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I glanced at the empty space between the oak trees. “And you want me to be its liminal deity.”
“I think you already are.”
CHAPTER 20
“It’s right there,”Ray said. “How can you not see it?”
I looked up from the radiator. “Excuse me for not having the benefit of your eagle eye, Ray.”
“Doesn’t take an eagle eye to see a crack the size of the Grand Canyon,” he muttered. He floated closer and pointed to a spot on the radiator. “Apply the epoxy-resin sealer right there to seal the hole. Do you want me to keep my finger there until you’re finished? It isn’t like the sealer can touch me.”
“Would you mind?”
Ray had persuaded me to fix the broken radiators on my own to save money. He’d offered to apply the sealer himself, but I didn’t want to take advantage of his generous nature. The ghosts had done more than enough for me recently. Pops didn’t raise a shirker. I had to get back to pulling my own weight when it came to home improvements. I wasn’t going to learn if I let Ray and Nana Pratt do the bulk of the work.
My skin started to burn like someone set me on fire. I jumped to my feet and patted my arms to check for flames.I’d have to talk to Phaedra about dialing down the alert mechanism on the upgraded ward.
“Oh, your handsome prince is here,” Nana Pratt said.
“He’s a far cry from Disney,” I replied, as I abandoned the radiator to answer the door.
Kane took one look at my bright green Eagles T-shirt and ratty sweatpants and smirked. “Is this a bad time?”
“I’m fixing the busted radiators.”
“I thought maybe Aite had stolen all your clothes.” He paused. “And your toiletries.”
“Are you here to mock me, or is there a greater purpose?”
Ray and Nana Pratt hovered on either side of me. I was tempted to ask them to leave, but I didn’t trust myself alone in a room with Kane—goat or no goat.
The demon produced a bottle from his jacket pocket. “A gift for you.”
A tiny thrill shot through me as I recognized the distinctive floral label on the bottle of gin. “Where did you find this?”
“I made a few calls. You were right about its scarcity. Puck’s Pleasure isn’t easily obtained.”
“One of the reasons it tastes so good. Thank you, Kane. This is very thoughtful.”
“He’s a keeper,” Nana Pratt enthused from the sidelines. “Even if he is from hell.”
I wasn’t sure whether to ask my next question, but I went for it. “Will you have a glass with me?”
He smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
I carried the bottle into the kitchen and poured two glasses over ice. We stood at the island, staring at each other like two awkward teenagers.
“This is excellent,” Kane finally said. “I can see why you’re a fan.”
“I think I should leave town,” I blurted.
Kane didn’t react. He took a careful sip from the glass. “For how long?”
“Forever. I’m going to fix the heating system and see if I can rent the place.”
He choked. “To whom? Count Dracula?”
“I’m serious, Kane. West was right about me from the start. My presence here puts everyone at risk. The supernatural circus proved it. Aite only hatched her scheme because of me.”
