“I do,” I finally whispered.
“Leave it to me then, love.” Then he said something I didn’t expect. “We’ll magically bond you and this one tonight.” Well, at least he hadn’t called her devil woman. Baby steps. “We can’t risk waiting. I’ll get what we need and return with someone we can trust to keep the human safe,” he explained.
I was surprised to hear about someone else. “Who can we even trust here?”
His lips lifted. “Someone who owes you a favor, and one who always pays his debts.”
It took me a second to figure out who he meant. Then it clicked. “Goth Tinkerbell Dude?!”
Chuckling, Cash nodded and got to his feet with a hand outstretched to me. “Pixies like him are incredible escape artists and distance hoppers. If in a pinch, he’ll get her to safety if comes the need. And I expect he’ll be happy that the favor has nothing to do with the Nether Royals directly. Big prefers to stay out of their purview and won’t have any trouble keeping a human out of it, too. He’ll find a place safe enough to keep her out of their ever-watchful eye.”
Kate was still sleepy-eyed and groggy, so it was especially noticeable when she perked up at the thought of a new stranger. I definitely couldn’t wait to see her in a room with Big.
Jo nodded and sat down on the bed next to her. “I’ll stay here with Kate. Take V with you. Get the item, your little pixie bitch, and come back.”
Pixie bitch. Classic. Bet Big would love being called that.
But after a little chuckle, I realized what she was suggesting. I stared at her. “You want me to go, too?”
“Better with a monster than a daughter,” she said with a very unsubtle wink. Yeah, pretty sure I was in love with this woman, too. “He might be an insufferable asshat, but he’s powerful and can help you control your magic and emotions with the bond.”
Cash made a little noise of annoyance, but Jo didn’t bother to look his way.
“As much as I hate to say it, Lyra won’t fuck around with him after Nix’s. She’ll know who he is now. My guess was she only thought he was some no-name Hand of Death before this if she didn’t expect him to chase you down. Which means she wasn’t there to see Harmony perish. A miscalculation on her part and a goddamn gift to us. So, this prissy asshole is another fucking problem for her, and one she can’t solve without risking her revenge.”
Cash was no longer annoyed. He tried to hide it, but he was absolutely flattered. Jo didn’t give out compliments to just anyone, and while this one couldn’t necessarily be called flattering, it was the closest he’d ever get to a compliment with her.
“Go. I’ll keep this one safe. I can promise at least that much,” she said directly to me, smirking.
My hand was squeezed before a snap took us away and stopped my reply dead in its tracks.
Chapter 12
Big Walking Red Flag
Iexpected our excursion to be a lot grander, but it was fairly uneventful. More errand than epic adventure. No, the real joy came when Kate met Goth Tinkerbell Dude. Turned out, Big could get, you know, big. A lot bigger than his original form implied.
He was massive compared to the four of us when he came through, looking like he’d jumped off a punk-rock stage after singing about past loves that didn’t work out because he was a recovering jerk. The good stuff. Maybe he took his ensemble tips from our resident fashionista. His seven feet looked absolutely ridiculous on the couch with sparkly wings any five-year-old girl would kill to have.
Kate was in love. Practically obsessed in every way she could be. The second Tinkerbell dude sauntered in, heavy on the eyeliner and mystery, it was all over for her. Big was through and through her type. Tattooed, bad, and someone who wasn’t even remotely interested in her. The girl had a type, and it was sitting next to me on another weirdo fantasy couch.
Cash didn’t give him details, said it was better he only knew we were hiding from the Nether Royals, and I agreed. The less Big knew about it, the better. Keeping Kate safe only required him to know that much.
“Little vampire, your human seems to be suffering from some kind of brain aneurism,” Big teased, his tattooed arms crossed as he leaned back. The couch groaned like it’d give out at any second. Hopefully the woo-woo magic that held it together stayed strong.
I’d never related to a couch so much.
I shot him a glare. “You owe me a favor, and that includes being nice.”
Jo watched Big closely, probably doing her dangerous-assassin-who-destroyed-men-for-funsies thing and checking to make sure he wasn’t a threat.
It didn’t appear that they knew each other, which was odd. I got the impression there were few people or creatures that Jo didn’t know in this realm or mine. But seeing how he hadn’t been killed, I gathered she didn’t see him as a threat. Yet. Small miracles, because I didn’t want to worry about Kate more than I already was.
I hated it, but Kate was right; I’d protect her no matter the cost, and I really couldn’t. My weaknesses couldn’t be exposed to these villain types, and I’d never forgive myself if she got hurt.
Big’s eyes danced with growing amusement. “You’re funnier than I remember.”
“Well, you’re bigger than I remember,” I clapped back, catching the tail end of a wistful sigh from Kate.
