“Pink, cute as a baby pig. Looks like a baby pig? It’s a babypig.”
“The dragon?” I asked. “You sent me adragon?”
“Dragon?” Bathin sounded truly startled. Enough that both Crow and I turned to look athim.
“Yes, demon,” Crow said with so much smug-and-swagger, I rolled my eyes. “Delaney now has a pet dragon. Yourmove.”
Bathin opened his mouth. Closed it. Scowled at Crow. Scowled atme.
Then he stuck his hands in the pockets of his slacks feigning indifference. “I don’t see how a dragon makes any difference inanything.”
“Don’t you?” Crow was grinning now, and it was a lot more god-Raven than Uncle-Crow.
It made me happy he was on my side.Usually.
“A dragon is of no concern tome.”
“Of course it’s not,” Crow agreed. “It would only be a concern to you if you were trying to hide. You’re not trying to hide from anyone or anything are you,Prince?”
Bathin went hard, all stone and blackness shot by silver light. His demon nature shone through the illusion he presented the world, and burned, burned, burned. He wasangry.
He might even beafraid.
Of Crow? Or of the thing he was hidingfrom?
“No,” Bathin said, the word ground out between teeth locked tight. “There is nothing I hidefrom.”
“Isn’t that wonderful?” Crow said. “Delaney, isn’t that wonderful? Bathin here has nothing to fear. Not even yourdragon.”
“Do either of you want to tell me what you’re really talking about?” Iasked.
“No,” they both said at the same time. Typical. The one thing a god and demon could agree upon was keeping me in thedark.
“Fine. Then move aside so I can buy a Christmastree.”
Bathin stepped back toward my Jeep, but Crow just grinned. “What kind of tree are you looking fortoday?”
“You aren’t sellingthese.”
“Actually, I am. Oh, and unrelated: you might hear about a tarantula infestation, but we both know that would be impossible. These trees were grown in theNorthwest.”
“Spiders? You sold people trees full ofspiders?”
He glanced at the sky. “Maybe?”
“Maybe?”
“It might have been scorpions. Scorpions are much more available round theseparts.”
I slugged him in the arm. “Tell me you didn’t sell trees infested withanything.”
“Or what? You’ll throw me out of town? No, wait. You already didthat.”
“Or I’ll return mygift.”
“Dragons are non-returnable.”
“Nope. I am serious. I will find a way to kick the dragon out of town. You know Ican.”
