane.

Verasa's attention was claimed by a party of executives from a banking corporation who were very large sponsors of the event. She led them into the hall, leaving Markus and Beatrice behind.

Beatrice, who always felt a little tense in the presence of the Mistress of the Werewolves, relaxed. "I think she's starting to like me."

Markus smiled. "She always did like you. She just wasn't sure if you were a suitable partner."

"It's a pity my family didn't fight at Bannockburn." The MacRinnalchs had a proud history. They had often marched to war in support of the kings of Scotland. Unfortunately, Beatrice's family didn't seem to include any illustrious ancestors.

"But no humans either." Markus smiled. "That would really be the end."

They kissed. A photographer took their picture, because Markus was so handsome, and they made an excellent couple.

"Hello, Markus."

They stopped kissing and looked around. Heather MacAllister was smiling at them.

"Hello," said Heather, brightly, to Beatrice. "I'm Markus's girlfriend. Or I thought I was. And you would be?"

CHAPTER 159.

Cameron MacRinnalch's previous gigs had been moderately successful without attracting a huge amount of interest. Cameron would have been surprised to learn of the efforts that were now being made by various people to get there. Kalix, fresh off the train from London, was marching through the foggy city, paying scant regard to traffic or pedestrians, eyes fixed on some point a few feet ahead of her on the pavement, her mouth hanging open. Decembrius was some way behind but not far from the city. He wondered if he should look for a parking space in the middle of town, which might be difficult, or abandon his car further out and hurry onwards on foot. Meanwhile Vex had popped up on a small island off the north coast of Scotland and was wondering why there was so much sea everywhere. Fierce breakers rumbled towards her on the shore.

"Hmm. This doesn't look right."

She attempted to ask a seal, rolling lazily on the beach, if she was anywhere near Edinburgh, but the seal didn't seem in the mood for talking. Vex looked quizzically at her map, glanced at the sun, trying to gauge which direction she might be going in, then set off again, disappearing from view and leaving the seal in peace.

Inside the small venue, Dominil wasn't impressed. "Having driven four hundred miles, I expected something better."

Dominil regarded her surroundings with distaste. The club was little more than a cellar underneath a tattoo parlor, with a tiny stage, a small bar, and not much room for an audience. It was dark, smelled of damp, and the dressing room was the size of a cupboard.

"The warehouse was better than this."

"Relax," said Pete. "It's rock and roll."

"I hate it," mumbled Beauty. Neither she nor her sister had yet embraced the spirit of rock and roll. Both were still suffering from nerves. Dominil suggested that they retire to the small dressing room and attend to their makeup, which, she knew, would occupy their attention. The twins did so, closing the door behind them, leaving Dominil and the others to set up their equipment.

"They'll be fine once the gig starts," said Dominil.

"Have you had a boyfriend recently?" asked Pete, trying and failing to sound casual.

"No, but I've had some stalkers," muttered Dominil, and busied herself preparing for the soundcheck. It didn't take long to set up. The stage was barely large enough for their amplifiers and speakers.

"Are the twins ready to soundcheck?"

Dominil went to check on them, hoping that the process of doing their makeup would have calmed them down. The other alternative was that they'd be lying on the floor in an advanced state of intoxication. She slipped into the tiny dressing room.

"What on Earth?"

Beauty, perched on a chair in front of a cracked mirror, was in her werewolf shape. That was a surprise, because neither of the twins could transform at will.

"What happened?"

"I don't know."

"Why did you change? And how?"

"I don't know. It just happened."

At that moment, Delicious involuntarily transformed as well.

"Stop doing that. Change back."

The twins laughed.

"This is funny!" Beauty exclaimed.

"No, it isn't. You've got a gig to play. Change back."

But the sisters claimed not to be able to. They hadn't meant to change in the first place, and now they seemed to be stuck.

"Trust you to be the first werewolves ever to get stuck," said Dominil, angrily. "Are you sure you can't change back?"

The twins strained to make the transformation, without success. They were so unused to making the change at all, apart from around the full moon, that the whole experience was quite strange. They stopped laughing, realizing the seriousness of the situation.

"We can't go on stage like this. Can we?"

"No."

"Could we pretend we were in costume?"

"That's the most ludicrous idea I've ever heard." Dominil clenched her fists in frustration. Trust the twins to come up with some new way of ruining everything. "Just change back; it's not difficult. I'll show you." She changed into her werewolf shape and stood in front of the sisters. "Now, concentrate-"

At that moment, Pete walked into the dressing room. Finding himself confronted by three werewolves, he moved faster than anyone had ever seen him move before, leaping backwards in shock and crashing against the wall so violently that he knocked himself out. He slid down the wall to lie unconscious on the floor.

"Well, that's fantastic," said Dominil. "Now the guitarist knows we're werewolves."

"And he's unconscious."

Dominil pushed a chair against the door to keep it closed then bent down over Pete.

"Don't kill him!" Delicious looked worried. "It's not his fault he found out we're werewolves."

"I wasn't planning on killing him. Though it might make our lives easier."

CHAPTER 160.

I'm defeated." Moonglow was hunched on the couch, her hands thrust deep in the pockets of her shiny latex jacket.

Daniel couldn't remember seeing her quite so dejected. It would have been an excellent opportunity for stepping in and cheering Moonglow up. Unfortunately, Daniel was too dejected to make the attempt. The loss of their money was a shattering blow, one that made it impossible to feel any emotion except depression and defeat.

"I'll get a job," said Daniel.

Moonglow nodded. She would have to find work as well to pay their debts. "But it won't help us right away. If we don't pay the electricity today, we're going to be disconnected. And the phone bill needs to be paid by tomorrow."

"What about the council tax?"

"Also tomorrow." Moonglow sighed, loudly. "I thought we could help Kalix. I was mistaken. Every time we do, she just lets us down. I can't believe she took that money."

Daniel didn't argue. If Moonglow had come to the end of her patience with Kalix, it was understandable.

"I hope she's safe in Scotland." Moonglow's expression darkened. "But if she comes back, she'll have to move out. I'm not living with someone who steals from us."

"What about Vex?"

"I don't know. Right now I don't care." Moonglow put her hand on the phone then withdrew it. "I really can't bear asking my parents for money."

Daniel nodded. He knew how embarrassing that was going to be. If he could have asked his own family for money, he would have, but Daniel's mother didn't have any money to spare. He shifted uncomfortably, wincing a little. His back was sore. After going out with friends the previous night, they'd stayed over. Moonglow had slept in the spare bed. Daniel, gallantly, had volunteered to sleep on the couch. Now he had a stiff neck.

"I expect Malveria will take Vex home anyway," said Moonglow, "when she learns that she's missed the exam." Kalix and Vex's final exam was tomorrow. In addition to her fury over the missing money, Moonglow was outraged that they'd simply disappeared when they were due to take their exam. "Looking after them was a complete waste of time."

Daniel stared at the sheet of paper in his hands. "Can you help me with this?"

"What is it?"

"My application for work at the supermarket, stacking shelves. Every time I try to write my name, my eyes go blurry." Filling in his application form, Daniel felt quite bitter about everything. "I should have known the minute we met a werewolf that no good would come of it."

CHAPTER 161.

Though the gigs Cameron MacRinnalch had previously organized had not been spectacularly successful, the venue he used was small enough not to require a huge audience to generate a good atmosphere. Tonight the usual crowd of students was augmented by a few of the younger MacRinnalchs, students themselves mainly, sent to university in Edinburgh by werewolf parents keen for their children to better themselves. There was a good atmosphere as they waited for the band to appear. Yum Yum Sugary Snacks, being even more obscure than the rest of the bill, were on first.

In the privacy of the dressing room, it seemed like they might never go on at all.

"What are we going to do?" Dominil desperately tried to think of some sort of story they could tell Pete to get them out of this mess, but she knew it was hopeless. Pete had seen Beauty and Delicious as werewolves, and it couldn't be undone. "Unless he thought he was hallucinating. Does Pete take drugs?"

"Of course not," said Beauty. "He is a guitarist in a rock band after all."

The twins burst out laughing.

"This is not funny," growled Dominil. "And will you please change back before anyone else sees you?"