“I was just thinking about these yesterday. It’s been forever.” She plucked the carrier out of my hand and set it down on the table in the middle of the room where other goodies were piling up. “Hogan, you gotta taste these.”
He rambled over, all smooth grace and easy attitude. He was human and Jinn, which gave him the ability to see past a person’s physical self to what they really were inside. It was a handy thing, especially when we had new creatures stroll into town who might not want to reveal their true nature.
“Better than mine?” he asked.
“Way.” She held a soft, gooey bun up to his mouth.
“Bring it.” He opened wide, and she shoved the whole thing in his mouth.
He made appreciative noises while he chewed and gave me two thumbs up. “Think I can get that recipe off of you for the bakery, Myra?” I loved how his Jamaican accent kind of swooped through my name.
“I think you could.”
“You sure Bathin’s not bothering you?” Delaney asked.
“Bathin’s standing right here,” he rumbled.
“It was just a little trip. I’ll get the mop.”
“I got it,” Jean said.
I handed the other carrier to Delaney. “Cheesecake strawberries.”
Her pale blue eyes widened and she smiled. It transformed her from athletic and confident to little-girl-delighted. “You always know exactly what to bring.” She leaned in and gave me a one-armed hug. “It’s like a gift or something.”
It was a gift. We all had one.
Jean’s family gift was knowing when something bad—really bad—was going to happen. She tried to joke it off, but I knew it was a heavy burden.
Delaney’s gift was being the only person who could allow the gods to vacation here. She was the bridge, the way in which they could put down their god power and try their hand at ordinary, mortal living.
“You doing okay?” I asked as we hugged.
“Same as always,” she replied.
Which wasn’t the same as good.
I didn’t know how she put up with Bathin possessing her soul. If it had been me, I would have forced him to give it back, no matter the cost. But Delaney was patient and steady. She’d traded her soul so that Bathin would let go of Dad’s. She wasn’t complaining about the deal.
I was. I was doing everything I could to find a way to get her soul away from him.
Bathin was a ticking bomb. As soon as he got whatever he wanted out of owning Delaney’s soul, I knew he’d explode. Then Ordinary, and all the people in it, would pay the price.
“Myra Reed,” Roy called out. “Come on over here and sign my going-away cube.”
Roy was a bear of a man, his hair tight and curly against his scalp, his cheeks wide, his eyes the softest brown in the world. He wore casual clothes today, a sweater vest over a button-down in a nice coral that made his darker complexion look almost rosy.
“Where’s your wife?” I asked as the big man gave me a hug.
“She’s packing for the trip. We leave tomorrow morning. Up to Portland to catch our flight. She decided to buy five new pairs of shoes, and none of them have heels or cover her toes.”
“Perks of retirement, right?”
He chuckled. “Still doesn’t feel real. I’m going to miss this place. Miss you girls.”
“Just the girls?” Ryder asked without looking up from the files he was scanning through.
Roy smiled. “Oh, I’ll miss you too, Bailey. And those two chuckleheads.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.
