He studies my offering, then points to the ground.
I set it there and go back inside, guessing that the little soul wants some privacy to change. Or whatever.
It’s not like I would see much if he disrobed in front of me, just a blurry soul with skeletal features.
When I reenter, I find Sera on the couch with Fleur, petting her while cooing.
The victorious look Fleur gives me has me rolling my eyes again. She’s milking the attention for all it’s worth. “Enjoy it for now,” I tell my familiar. “Once Sera sees how you treat Pip, she won’t be so attentive.”
Sera’s brow crinkles as she looks up at me. “What?”
“Fleur is obsessed with Pip’s cloak. I assume she was attacking him outside, which resulted in the first crash that caused Ossa, Mort, and Howl to react.” A glance at Ossa confirms my assessment. The female’s head is up, and the beast’s chest is puffed out in pride. “They were protecting Pip from Fleur.”
My sphinxlike cat gives me a look of utter betrayal.
“What?” I ask her. “Suddenly concerned you’ll lose your new best friend?”
“You wouldn’t attack Pip, would you?” Sera coos, running her fingernails through my cat’s sleek black fur.
Fleur purrs and sets down her head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Sera’s words.
But the moment Pip floats in through the still-open door, it’s pretty clear where he stands on the topic of Fleur. He takes one look at the sphinx curled up in Sera’s lap, widens his eyes, and goes right back outside.
Sera frowns. “Pip?”
He doesn’t come back.
I lean against the wall, arms folded, and arch a brow. “Still falling for Fleur’s act?” I wonder out loud. “Or are you going to go check on your familiar?”
Sera looks at me, then down at my purring cat. Fleurappears to be exceptionally content, like she’s found her utopia.
“She’s not hurt,” I promise Sera. “And even if she were, she would regenerate. But all Mort did was shake her around a little bit. He was playing. It’s Ossa you need to worry about.”
Ossa grunts in response. I can’t tell if she’s agreeing with me or mocking me. Regardless, I’m not wrong. I’ve been on the receiving end of her teeth more times than I would like to admit.
“Did you hurt Pip?” Sera asks quietly, the words for my cat. “Because if you did, that’s not very nice. Pip is my friend.”
Fleur stretches her front paws in an innocent gesture, but I note the way she flexes her talons. “She shredded his cloak. I just gave him a new one.”
Sera’s eyebrows lift as Fleur cuts me a glance that suggests she’s plotting my murder.
“If I die, you die,” I remind the little ball of obsidian. “And I don’t think Sera would like it if you attacked me.”
Fleur stares me down for a moment, then stands on her paws with a grace only she’s capable of and casually leaps from Sera’s lap to fly off toward the bedroom.
Sera gapes after her.
“I told you she was fine,” I say, amused by Sera’s surprise. “Fleur has nine million lives, give or take a few eons.” I shrug. “She’s as immortal as I am.”
“Little trickster,” Sera whispers.
“She’s just an attention seeker.” I push off the wall and whistle for Pip. “She’s gone to take a nap, little soul!”
He doesn’t immediately return but eventually sticks his head inside to look around. When he sees a cat-less Sera, he cautiously enters.
Mort gives the soul a lopsided smile, as does Howl. But Ossa simply lowers her head and closes her eyes.
The lack of a growl tells me the more dominant of the trio actually likes Pip. Otherwise, she would have released a sound of discontent.
