Jean frowned. “It’s not like there are adult petting z— You know what? Never mind. I retract that statement.”
“It’s behind the Sweet Reflections,” I said. “She’ll be there bright and early during the High Tea Tide and will be there all day.”
Xtelle sucked her nostrils in and narrowed her eyes.
“All,” I enunciated, “day.”
She muttered something that sounded like “stomp stomp stomp,” then turned toward the door. “I refuse to spend a moment more in this dismal place.”
“Ordinary?” I asked hopefully. Maybe a little too hopefully.
“This house.” Shestomp, stomp, stomped across the floor, each hoof hitting harder than necessary, her pony butt swishing.
“I got her.” Jean stepped over to me and wrapped me in a fierce hug.
“I want you to stay here,” I said. “I need to talk to you and Myra.”
“But what about Miss Stompy?”
“Congratulations, Bathin,” I said. “You get to babysit your mother. Make sure she gets to Hogan’s and stay with her. If she demons out or runs off with that goat, I’m holding you responsible.”
“All right,” he said. “Let’s go.” He pointed at the door.
To my surprise, Xtelle actually listened and trotted through the door. Although the goat bleating at the bottom of my stairs might have had something to do with it.
“We still on for tonight?” Bathin asked Myra.
“I’ll be at the library. Looking for spell breakers.”
“I’ll come by with dinner.” He glanced out the door. “Hey. Step away from the goat.” And he was gone.
I exhaled and pressed my palms over my eyes. “This sucks.”
“You let him into the library?” Jean asked. “When did you take your relationship up to that huge level?”
“He doesn’t come in yet. That’s…it’s too soon. So we eat dinner or lunch outside. Or in the car.”
Jean snorted. “You don’t have a romantic bone in your body, do you? Good thing Bathin has one: a romantic bone. Okay, I just heard what that sounds like.” She flopped down in the chair where Amy had been sitting.
Myra took out her notebook. “What are his demands?”
“He wants me to break a contract.”
“He thinks you have some kind of authority to do that?” Jean asked. “I mean the safer bet would have been Ryder, right? Mithra’s chosen one. But Amy should have known that if he was really following you around.”
“He was really following me around. It’s fuzzy, but I’ve got a faint memory of hearing his voice before, of seeing his face.”
Myra jotted down notes. “The fade out episodes?”
“Yeah.”
“What contract does he want broken?” she asked.
“The one binding Xtelle to Vychoro.”
Jean popped the gum she was chewing. “For real?”
“The King of the Underworld,” Myra said.
