Page 35 of Fiends and Familiars
Adrienne
“You don’t have a lot of choices here, Addy,” Babylon wiped the bar down, then started washing glasses while I munched on a sandwich. “Turn the squirrel over, go to Cassie and Lucien and see if they can modify the contract somehow, or spend the rest of your life with this Faust barricaded inside your house.”
I really didn’t like the last idea, and it wouldn’t work anyway. “He won’t stay behind. He insists on coming everywhere with me now. I’m literally going on calls with a vulture and four squirrels crammed into the cab of my truck.”
Lonnie winced. “Honestly I’d just turn the damned thing over to the demon and wash my hands of the whole thing.”
I groaned. “If he was in human form I’d totally do it, but he’s this cute, adorable, fuzzy squirrel. With little tiny paws, and a little twitchy nose, and big dark eyes.”
“Yeah, they’re just as cute when they’re skeletons.” Babylon sighed. “I get it. I really do.”
“When I walked in and saw Ty holding that fuzzy little guy up in the air like he was strangling him, I just lost it,” I told her.
Lonnie nodded. “It would have been a different case if Ty were holding up a wizened old wizard who’d sold his soul centuries ago.”
“I’m not sure I could have just excused Ty for choking an old man either.” I picked at my French fries. “I’m going to have to go to Cassie. Which sucks. It’s going to put her right in the middle between me and Lucien. I hate to do that.”
“Eventually his job and ours was going to conflict,” Lonnie pointed out. “Cassie will work it out. She always does. And the best part is that takes everything right out of your hands. No longer your responsibility.”
Except Rhoid still would kind of be my responsibility. And I still didn’t know what to do about Ty. Was there any way to make up with him after all that happened last night? Did I even want to make up with him?
“You’re still coming to the party tonight, aren’t you?” Lonnie asked.
I wrinkled my nose. “I probably shouldn’t. I’ve got so much to do, and Rhoid won’t stay home. It’s probably not safe for him to be running around a corn maze and bonfire with half of hell after him.”
Although I hadn’t seen any of the hellhounds since last night. Neither had I seen Ty or any demons. Did Ty call a temporary truce? Were they waiting for an opportunity to jump on the squirrel and haul him back to hell?
“That’s not your problem. If asshole Faust wants to leave your nice, safe, warded house, then that’s on him.” Babylon dried her hands and leaned over the bar. “Addy, youarecoming to this party. You need to live your life. At no time did you promise to protect this squirrel who made the decision to run and hide behind your skirts. He’s the one who got himself in trouble. You’ve helped him far beyond what any witch would be expected to do.”
“I don’t know. I’d feel terrible if I was partying it up and demons trashed my house and took Rhoid to hell. Or if he got snatched out of my truck or the field while I was eating barbeque and drinking beer.”
“What’s the worst thing that could happen? Well, besides your house being trashed, that is. Faust already died once. So he dies again and spends a few days getting smacked around in hell until you pull enough strings to get him out on bail or get his sentence lessened. Thousands of people sell their souls to Satan, and they don’t get the luxury of a few hundred extra years of life, then a few hundred more running around as a squirrel. Stop taking on the world’s burdens, Addy. And especially stop taking on some asshole wizard’s burdens.”
She was right. “Okay. You win. I’m going to the party tonight. But first I’m dropping all these animals off at my house and forcing them to stay there while I go talk to Cassie.”
And I did just that, although one animal I couldn’t force to stay in my house. Drake came with me to the law firm where Cassie worked, waddling after me through the hallways and up the elevator to my sister’s office. I’d called ahead of time to make sure Cassie put me in her schedule, and to let her know that I needed Lucien to be there as well.
My sister stood and came around the desk to give me a hug. Lucien stood beside her desk, a grim expression on his face. To his left stood another demon—one that I’d gotten to know carnally just last night.
Ty was sexy as hell in a black business suit, his dark hair brushed back from his forehead. Unlike Lucien, he didn’t appear upset or angry. His expression was carefully blank, but as my eyes met his, I saw a brief flash of worry crease his forehead.
“Why are you sheltering this criminal?” Lucien snarled. “Nothing concerning Faust is your business.”
“It became my business when a squirrel took shelter in my house,” I snapped back. “I didn’t know the details of his contract with your father, or even that he was a human. I let some squirrels live in my house, then suddenly last night a demon and a pack of hellhounds are trying to kill an animal I had under my protection in my own house.”
“And now you know differently, so hand him over.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Nope. Not happening.”
“Let’s go over the contract Faust and your father’s representative signed.” Cassie moved back behind her desk and picked up a stack of papers. “Everybody sit while I read this.”
“It’s airtight,” Lucien insisted. “His soul is ours. Our best contract lawyers in hell have looked at it.”
“Well,Ihaven’t and since Faust is here and not in hell, he’s under our jurisdiction.”
“He’s not in Accident,” Lucien argued. “You don’t have any more standing outside of Accident than I do.”
“No, but as the soul in question has claimed sanctuary in my sister’s house, Idohave jurisdiction. Our homes and places of business outside of Accident are still considered ours, just like embassies.”
