Page 34 of My Inherited House Might be Haunted

At least someone did.

Eighteen

Calix

While Rhett and Chelsea cleared the house of ghosts, I skedaddled back to my apartment. I had two goals: pack an overnight bag so I could stay (and sex up) Rhett and make sure Pepper was fed and okay. It had been over a day since I’d seen her, after all.

Rhett had said I could bring Pepper over with me, if I wanted, which I thought was a fine idea. I was sure she’d love a whole house to clean and putter around in. Sometimes I think she got a little bored up in my apartment because it was on the small side and she just didn’t have a lot to do to keep her occupied.

I opened the door, calling as I came in, “Hey, Pepper, I’m home! I’m actually home only for a few minutes. I’m heading back to Rhett’s. Would you like to—”

I rounded the foyer area and into the main room and that’s when I realized Pepper was not home alone.

Brownies.

Yes, plural, because in the single day that I’d been gone, I’d somehow acquired more Brownies. One…two…three…four more in fact.

The hell?!

Pepper squeaked out a hello and hopped off the window bench, running for me with her face shining in excitement.

I caught her up in the crook of my arm automatically, balancing her with my other hand, as she was only palm sized. “Uh, who…? Is this your family?”

She nodded eagerly, still beaming, then she turned her head and gestured toward the Brownie with a long grey beard.

“I am Grey,” he introduced with a bow. “My granddaughter was lost from us when she found your shop.”

“Oh! Uh, Calix. Nice to meet you.” This now made much more sense why I’d found her in such a desperate state. A lost child—it was obvious in retrospect. “I called her Pepper, but what’s her name?”

“She is too young for the Naming yet, so Pepper is fine.”

I had a feeling there was a whole cultural/procedural thing with naming a Brownie, and you know what, I wasn’t getting into it. Maybe later, when I had spare processing power.

“Sure, thanks. Um. So are you here to get her, or…?”

A Brownie with equally grey hair up in a bun and a ragged dress on stepped closer to me. “We were searching for a safe house when we lost our granddaughter. She assures us this place is very safe, and we are welcome here, but…”

“You are more than welcome,” I assured her. “Trust me, you’re a delight to have here.”

All four of them relaxed immediately, smiling in return.

“Who else do we have here?”

The old woman gestured toward herself first. “River. This is my daughter, Willow. My son-in-law, Woods.”

“Nice to meet everyone.” I could see in a glance the family resemblance. Pepper looked very much like her father, just more delicate in features. “Um, when you say safe house, do you mean any house safe to go to?”

Grey shook his head. “We were told of a grand witch’s house in this town, but we’re struggling to find it.”

Call me crazy but I had a really good hunch which house they were looking for.

“Big black Victorian house that’s famous for passing ghosts along, by chance?”

They lit up with eagerness, crowding around my legs.

“You know of it!” River tugged at my jeans. “Please, where is it?”

“Oh, I know exactly where it is. The owner’s a technomage. His great-aunt was a witch, hence the rumors of it being owned by a witch. Tell you what, why don’t you come with me? I’m packing a bag so I can stay overnight with him. I’ll introduce you all, and you can bargain with him to claim the house as your own.”

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