Page 27 of Fiends and Familiars
Adrienne
“The harvest party is going to be fun,” Babylon commented as she walked me out. “Bring Ty. I want to meet him, but I promise not to go all Cassie on you and grill the poor guy, or make things awkward.”
I thought about that. If things worked out tonight, I definitely would invite Ty. Bonfire. Hot spiked cider. The smell of early autumn in the air. We could watch the sun go down, then sneak off to some dark corner to make out in the soft grass. Oh yeah.
There was only one problem with this party—five problems, actually.
“What am I going to do with Drake?” I mused. “And the squirrels?”
Babylon chuckled. “You know how in love I am with your vulture. He can come. In fact, let him ride shotgun and put Ty in the backseat. But squirrels? What’s up with that, Addy?”
I looked over at my truck, noticing several pairs of eyes glaring at me from the back window. “I tried to evict them from someone’s attic and they were a total pain. I had to cage them, and one bit me. When I went to release them in the woods they wouldn’t go. Next thing I know they’re inside my house, eating popcorn and watching a Hitchcock movie with me and Drake.”
“How many squirrels?”
“Four.” I dug my keys out of my bag, dreading what the inside of my truck probably looked like. “Three are pretty normal squirrel types, but the fourth is kinda weird. He’s like their spokes-squirrel or something. I named him Hemorrhoid.”
Lonnie had a minor coughing fit. “What?”
“Rhoid for short. The first day they were fine being left in the house while I worked, but today they insisted on coming with me. I had to lock them in the car with Drake just now and set a ward, otherwise they would have followed me in here.”
She eyed the truck. “Well, bribe them. Convince them that if they’re nice while you’re gone, that you’ll roast chestnuts or something.”
I hugged Lonnie goodbye. When I got inside to my truck I discovered that the squirrels had not taken confinement lightly. They’d crapped all over the backseat and chewed up a good bit of the upholstery. I mentally calculated how much this was going to cost me to repair, then tried to scrape as much of the poop as I could out of the truck and onto the parking lot.
I drove home with the windows down, trying not to gag at the horrible smell. Worse, Drake wouldn’t speak to me or even look at me. The vulture sat in the passenger seat sulking the entire way to our house, then hopped out and strode right through the front door and into my bedroom. I felt like a total shit, but I couldn’t exactly take him into the bar and leave the squirrels behind. Actually I wasn’t sure I could even take him into the bar. Babylon loved him, but the human who owned the joint might not want a giant bird in his establishment. Besides, I’d hoped he would prove a good influence on the squirrels or at least try to keep them from trashing my truck. Evidently I’d been wrong.
“Drake, I’m so sorry.” I went into my bedroom while the squirrels dove into “Squirrel’s Feast” which turned out to be an assortment of nuts and corn. “If it makes you feel any better, Babylon said you could come with me to the party this week.”
The vulture huffed and turned his head away from me.
“I’ll let you ride shotgun.” I thought of Ty. “Although I might be taking a date with me, so maybe instead you can stay home and I’ll take you somewhere special the next morning? I know, we’ll go collect dead animals off the highway! How about that?”
He huffed, but tilted his head in a way that told me the idea appealed to him. Vultures. Collecting dead things off the highway always ranked higher than a bonfire party in their minds.
“Come on, buddy. If we lived in Accident then I could take you everywhere with me, but things aren’t like that here. You must know that. You’ve been living out here your whole life and haven’t been able to go into bars or sleep at the end of someone’s bed. I try to take you everywhere I can, but there are going to be some places you’re just not allowed.”
Drake hissed and stomped his feet.
I reached over and put my arms around him. “I know things were different then. It was before you met me, before I met you. You’re my best friend, Drake. But best friends don’t go everywhere together. There will be times you can’t be with me—like some human establishments, and times when I’m trying to get busy with a hot guy.”
He leaned over and put his head against mine.I understand the mating thing, but I need to be with you. We’re bonded.
We were. Best friends didn’t fully describe our relationship. He was my familiar, and I was his witch. What we had was something special. I planted a kiss on top of his sharp beak and stroked his feathers.
“Forgive me?” He grunted and I smiled. “Good. How about a snack before I go on my date?”
A snack for Drake consisted of a piece of raw steak. I hand fed it to him, then raced to shower and change for my date. Before I headed out, I poured the dog food I’d bought earlier into a huge bowl and put it in the garage, making sure everything was welcome for Yeth. Then I went to the front porch to wait.
Ty pulled into my driveway right on time. He was in a sleek black BMW sedan that looked like it cost more than my house. I was used to the fact that supernaturals tended to accumulate wealth due to their longevity, and I knew how fae loved to be flashy, so I wasn’t surprised in his choice of vehicle. I was surprised at how my heart sped up to see him swing out of the car wearing a long, black cashmere coat. I stood, and as he walked toward me I noticed he had on a dark grey suit with a white silk shirt that had the first few buttons undone. The effect was breathtaking.
Ty started up my porch, only to stop abruptly. Crap the wards. I quickly skipped down the steps and looped my arm in his, hoping he didn’t see my magical security system as unwelcoming, or think me paranoid or anything.
He tucked my arm against his waist and turned, leading me to the car. “Good evening, Addy. You’re looking lovely.”
Jeans and a clean shirt weren’t exactly my idea of lovely, and I was feeling a bit underdressed compared to him. Who the heck wears a suit to play putt-putt? Not that I was complaining, because the guy looked completely delicious.
“Hi.” I cleared my throat, trying not to sound like a star-struck teenager. “Hi. Are you ready for some mini-golf action?”
