Free Resurrection by Anita Cox

maker. If this move meant she could transition from a lonely bachelorette to frequent sex like she’d had last night, she decided she’d adjust just fine.
    “Wendy!” Grace was screaming in her head. “Are you okay?”
    “Grace?” she said aloud.
    “Oh my God. Meeting in the dining hall in five.”
    She shuddered, knowing Grace had special powers with her royal blood but having her inside her head was unsettling. She had anticipated waking her lover with a fresh cup of coffee and conversation. This wasn’t what she’d had in mind.
    Rushing into the bedroom, she shook her slumbering Centaur awake.
    “Huh?” He sat up rubbing his eyes.
    “There’s some sort of meeting in the dining hall in five minutes. It must be an emergency. Grace sounded kind of frantic. We’d better get cleaned up. There’s coffee in the kitchen.” She jumped in the shower while he headed to the kitchen for a quick cup. The moment she stepped out he was in and out in seconds.
    He dried off and pulled his jeans up as fast as he could. “Emergency? Did she say what kind?”
    “No.”
    He snatched his shirt off the floor and ran out of her place, slamming the door behind him.
    “Good morning to you too.” She sighed as she grabbed a pair of tennis shoes and socks and carried them to the kitchen, sliding them on before grabbing a cup of coffee to take with her. She hurried toward the dining area, taking quick sips of the brew while it was hot.
    She rounded the corner into the dining hall and saw a group of Pixies sobbing. Oh shit. This is bad.
    “Wendy! I’m so glad you’re okay,” Grace ran to her and flung her arms around her shoulders. She managed not to spill a drop of coffee.
    “What’s going on?”
    “One of the Pixies was murdered last night. There was a note. Apparently, there are some factions that aren’t very happy about us all living under the same roof. They want us to stay separated.”
    It was then she saw what the group of sobbing men and women were standing around. On the floor, lying on a board was a nearly decapitated female with a note nailed to her chest.
    “Is everyone else accounted for?” Zoltar’s voice boomed throughout the hall.
    Roman walked over to him. His face was drawn and he looked pale. “We’re waiting on a few Dwarves to arrive. But other than that, yes.”
    A Centaur in his natural form galloped into the hall with a dozen gnomes on his back. “All of the gnomes are accounted for, Sir.”
    Zoltar lifted them off of his brother’s back and placed them on the floor, two at a time. Wendy appreciated how gently he handled them.
    Roman shook his head. “We’re really going to have to ramp up security. We can’t have this happening to our students.” He took a deep breath. “I will speak with Gustav. Vampires can cover the night shifts.”
    “My men will rotate the daylight hours along with the Dwarves. They’re voracious warriors.” Zoltar looked to his brother. They both nodded. She wondered if that was his Beta.
    “Damn straight we’re warriors. No one is getting hurt on our watch!” The last two of them cursed as they walked into the hall.
    “What can I do?” she asked, feeling helpless.
    Grace rubbed her face. “We are all going to start running together to strengthen the pack bond. Don’t run without at least one other person with you. Okay? I just couldn’t stand it if something happened to you.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “She was a gentle soul.”
    “Get her body laid to rest immediately. We can’t have a corpse lying here when the humans arrive.” Roman said in a low voice to Zoltar. He turned, raised his voice to address everyone else. “We shall pay our respects after dinner. For now, let’s return her to Mother Earth where she can rest peacefully.”
    Four Pixie men lifted the board the body was on. They hung their heads as they carried her out of the room.
    Her gaze immediately fell to the pool of blood on the floor where the Pixie’s body had rested.