If I were in a better mood, I would have had a ball wandering up and down the street,oohingat the window displays while drinking hot chocolate from the brightly lit café on my left.
Maverick found a parking spot outside a small inn, and we climbed out. Immediately, my feet sank into a snowdrift. I yelped in shock as wet snow fell into my boots.
Kenji jumped from my arms and disappeared in the same drift before emerging, yipping in excitement. I watched in amazement as my snarky familiar raced in circles before rolling in a patch of virgin snow. Then he shook himself vigorously and panted.
“What? I’m still a young kitsune! We like snow.” He threw me a peeved look and then flounced off toward the inn’s entrance.
Three of the guys trooped inside looking like broody, disgustingly handsome boy band members while I tried not to drool.
“Go, little mate.” Maverick tapped me on the ass, and I jumped.
“I’m going!” I hurried after the broody ones while he picked up our bags.
When we’d checked in and I’d used the facilities with much relief, I sat on the bed while Maverick made a phone call. Zane was nowhere to be seen. When asked who he’d be sharing with tonight, he’d shrugged and blinked out of view, much to the consternation of the woman on reception.
From her nervous disposition, she was human, which meant she gave us a much smaller, less comfortable room than we’d enjoyed the previous night. It was clean, though, so I wasn’t about to complain.
“Time to eat, little mate.” Maverick picked me up and carried me downstairs. None of the others were around, but Kenji sat on a chair by the window near the front desk enjoying the attention of a small girl who stroked his soft fur while her mother yelled something abusive into a phone.
“Do I need to rescue you?”
He shook his head. “The human child is harmless.”
I chuckled, beginning to realize my familiar was soft like marshmallow beneath his snarky exterior.
“Oh my god, Sienna! Stop touching that filthy creature!” My skin prickled with magic as the child’s mother stormed over and wrenched her daughter away from Kenji. The child’s face fell and her lip wobbled, although she didn’t seem surprised by her mother’s reaction.
“It’s disgusting,” she muttered. “I ought to report this place to animal control. What kind of hotel lets wild animals sit in the lobby?”
“Be right back, little mate,” Maverick whispered, ignoring the woman. “Wait right here for me.” I nodded as he stepped outside with his phone held to his ear.
Kenji stood and stretched, wafting both his tails in the air. The woman spotted the second tail and blanched. “Oh my god, it’s… one of those freaky creatures!” Pink-tipped nails dug into the child’s puffy white jacket as she pulled her closer, although the girl seemed more excited than scared.
I stepped forward with a bright smile. “Kenji’s with me. He’s not a wild animal.” My familiar jumped off his chair and trotted over while the little girl tracked his movements with naked longing in her pretty blue eyes.
The woman sniffed loudly and rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” I watched as she teetered over to the reception desk in her stiletto-heeled boots and tapped a fingernail on the counter.
“Can I help you, ma’am?” the receptionist asked.
“Yes, I’d like to order pizza and ice cream to be sent to our room.”
“Pizza? Um, Santo’s doesn’t do gluten-free or dairy-free, ma’am, which is what you told me you needed earlier when you asked the kitchen to prepare a salad.”
The woman waved her hand dismissively. “I’ve changed my mind. I have a craving for cheesy pizza with lots of pepperoni and extra chili.” Her daughter stared up at her mother, probably wondering if she’d been body-snatched by aliens.
My mind traveled back in time to when my nemesis, Demelza, stuffed her vegan-food-loving face with meat after pissing off Kenji. I fixed him with a hard stare.
“Is this your doing?”
He smirked. “The human harridan looks hungry. Her daughter will enjoy eating pizza for the first time in months.”
“I’m sure she will, but if her mother ends up bedridden with unpleasant gastro issues, she might not enjoy that.”
“She can go explore. A bit of freedom is good for kids.”
Kenji trotted over and licked the woman’s hand. She smiled at him and rubbed his furry head. “Cute little doggy,” she cooed while her daughter’s eyes widened.
“Are you feeling alright, Mama?” the kid asked while cuddling my kitsune. Maverick came back in from making yet another phone call to find Kenji getting a belly rub from the woman who’d previously threatened to call animal control.
