“Well, yes. That goes with the job, though. Sometimes there will be a tussle.”
The dragon-pig snorted, ending it with a foghorn hoot.
“It doesn’t like that,” Frigg interpreted.
“Buddy,” I said to a creature that could swallow me whole, “I’m the Bridge for gods. I’m the chief of police. I’m the one who stands up to people doing bad things.”
It made little popping sounds.
“If I’m understanding it correctly,” Frigg said. “It wants permission to eat them.”
The dragon-pigoinked.
“No,” I said. “You may not eat humans. Ever.”
More smoke curled out of its nostrils, and its eyes flashed red.
“Huh,” Frigg said.
“What?”
“Something about an older law, a dragon law about a dragon guarding its hoard? Protecting what is valuable to it? I can’t pick out the details, but it has something to do with stomping on houses.”
The dragon-pig stared at me and stomped its feet one at a time, slowly and purposefully, dreams of crushing Tokyo becoming clearer and clearer with each movement.
“Nope. No destroying buildings either,” I said. “Everything we agreed on when you first came to town remains in play. Now scoot over so I can drink my cocoa.”
It moved over just enough I had room to sit. Then it climbed onto my lap and settled down heavily, as if determined to keep me there.
Frigg handed me a cup. “Need to fancy it up?” She tipped the platter, offering marshmallows, whipped cream, and hilariously, a tiny bottle of rum she’d dug out from somewhere.
“No, this is perfect.”
“Are you sure you shouldn’t be in bed?” Jean asked.
“Already tried that,” Ryder said.
“To briefly recap,” I said to Ryder. “Frigg drove me home from dress shopping, and I saw a shadow move along the side of the house. I put on my gun and went down there to see who was sneaking around.”
“You walked into an ambush?” His eyebrows were high. “Really, Delaney?”
“I thought it was Xtelle. She is always snooping through the bushes. I figured she was trying to get away with going full pink unicorn in public again.
“A woman came around the corner and gave me some story about being at the lake and getting lost.”
“Bullshit,” he said. “She was casing the house, trying to get to you.”
“Yeah, and I made it easy for her. I saw her glance at someone over my shoulder. I dropped, punched him in the knee—”
“I woulda punched him in his nuts,” Jean said.
“Didn’t have the angle,” I said. “The woman jumped me. I didn’t know two other people were out there. Frigg found them and knocked them both out.”
“Thank you,” Ryder said.
Frigg gave him a lazy salute.
“I pushed through the roses to give myself some room to maneuver. Once I got on my feet, I had my gun, and they both put up their hands and did what I asked. That brings us to now.”
