Bas took her hand and kissed it. “Quickly now. Lead the way so we can get your clothes.”
“Not that she’ll need them,” Marge called behind them.
“You’re the worst,” Bridget said, opening the door at the back of the shop that revealed an internal staircase.
“Let her believe it. She won’t worry that way,” Bas replied, following her up. “Besides, you never know; I might have a feather duster somewhere if there are any cobwebs you need cleaning.”
Bridget gave him the finger over her shoulder and opened another door. Inside was filled with books, and Bas expected nothing less.
“Don’t mess with the piles. They are all in a special order,” Bridget warned him. She headed for her bedroom, and Bas knew better than to follow.
One wall was covered in clippings and articles, a lot of them about the fae and Morrigan’s attack on Dublin. She had said they had saved her life, and it looked like she had been keeping tabs on their activities.
The stack of books beside it were graphic novels, Doctor Strange and Moon Knight dominating. Bas couldn’t help but smile. They were his favorites too. One pile of books was translations of theHermetica, and another was a collection of science magazines specifically about brains. One had an article he had written that made him smile, but he didn’t move it to the top because he promised her he wouldn’t touch anything. There were stacks of theology, philosophy, and ancient history.
“You really are a magician,” he said, looking over the titles. He called out. “Which Doctor Strange is your favorite?”
“TheLoki: Sorcerer Supremearc that starts in issue #381,” Bridget replied, returning to the lounge with a black backpack slung over her shoulder. “I love Loki too, so it was a double bonus. Why are you grinning?”
“Because you are going to get along really well with my extended family,” Bas replied, and because he couldn’t resist trying to impress her, he added, “We might be the guardians of Fenris’s resting place.”
Bridget’s eyes went wide. “Are you fucking with me right now?”
“Nope.”
“Bas, why would you tell me that? Do you know how dangerous it would be for anyone knowing that? If crazy people find out, they would torture the information out of you and would try and wake him up.”
“Crazy people already did, sweetheart. We stopped them, and that’s why we are now his guardian,” Bas said. He picked up a copy of Moon Knight. “If you were to be the avatar of any god, which would it be?”
“Who would you be?” she countered.
“Let’s say it at the same time. Ready? One, two, three...”
“Hermes,” Bridget said.
“Thoth,” Bas said. He beamed down at her. “You really are the perfect woman.”
“Ha! Said no one ever,” Bridget replied.
Bas touched her lightly on the cheek. “I’m standing here, saying it right now.”
Bridget stared up at him, the vulnerability in her eyes smacking him in the guts. “It might take some time to believe it. I haven’t had the greatest life, Bas.”
He pointed at the wall of newspaper clippings, the ones all about the fae.
“You said they saved your life. Does that have something to do with it?”
“Yeah, it does,” she said and swallowed hard. “But you’ll need more than cookies to get it out of me.”
“Hmm, so it’s more of a chocolate and hazelnut torte situation?” he replied, trying to chase the shadows from her eyes.
Bridget huffed out a laugh. “Definitely a torte worthy conversation. Rum involved. Lots of rum.”
“When you are ready, let me know. I’ll get out my grandmother’s recipe for it and raid the cellar,” Bas replied, holding out a hand. “Let me carry that, or Marge will rip shreds off me.”
“I can carry my own bag,” Bridget grumbled but still passed it to him. “She’s going to heckle us anyway, and it’s your own fault.”
Bas only smiled and let her go first down the stairs. She waited at the bottom and then took his hand. “Just to keep up appearances.”
