“Mmhmm, as adorable as sharks.”
A new voice crackled over the speaker. “Landon, what are you shouting about?”
Even though the speaker horribly mangled the voice, I still recognized it. “Hi Rhonda!” I waved again for the camera.
King’s Court was my favorite café in Magiford, and when I was in college I stopped in once a week while on my way to classes. That was how I met Rhonda, the owner.
“Give me that.” There was another loud crackle, and Rhonda’s voice was louder and clearer. “Leila, it’s been too long! I saw the article in the Curia Cloisters’ newsletter that you’d been made Queen of the Night Court.”
“Article?” I absently patted Eclipse’s shoulder when she shook her head, getting rid of a fly and jangling the bridle.
“Yeah, it talked about how you’d been chosen and that you were a local girl and one of our own. They had one of your high school pictures with it.”
“My high school pictures? I must look like I’m about ten!”
“I thought the braces were a cute touch.”
I groaned and hung my head—talk about a way to make an impression.
Rhonda laughed. “What can I get you, Your Majesty?”
“No teasing, Rhonda, I can’t take it today. I want my summer usual—a medium iced caramel latte with whipped cream. And then two bacon and egg breakfast sandwiches—no, three.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
I glanced at Solstice.
Even though he just had his halter on and he wasn’t tied to me or Eclipse, he was being a perfect boy, standing still and in line with Eclipse. It was pretty cute because he dwarfed her with his massive size.
“Do you still sell fresh fruit?”
“Yep!”
“I’ll take three apples then. And make that four bacon egg sandwiches.”
“Gotcha. If you move up to the window Landon will get your bill settled and make your latte. I’ll get on your sandwiches.”
“Okay, thanks!”
My stomach rumbled as my night mares politely walked up to the window, and I debated adding a fifth sandwich to my order, but as hungry as I was, I probably wasn’t going to be able to eat more than three. The last one was for Chase—even if he didn’t want anything, I would feel horridly guilty eating in front of the werewolf.
“Landon,” a gangly teenage boy with a thick dusting of freckles and bright blond hair that sprang up in unruly cowlicks, was waiting for me at the window.
He narrowed his eyes as he pushed the window open. “They’re notzombiehorses, are they?”
“They really are fae horses—they can do magic,” I said.
Eclipse “smiled” at the boy, which involved peeling her lips back and revealing teeth that were too jagged—and too numerous—to belong to a normal horse.
Landon took my credit card from me. “Mmhmm. They can dodeathmagic, I bet.” He ran it through the machine and handed it back to me. “You’re a fae monarch—the new Night Queen?”
“Yep.”
“Then what are you doing getting a latte and food from a human café?” he asked.
“Landon,” Rhonda growled from inside the café.
Landon hunched his shoulders, but I laughed. He disappeared from view for a minute, then reappeared, holding a small brown paper bag and my iced latte. “Three apples for your demon horses and angel horse.”
