I was about to tell her the cot wouldn’t be very comfortable with her bum leg and hurt arm and ribs, but didn’t get that far.
“I have had quite enough of this, Delaney Reed.” A voice called out from the door.
Bertie, our one and only Valkyrie, stormed into the room. Short white hair, sharp bird-like features, and a spring-tight compact frame, Bertie looked to be somewhere in her eighties, but was immortal. She was rocking a lightweight beige tank top with a silken over-sleeve that glittered with gold and matched the bright drape of blood-red jewels dripping from a chain around her neck. Her slacks and open-toe heels completed her look.
And by look, I mean it made her look like both the battlefield warrior and community coordinator she was.
“Bertie,” I said, just as Hatter said, “Ma’am,” and Shoe straightened up off of the wall and slipped into parade rest. Oh, yeah, they’d met her before.
“Tell me you haven’t gone willingly into this travesty,” she went on as if there were no one in the room but her and me.
“You’re going to have to narrow that down. There’s been a lot of travesty around here lately.”
She paused in her march, and then surveyed the room as if looking for bones with enough meat left on them to pick. She squared off against Bathin.
“Hell-spawn. You have no place in this haven.”
“I don’t believe it’s your place to say so, Valkyrie.”
“There is a reason he denied you entrance.”
“Ancient history. We had our time and made amends.”
“Did you?” Her eyes got even sharper, and I thought I saw the hard glint of gold there.
“Yes.”
Silence, while they weighed the truth of whoever they were talking about. I had a feeling it was my dad.
“He knew,” I said, breaking the silence that was starting to get uncomfortable. “If you’re talking about Dad, he knew that I traded my soul in exchange for Ben’s rescue and Bathin’s ability to be in Ordinary.”
Bertie didn’t even glance my way. “Did you deliver on your promise?” She sounded eerily close to a disappointed schoolmistress.
“Have I ever gone against my word?”
“Many, many times, as I recall.”
He blushed. Or at least I thought that was a blush. For a guy who could choose his appearance, he seemed to have decided on scolded student. Wasn’t that interesting? Bathin could be what? Ashamed? Flustered? Guilty? Whatever it was, he looked uncomfortable and I totally loved Bertie for cracking that cool facade he carried around.
Loved her enough I might even buy her pie.
“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “Well.”
I was so going to pin Bertie down and make her tell me every detail she knew about Bathin because this was too good of a show to only see once.
“Hey, Bertie!” Jean waved. “Wanna sign my cast?”
Bertie broke the stare-off she’d been having with the demon and it was not my imagination that Bathin exhaled. Oh, he recovered quickly, but it had happened and I’d seen it. He’d been cowed by a little old lady.
“Of course I’ll sign it, dear.” She walked around behind the counter where no one went unless they worked here or were escorted by someone who worked here.
None of us told her she wasn’t allowed behind the counter because all of us knew better than to tell Bertie what to do.
“Ma’am.” Hatter sprang forward all legs and lank, and produced a red Sharpie out of his back pocket.
“Thank you, Officer Shoe.” She took the pen from him, oblivious or not caring that the rest of us were still watching her every move. “Delaney, I need to speak with you even thought Ryder told me on the phone earlier that you were unavailable.”
Ryder just sighed.
