“Just so you know,” Myra said, “she is not staying at my house.”
There was a shriek, a growl, and the Jeep rocked on its wheels as Xtelle scrambled over the front seat and landed with a thump in the back. A little pink snout pressed against the side window and smoke fogged the glass.
“She can’t stay at mine.” I thumbed toward the car. “Dragon pig.”
Myra nodded. “Reasonable. So, Jean?”
I grinned. “Oh, yeah. Totally Jean.” I gave Myra the clipboard, and she tucked it under her arm.
“I’ll be back in a few hours,” she said.
“Why isn’t Bathin going with you to the derby meeting?”
“One, he’s not attached at my hip.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Two, we have our own hobbies, thank you.”
“He’s afraid to leave Ordinary, isn’t he?” I asked.
She shrugged. “He’s still hiding. And not from his mother.”
The headache spiked for a second, and I rubbed at my forehead. “I know. His father.”
“Did Tala say anything else about that?”
“No. Maybe she’ll say more when she’s in town.”
“I like how optimistic you’ve become,” she said with a grin.
“That’s me. All hope and butterflies.”
She lifted the clipboard in a salute. The Jeep rocked again, and a quiet roar cut a shriek short.
“Good luck with that,” she said, nodding toward my car.
“Could I interest you in an annoying demon?”
She laughed. “Nope. I’ve got one of my own.”
“Yeah, but you kind of love the guy.”
She waved over her shoulder and swung into the cruiser.
I took a deep breath and opened the Jeep’s driver side door.
“Delaney, that thing—”
“Not a word.”
“But it—”
“Nope.”
“You can’t—”
“What Icoulddo is let you walk to Ordinary. It’s only about thirty miles or so. A little pony like you should make it there by nightfall.”
