Page 46 of Wicked Deeds

Pinky arrivedat my Berkeley house about five minutes early. I’d called her while Gwen was napping after her shower the day before and she’d said she could do lunch today if we could do it in Berkeley, where she was working with some session musicians in a local studio. Handy. She hugged me fast and then peered past me up the hallway. “Is she here?”

“She’s setting up lunch in the kitchen.” Setting up being the operative word, because I’d raided Damon’s freezer for some of Amy’s stashed meals and added a bunch of salads from the nearest grocery store. I’d had dinner with Pinky and Ivy at their house a few times and they were both excellent cooks. I was adequate, at best, and even if Gwen could cook, why add the stress of cooking for a stranger on top of everything else?

“One thing about you, your life is rarely boring,” Pinky said. She looked me up and down. “You need sleep.”

“Right back at you.” She had the edgy air of someone on a deadline, her pink hair messily braided around her crown and her fingernails chewed. Her charcoal linen tank and baggy pants looked like chic meets nouveau punk, the tank revealing the vibrant tattoos covering her arms.

“Mine is work. What’s your excuse? Continuing to live in interesting times?”

“I’d take some boring times,” I said. “There’s been a lot going on.”

“I heard about your nixling problem from Callum,” Pinky said. “What does Grandma have to say about it?”

“So far nothing she’s cared to share with me. I haven’t been back to the realm.” And Cassandra had sent me home from Ajax’s house long before Cerridwen arrived. Had Pinky heard about that, too? I didn’t want to talk about demons in front of Gwen. I had no idea how much she knew about them. Presumably something because she’d been living in the realm when the Fae had been debating whether or not to reconnect the door in Berkeley. Lady Morgain was one of the Elders who’d been strongly in favor.

And Gwen knew I’d killed a demon, because Usuriel had talked about it in front of her. But this wasn’t the time to remind her about my past. Until she was settled back into human life it was going to be easier for everyone if she was somewhere close to some Cestis member. If not London, then San Francisco was the next best thing. So we didn’t need her freaking out and deciding to move again.

“Nothing?” Pinky’s eyebrows shot up.

I shook my head. “Let’s not talk about that now.”

“But Gwen is fine with you having a nixling in your house? You said she was staying with you, right?”

She was. I’d convinced her it would be better than a hotel, plus she’d have some company. Damon agreed with me. “Yes, and she doesn’t seem to mind Lianith. But Gwen doesn’t know all the details about why Lianith is there, and I don’t want her thinking about Usuriel. So don’t mention him. We’re trying to get her settled. She wants to know about avoiding the Fae.”

“Kind of ironic when you’re…you know…you.” Pinky smiled wryly.

“Well, she knows I have some involvement with them. She met me in the realm. But I don’t want to rub her face in it. I’m trying to give her a few days to take a breath. She needs to make some decisions. I’ve asked Yoshi if he can show her around his campus sometime. Aubrey and the others were trying to encourage her to go back to school.”

Pinky pursed her lips, considering. “You really don’t know why she’s here? She just turned up out of the blue?”

“Yep,” I said. “I talked to Aubrey last week and there was no hint of Gwen wanting to leave. And then, bam, she took a plane ride. She says she wants to learn from the tanai here how to stay away from the Fae.”

“It doesn’t involve special skills,” Pinky said, shaking her head. “You can just avoid them.”

That was an oversimplification, I was sure. “I’m not sure that’s so easy in London. Particularly not now she’s spent time in the realm. Some of the Fae there must know her. Maybe she thinks she can be anonymous here.”

“But she doesn’t know who her mother is?”

“No. And I think she’s keen not to find out. She doesn’t want to be dragged back in there under some obscure parental claim.”

Pinky shrugged. “Well, I can set her mind at rest about that, at least. The Fae can’t force anyone into the realm. Of course, if she goes in willingly, then that would change things. Like what power her mom might have over her.” She sighed. “But, hey, let’s not have this conversation here. Let’s have it with Gwen in the room.”

“Sure,” I said and headed for the kitchen where Gwen was nervously realigning the silverware. She’d bought gorgeous pink and peachy dahlias at the grocery store and had arranged them in a low bowl in the center of the table. My china was plainwhite and so was my only tablecloth, so they added a splash of color. The pink almost matched Pinky’s hair. The whole thing was simple, but prettier than I could have made it. Or would have thought to. My Gran always made things feel cozy and comfortable but, beyond making sure I had all the life skills required to be a functioning adult, she’d abandoned trying to turn me into a domestic goddess when it became clear that computers were always going to be way more interesting to me than making sure my baseboards weren’t dusty, and my china matched my tablecloth.

Maybe Gwen learned the knack at boarding school. Or maybe serving in the realm had made her more sensitive to such things. The Fae had firm views on hierarchy and proprieties.

“Gwen? This is Pinky Andretti. Pinky, this is Gwen Jones.”

“Hi,” Gwen said awkwardly. She leaned over and moved the bowl of flowers half an inch to the left. She had on a deep-blue sundress, her blonde hair clipped back in a half-up, half-down style. She looked almost delicate, despite the fact she was short and had more curves than your average Fae. The sun glinting off her hair revealed the almost pearl-like edge to the blonde. If Pinky hadn’t already known Gwen was tanai, it would have taken her approximately a second to figure it out.

“How’s it going?” Pinky asked with a smile.

Gwen managed a smile, but it was wobbly. “Very well, thank you.” Her accent sounded more clipped. Nervous.

Pinky let the silence stretch before she relented. “Maggie said you had some questions. About the tanai here?”

Gwen nodded, still looking uncomfortable.

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