The aide I was working with had turned sheet white—which is saying something because she’d been pretty scared of Muffin and Steve who had come in with me—and suddenly there were four people working on getting my paperwork worked out. I was out of there in record time!
Rigel had stayed in the truck with Muffin and Steve—I left the truck on with the air conditioning blasting for them—when I stopped at the library, and I assumed he’d stay in the truck again once I parked at my favorite café, King’s Court.
“I’ll only be a minute.” I slipped some sunglasses on and hopped out of the truck, leaving it on.
“Chase said King’s Court Café has a drive through,” Rigel said.
“Chase says all kinds of interesting things to people who are not me,” I complained. “But yeah, he’s right. I just don’t want to take it right now. Rhonda, the owner, should be working the front. I want to stop in and say hello.”
I swung my door shut and checked my pockets for my wallet, when the thump of the passenger door shutting rocked my truck.
Curious, I peered around the front of my vehicle as Rigel strolled up. “I’m coming in,” he said.
“Oh.” I stopped, my hand half tucked in my butt pocket. “Are you sure? This is a human café. There won’t be any other supernaturals.”
“What is it you are always saying at inappropriate times?” Rigel asked.
“It’s fine?”
“Yes.” Rigel swept toward the café, his stride long and smooth.
Chapter Five
Leila
Itrotted a little to catch up with him and twisted around to wave at Steve and Muffin in the still running truck. I wasn’t worried anyone was going to steal the truck—not with Muffin licking her enormous claws off and Steve flashing her teeth at anyone on the street—but I wanted to reassure my pets.
I jogged the last few steps to get to the café door before Rigel and pull it open.
The inside of King’s Court—which was named after the little side street it sat on—was cozy and bright with brick walls accented with planters of ferns and tendrils of crawling ivy. Strings of tiny lights hung from the ceiling, which had been painted a dark blue color, and one of the three rustic wooden fans squeaked quietly like a familiar friend as the wonderful, amazing, and perfect scent of coffee swept around me like a hug.
I closed my eyes in delight. “Coffee, baby, I have missed you.”
“You are inexplicably strange,” Rigel said.
I popped my eyes open to give Rigel the necessary look of disapproval. “We’ll get you set up with a good coffee drink, and then I’ll challenge you to say that again.”
“Your great love of coffee is possibly the least odd thing about you.”
“You aresucha supportive husband.”
“Night Queen—where are your demon horses?”
I jerked my gaze to the tall, gangly teenager standing behind the counter, wiping it down with a rag. His blond hair sprung straight up, half covering the drive-through headset he was wearing. His freckles seemed extra prominent as he looked from me to the door.
“The night mares stayed home today,” I said.
He tossed the rag over his shoulder. “They’re not sick, are they?”
“No, they’re fine. But they’d be delighted to know you’re worried for them.”
“Leila!” Rhonda, the owner, stepped out of the little kitchen walled off from the rest of the café with a grin. “Or I should say, Queen Leila. Welcome back!”
I leaned my hip against the counter and grinned. “Hey, Rhonda! Thanks. You’re looking good!”
“Yeah, drive through business has been excellent since you dropped by with your little horses. Who’s the handsome escort?” She nodded her head at Rigel and gave me a sly grin.
“Yeah, um. This is…Rigel. Rigel, this is Rhonda—she owns this café.” I laughed nervously.
