Page 2 of Chaos Demons

Down girl!I chided myself.

Though… I did want that. But I didn’t want to take advantage of Grey’s role in my house. He had certain nights where he’d be with me as a lover, not a butler, but the rest of the time, he simply wanted to be near me. Apparently, I filled some void within him. And the nights I wasn’t with him, I was busy with either work or one of my other guys.

“No… I’m good for now. Thank you, Grey.”

He bowed and left, smiling.

What a man.

The front door opened, and Reia came in, huffing and sweating from her after-school run with our new pet, Kerberos.

“Hey, Mom,” she called over to me. “I’m gonna jump in the shower then do my homework.”

She undid the leash and Kerberos sat, panting happily next to her. Luckily the horse-sized hellhound could alter its form to fit its environment, so now he just looked like a large dog, even if he still seemed huge next to Reia’s petite frame.

“You around tonight?” she asked. “Want to play chess?”

“I’ve got to work, but not until eight, so I’ll have a bit of time to play.”

Reia smiled and jogged up the stairs. Kerberos followed.

Grey had brought his “puppy” when he’d moved in, and the hellhound had taken to Reia almost instantly. I’d been surprised when Reia had, in turn, taken to the beast.

I hadn’t thought she’d be interested in a pet, especially a large, slavering, dangerous dog. But now they were inseparable, and thankfully Grey didn’t mind. He had other duties to attend to and was happy the pup was getting attention.

Reia, usually quiet and staid, had taken up jogging so she could walk the hellhound. At least I didn’t worry about her getting into any danger while running around the city. I was fairly certain having a hellhound as her companion was more than enough protection.

Life certainly had changed for me… in so many ways.

Donny, my uncle, ambled down the stairs a moment after Reia had gone up and asked, “Have you seen Grey?”

“In the kitchen making supper,” I guessed based on the noises and wonderful smells wafting from the back of the brownstone.

Uncle Don whisked past me, but then returned, backing up slowly. “Ah… Anais… how would you feel if I was… out of the house more?” he asked, seeming a bit hesitant.

I shrugged. “Thisisyour house, not mine. You can do what you like.” I wasn’t sure why he was asking my permission.

He sat in the large chair next to mine. “Ah… good, because I was thinking of taking Grey up on his offer.”

“Offer?” This was news to me.

Donny nodded. “Ah, yes, I couldn’t recall if I’d mentioned it to you or not. Apologies. Grey and I got to talking about his businesses and finances and such and… one thing led to another and… he offered me a consultancy position in his banking division. I said I’d think about it, and I have, but… I should talk to you about it, too.”

“Oh? Why?” I shrugged again. “You can do what you like. You really don’t need my permission to do anything,” I said, reaching over to touch his arm and offer reassurance. “I’m happy for you.”

Donny smiled. “Thanks, and I know I don’t need your permission, but you’re an adult now. Even if this is my house, we both live here together. I just wanted to make sure you’d be okay with this.”

“I am.” Though, since I was curious, I asked, “What would you be doing?”

I didn’t think I’d understand much of it, but I knew how much Donny loved to go on about his work.

Donny grimaced, with a bit of an overwhelmed look in his eyes. I found that odd. Didn’t he want to take this job?

“Well,” he said with a heavy breath. “Grey wants me to work directly with the CFO — that’s chief financial officer — of Zagreus Financial and completely reform their investment practices. It’s… a big job. I’d essentially be telling a few hundred banks how to do their job.”

Ah… I understood the look now. Donny was a numbers guy, not a people person. Such a responsibility would probably weigh on him.

“It sounds like a big job,” I said, leaving it open for him to comment.

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