Page 32 of Demons and Debts
Maybe he didn't see me.
I make my way down to a small and minimalist, but comfortable-looking living room. Natural light comes through skylights, but the glow is muted, and the glass is frosted so I can't see where they come out upstairs.
There's a small kitchenette which, although not as grand as the main one upstairs, has the usual necessities plus a fancy coffeemaker I’d have no idea how to even turn on.
There are two doors that lead off the main area and they’re both open, so I peek into one and find three matching twin beds in a row that reminds me of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and I wonder if one’s hard, one’s soft and the other’s just right.
Two are occupied by girls that don’t look like Sugarplum; the brunette I saw in Sie’s bed last night and a redhead. Maybe itislike Goldilocks but it’s girls and their looks instead of mattress hardness.
Creepy.
Realizing that I’m watching people sleep and that’s really creepy too, (I hope these assholes aren’t rubbing off on me) I go to the next door. It’s a bathroom, not as large as the one upstairs that I used this morning, but it has a nice-sized tub and a shower. There are makeup brushes and beauty products all over the surfaces, colorful eye palettes by the mirror and—
‘Who the fuck are you?’
I jump a little and see the reflection of the redhead behind me, thankful she didn’t wake up to me ogling her while she slept.
‘Hi, I'm Jane,’ I say as I turn around.
She nods. ‘What's up?’
She comes into the bathroom and stands in front of me.
‘Do you mind?’ she says.
‘Sorry, no! Of course…,’ I stutter as I leave her to it.
The door closes behind me and I look around, searching for another exit, but there isn’t one. That’s gotta be a Building Code violation. Doesn’t there need to be a fire exit by law?
These are supes, I remind myself. If there was a fire, it would be their firefighters who showed up, and they sure as hell wouldn’t give a shit about a few humans trapped in the basement.
The bathroom door opens, and the woman steps out into the living room, her red hair now in a messy ponytail. She’s dressed in some booty shorts and a tank top, and her eyes are smudged with yesterday’s makeup.
She barely glances at me, going directly to the coffeemaker and pushing a button. She grabs a couple mugs from the cabinet and rifles through a drawer for a spoon as I hear the machine start grinding the beans. Only then does she look up at me.
‘Put your stuff in the bedroom,’ she says. ‘You’re new so they'll probably call for you this afternoon. A bed’ll be delivered sometime this week. It usually is. Until then, you can take the couch when you’re not with one of the Iron I’s.’
I’m confused, but I don’t have time to say anything before she starts speaking again, looking me over with what I’ve come to realize from my time at the diner is a critical eye.
‘Too many clothes,’ she mutters. ‘They won't like that either.’
It takes me a minute to realize that she thinks I’m contracted.
‘Oh!’ I say. ‘No, I'm not …’
She glances at me again and looks me over even more thoroughly.
‘You're not one of us?’ she asks.
I shake my head and she looks like she wants to ask the question, but she doesn't.
‘What's the deal with you?’
I jump and turn around to find Sugarplum sitting on the couch just behind me. Where did she come from?
‘I'm just staying here,’ I say.
She snorts. ‘Humans don't just stay here unless they’ve signed the papers, not even the human members of the MC get to bunk in theHouse of Vicious.’
