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“Done,” he said. “I’ll have Frank call Vinca and tell her to expect you tonight.”
12
Two hours later, I looked up at a pink stucco two-story apartment building about a mile from the Temple. Frank had taken me back to get my motorcycle at the Palace of Fine Arts and then waited for me to pack up Giguhl and my things so I could follow him to Vinca’s place. Giguhl, Lilith love him, had remained silent throughout the ride over. I was sure I’d get an earful later, however.
As I stood in front of the cheery façade, my stomach rolled. Somehow Clovis had talked me into walking into this situation with absolutely no clue what was awaiting me.
Frank nudged me with Giguhl’s crate, which he’d offered to carry for me because my hands were full with my bag and helmet. “It’s through the courtyard,” Frank said.
I took the hint and walked up the four concrete steps leading to the courtyard of the U-shaped building. It surrounded a central green space with a small pool in the center. The building and grounds were well-maintained and clean, and the neighborhood seemed fairly upscale. It was a definite upgrade from the no-tell motel by the airport. However, I couldn’t shake the sense of unease I felt walking into this situation totally unprepared.
Frank walked in front of me, no doubt impatient to dump me in my new digs so he could return to the Temple. He walked to a door near the pool. A welcome mat sat in front of the door and wind chimes hung from a small hook. A window stood to the right of the door and someone had installed a flower box, which was filled with yellow and purple pansies.
Frank knocked with his free hand. Almost immediately, the door flew open and light flooded the dim walkway. A petite blonde with a halo of soft curls around her pixy face smiled at us.
“Omigod, hi!” She moved around Frank and hugged me before I could jump out of the way. “I’m so excited to meet you, roomie!”
My arms were too loaded down to shrug her off. I was engulfed by the scent of lavender. Freaking great. My new roommate was a faery.
I glanced at Frank, who cracked a smile, obviously delighted by my discomfort.
“Vinca, this is Sabina,” he said. “Sabina, Vinca.”
“Um, hi,” I said, taking a step back to disengage the overly affectionate waif. “Nice to meet you.”
Her 500-watt smile blinded me as she pulled back. “Come in and make yourself at home,” she said. She took my helmet and walked in before I could respond.
Frank stopped me as I was about to walk past him. He shoved the cat crate in my hand. “I’m going to head out and let you two get acquainted. Call my cell if you need anything.”
My mouth dropped open. “You’re leaving?”
“Got things to do,” he said. “Don’t worry, Vinca will take good care of you.”
Vinca’s voice came from inside the kitchen causing me to look away from him. “Can I get you something to eat?”
By the time I looked back, Frank was already halfway across the courtyard. I thought about calling him back, but I knew it was silly. It’s not like I was afraid of Vinca. I just wasn’t used to being around someone so … peppy.
With a resigned sigh, I walked in and shut the door. I set down Giguhl’s crate and took in the room. A floral armchair and a comfortable-looking moss-green couch filled the small space. On the trunk, which served as a coffee table, fresh flowers sat in a glass vase. The smell of lavender was stronger in here, and underneath it the scent of freshly baked brownies tickled my nose.
Vinca stuck her head out of the kitchen. “Roomie?”
I cringed. “Yeah?”
“I asked if you were hungry.”
“Oh, no, I’m fine,” I said. “Where’s my room?”
She giggled. “Oh, silly me. I’ll show you.”
She moved toward me only to stop in her tracks about five feet from where I stood. Her eyes focused on the crate. Her smile vanished and she pointed an accusing finger at the crate.
“That’s not a,” she gulped, “a cat, is it?”
Her sudden change in mood confused me. I looked down, “Yeah, his name is Giguhl.”
“Oh no, Clovis didn’t tell me.” She backed away a few steps.
“Oh. Are you allergic or something?”
She put a hand to her throat, as if at any moment Giguhl was going to bust through the crate and attack. “No.” She dragged her fearful gaze from the crate to look at me. “I’m a nymph.”
I didn’t really see what one had to do with the other. “Yeah, and?”
“Geez, don’t you know anything? Cats are the mortal enemies of all the faery species.”
My lack of knowledge obviously had lowered her opinion of me. I wasn’t sure why that bothered me.
“Sorry, I haven’t known many faeries,” I said. She snorted and muttered something about that being obvious. “But you don’t need to worry. Giguhl isn’t really a cat. He’s a demon.” I didn’t really want to tell Vinca about Giguhl’s demon status. But she seemed so anti-cat, I figured a demon might be the lesser of two evils, so to speak. Plus, since we’d be living in close quarters, it would be nearly impossible to hide his ability to talk.
Her eyes widened into big green disks. “A demon? I’ve never heard of a demon in cat form.”
“It’s a long story.”
“Either way,” she said. “I’m afraid if you want to stay here he’ll have to stay in your room at all times.”
Oh great. One more thing for Giguhl to give me shit about.
“Fine,” I said. “Can I see the room now?”
She was looking at the cat crate with interest, her anxiety having given way to curiosity. “Follow me,” she said.
She led the way to a short hallway to the right of the living room. She went through the only door, which led to the bedroom.
“Wow, this is certainly … floral,” I said.
“If you like this you should see my room,” she said. “I just love flowers.”
That much was obvious. The place looked like a rose bush exploded. The white bedspread had a pink rose pattern that matched the drapes on the small window. The white dresser had a huge vase of yellow roses. There was even a rose wallpaper border along the ceiling.
“My room is across the living room from here, so you’ll have plenty of privacy. Plus, most nights I’m busy outside tending to the grounds.”
“Are you the landlord or something?” I asked.
