Inara evaded my hand as I reached up to brush her off my face. Her wings beat, lifting her backward. She landed on Alches’s head with a scowl.
“That’s the problem,” she snapped. “You’re here. What happened to finding a house for all of us? You were supposed to do that ages ago.”
I didn’t answer, more preoccupied with how she’d landed on Alches’s head.
“You see him?” I asked, feeling confused.
She had to, right? Why else would she have landed on his head?
“What are you talking about?” Inara demanded before following my stare to Alches. “Are you talking about the dog?”
Alches thumped the bed with his tail.
“Yes, I see the dog,” Inara snapped, her expression making it clear she thought I was stalling. “When did you get a dog anyway? Is this what you’ve been doing instead of looking for a house?”
When Inara failed to mention Alches’s tentacles, I realized all she saw was an ordinary black dog. That was a relief. I didn’t know how to explain to my former roommate why I had the guardian of a Fae realm as my new pet.
“Why are you here?” I asked, changing the subject. “I thought you said there was no way in all the hell realms you’d ever step foot inside the Gargoyle.”
Inara puffed up in outrage a second before another pixie flew across the room to land beside her.
Unlike his consort, Lowen’s skin was a burnished copper. His wings were crafted from amethyst and sapphire tones and would have fetched a pretty price on the black market.
He rubbed his wings against his consort’s, calming her. Her frown softened as he looked at me. “It’s good to see you, Aileen.”
“You too.”
Strange as it was to admit, I’d missed the two of them.
“The house, Aileen!” Inara shouted to get my attention. “I can’t take living in these conditions much longer. How hard is it to find something?”
There was a note of hysteria in Inara’s voice that said the unsettled nature of our living conditions was taking a toll on her. She looked a little unhinged in that moment, a second from chucking the first thing she could grab at my head.
“Harder than you think,” I told her.
Inventory was low but demand was up. Finding something that fit our unique needs was difficult.
After what happened with my apartment, I was limited in what I could buy. Suburbs were out of the question. I didn’t want neighbors who might be dragged into our problems.
I needed land—which meant money. I also needed several rooms to accommodate Connor—and now Deborah—and a decent communal living space.
That was the cha-ching of more money.
“I don’t care,” Inara seethed. A second later, her expression shifted to one of suspicion. “Or is it that you like living here? Playing house with your vampire lover while surrounded by all these blood drinkers.”
I leaned against my pillow and smirked at her. “That’s it, Inara. You caught me.”
I could have told her about the house Thomas bestowed on me—but where was the fun in that?
“You—” Inara sputtered, nearly lifting off Alches’s head with the force of her anger.
I let her fume, not feeling the least bit bad.
Lowen bit his lip, hiding his smile.
Inara shot off Alches’s head with a flounce, veering toward the air vent which was conveniently missing its cover.
“Find us a house, you stupid vampire!”
