“Sorry. Too much to do. My butcher is going to weep with joy when I tell him about the meat order I intend to place. He’ll probably be able to put his Great-Grandkids through college thanks to this Valhalla gig.”
“You know the party is six months away, right?”
That news didn’t stop Nico from trying to leave. If anything, the news made him move a little faster. Except despite his best efforts, the Portal door wouldn’t open. “What’s up with this thing? I think it’s jammed.”
“Asher has a tendency to roam.” That was perhaps downplaying his skills. Gigi had seen the complicated locking system her cousin utilised just to keep Asher in his car seat for story time at the library. “I’m betting Lucy put us on lockdown when she left, as a precaution.”
“To keep the baby in, or to ensure we didn’t make a run for it?” Nico’s eyes shifting from a light toffee shade to a darker amber.
“A bit of both, I suspect.” Forcing a smile, because being all dark and gloomy wasn’t going to go far in coaxing her six-month-old second cousin down for his nap. Mentally, Gigi ran through her options. What did she have that would soothe and calm a baby? “What are you doing?” Watching perplexed as Nico stalked over to the oven and commandeered two bright tangerine oven mitts.
“The kid is a biter, correct? With a taste for fingers.” Nico held up his now mitt-encased hands.
“He doesn’t bite. He reshapes metal objects into other objects, mainly weapons.”
“And he was able to get the drop on his Grandfather, the demi-god, with centuries of warring under his belt? I think we should rethink our strategy. How about we barricade ourselves in here, find some booze and hunker down until his parents show up?”
Seriously? Was it just her that brought out the worst in this man? All her cousins, both male and female who had interacted with Nico over the past few years, claimed he was wry, and funny. Personally, Gigi had kept her distance. For the first year because Darcy had put a moratorium on the newly refurbished Bar, claiming the Yanez brothers were nothing but meld matecatnip candy, lured to the Sanctuary by their matchmaking Great-Aunt Alma.
Despite the ban though, Quinn, friend and cousin, had still managed to meld with Matias Yanez.
Subsequently the ban on the Bar had been lifted. But other than a few weddings and birthday celebrations that Gigi couldn’t get out of, she hadn’t spent a lot of time there admiring the last remaining available Yanez brother, like so many of her single relatives. Good luck to them. They could have his tightly sculpted grumpy ass.
Gigi was way too busy ensuring her business was a roaring success and now it seems trying to save the planet from being destroyed by a bunch of power-hungry deities.
Reaching down, Gigi scooped up Canary, placing him on her shoulder. Time to ride bunny buddy.
“You don’t want a weapon of any kind?”
She shot Nico a hard glare. A weapon? Against a six-month-old? Noting he was now awkwardly carrying a pair of large wooden tongs in his gloved hands. Wood? Smart idea. They actually might prove useful. Further pleased to note as she headed out of the kitchen that Nico was bringing up the rear. As a very last resort she’d use Nico’s body as a shield and throw Canary at Asher. Hopefully the large floppy ears and big innocent bunny eyes would provide enough of a distraction so that Gigi could disarm him, and get Asher down for his nap. Keeping all her digits intact whilst doing so.
Goddess. Disarm him. A six-month-old. What was she thinking?
What she needed was a lure. Bait. Come on, think. Six-month-old babies, what did they like? Milk. Sharp deadly edged weapons. And… oh, she was overthinking this, chocolate!
Heading up to the second storey, climbing the stairs, Gigi didn’t even try to hide her approach. There was no use, notin these high heels and with Nico stomping up behind her. “Asher?” Her tone was calm, but firm. “It’s Cousin Gigi. Nana and Pa had to pop out on a quick errand. It’s nap time. Playtime is over.”
A soft scurrying echoed down the wide upstairs foyer. It was impossible to pinpoint the origin of the sound. It could have come from any of the rooms up here. Gigi tamping down on the urge to start flinging open closed doors and leaping into rooms saying ‘a-hah’ until she found the baby.
Nope, she was the one setting the agenda here. Striding down the corridor until she came to a door painted a soft yellow with a white dragon decorating it, a fierce expression on its face as flames roared out its mouth. Ah, the nursery.
Inside the room, more painted dragons flew across three of the walls; all of them varying colours, engaged in a fierce but bloodless aerial battle. This was a nursery mural after all. No doubt when Asher got a little older her cousin, Frazer, who’d painted it, would be re-engaged to add blood and gore.
The silence up here suddenly was a little chilling. Luckily, she had Nico’s dark glare of annoyance to keep her focused. The look he sent her way pretty much translated to I hope you know what the hell you’re doing as he guarded the door. At least he had her back in this crazy plan. A lot of men, several local Enforcers included, would have actually barricaded themselves in the kitchen.
“Where the hell did you get freshly baked chocolate chip cookies from?” Nico backed further into the room, probably wanting to confirm what he was smelling.
Gigi couldn’t resist a smug smile. “I’m a professional. I always travel packing treats.” Giving Canary a discreet pat of thanks. There had been nothing wrong with batch number fourteen she’d made five years ago. Except they’d been a little too heavy on the chocolate chips.
“Now what?”
Gigi arranged a cookie on the pillow, turning down the sheet and blanket, before beckoning Nico to take three steps back with her, away from the cot. “We wait.” She whispered.
“You expect a finger-detaching infant to fall for the old choc chip cookie in the cot snare?”
Gigi didn’t have to respond; the sound of approving yummy noises coming from the cot were answer enough. Crumbs be damned, Asher had gummed that cookie down quick smart. “There’s plenty more where that one came from, but first you need to lie down. Right, then, no more cookies for you. Ah, that’s more like it. Here, Sweetie-Pie.” She handed over another cookie. And another. Half-way through the third one, Asher’s eyelids closed, and he began breathing heavily.
Okay, the cot was full of crumbs, but also one sleeping baby boy.
