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The elevator dinged and the door opened into our private foyer, and it wasn’t long before I had her inside the penthouse.
I shared the entire top floor with the three gargoyle brothers. We’d split the spacious penthouse into five sections. There was a shared recreational area as well as four fully-loaded wings. The common area was a single floor with high ceilings and guest bedrooms on the main floor, but our personal suites were loft-styled, with bedrooms on a second floor.
None of the others were in the common area. Grayson and Shelby were most likely hiding in their own private wing. They did that a lot now that they were mated. Graham was down at the range, practicing his shooting as he often did on days off. And Gunnar was guarding some rich guy on his yacht. I was glad I hadn’t been roped into doing that job, even if it did pay ridiculously well.
“Make yourself comfortable.” I gestured to the leather couches in the shared living room. We’d turned the place into a home theater and there were several reclining sofas in front of a giant screen. “I’ll get one of the spare rooms ready for you.”
I wanted to have her in my own wing, but that wasn’t a good idea; not with the way my body reacted to her very presence. Tansy had come here to find a way to claim and keep her body; she wasn’t here to get mauled by an unruly demon, because that was exactly what I wanted to do to her.
I can claim her and protect her forever.I shoved the thought from my mind. I wasn’t ready to settle down. Was I? And even if I were, my demonly reputation preceded me. After being trapped and forced to work for a wizard for centuries, I’d done my share of sowing my wild oats when I finally found freedom.
I wasn’t proud of it though. I’d been lonely and had searched for company the only way I knew how. It took several decades before I realized that, despite all my bed partners, I was still just as lonely as before.
Before the fall of The Wall that had hidden monsters and magic from the mundane world, I’d kept my dalliances with human women short-lived, lest they discover my secret.
I’d had people send their church after me several times. I ain’t afraid of no priest, but dealing with demon slayers was a nuisance. Most of them had no idea what they were doing. Don’t get me started on the last one who tried to banish me to hell with his cell phone.
Sowing my wild oats had been exciting at first, but after a while, the meaningless liaisons left me feeling more alone than when I started. That cured me of the habit fast. I hadn’t been tempted by women for a long time.
So, what was this feeling I had with Tansy?
I grabbed a towel and new sheets from the linen closet and headed to the first room. These enclosed guest rooms lined one side of the main living room, and they were only half the height of the high ceiling. Above them were balconies from our personal suites. I chose the room directly under my balcony.
It was so I could get to her easily if she needed help. Or at least that was what I told myself.
With her room set up, I stepped back out to see Tansy running around the penthouse, her arms outstretched as she tried to get hold of her pet bird. Little Nugget flew around the penthouse like it hadn’t been able to stretch out its wings in weeks.
“Hey!” Tansy’s voice rang out through the penthouse. “You come back here this instant, Chicken Nugget!”
The little parrot landed atop one of the giant birds of paradises that stood on either side of the door to the patio, eyes darting around the open space mischievously. Then it took off, its wings flapping wildly as it did another lap around the penthouse.
Tansy stood with her arm in the air, trying to get the bird to land on her, but Nugget wasn’t having any of it. Finally, Tansy gave up and dropped her arms to her sides. Nugget was having the time of her life, and she wasn’t going to come down until she was ready.
After a few more loops around the room, the conure landed back atop the bird of paradise plant.
“Oh no! Don’t you dare, you little—”
The little bird dropped a dropping into the soil.
“Argh!”
Laughter bubbled up from my belly.
“I’m sorry. This isn’t like her. She’s usually pretty shy and stays hidden until we’re alone.” Tansy glared at her pet. “I’ll clean up any messes. I promise.”
“She did it over the soil, so that’s just natural fertilizer.” As I spoke, Nugget flitted over to another plant. “She’s comfortable here. That’s a good sign. You said she didn’t like Dean.”
“She flew at his face a few times. He knocked her out of the air once, and now she just avoids him.” Tansy flopped down on one of the couches, her eyes still on Nugget. “You’re right. This is a good sign. She feels safe here.” She grinned at me. “Thank you for giving her a place to fly.”
I grinned right back. Suddenly, all I wanted to do was to makeherfeel safe enough to spread her wings.
“The room’s ready. This kitchen isn’t stocked, except for tea, coffee, and beer. There might be a bag of chips from the last time we had a movie night. But we can order in for dinner in a bit.” I pointed two doors down from her room. “The full bathroom is over there.”
“That’s great, thank you. I probably need a shower anyway. The tub in the cheap motel last night was—” She wrinkled her nose adorably.
And now I was thinking of Tansy in the shower, naked. Her blonde hair loose and wet, cascading down her back, the water sluicing off her body.
I cleared my throat and pointed at the door to my personal wing. “That’s my part of the penthouse. Feel free to come in if you need anything. No need to knock.” I turned to go before my mind could think about fulfillingallher needs.
