“I’ve closed dangerous sites!”
“You dead yet? Then don’t argue with me. A century ago, you’d have beaten considerable odds to be alive at your age. But now, fewer Keepers die, more Keepers are alive, the lineage can cover more of the world safely and still have what resembles a life. It’s basic math. Your sister’ll probably spend her first few years closing sites no one’s been powerful enough to close until now. If she doesn’t blow herself to kingdom come first.”
It sounded good. But there had to be a catch. “So eventually the world won’t need us.”
“Did I say people were getting smarter?” He turned to Mrs. Abrams. “Did you hear me say that people are getting smarter?”
She beamed down at him. “I surely didn’t, puddin’.”
“There, see? The dumb asses in this world will always need someone to clean up after them. You’re just getting a chance to live happily ever after while you do it. We’ll get changed and out of your way. Coming, Mags?”
“Coming, puddin’.”
“That was surreal,” Austin observed as the two turned the corner into the office and then disappeared into Augustus Smythe’s apartment.
Strangely uncertain, Claire looked around at the guesthouse—stopped looking around when her gaze got to Dean. “You want to stay, don’t you?”
He shrugged. “It’s your choice, Boss.”
“Our choice.”
About to defer, he suddenly shook his head. “Then, yes. I want to stay.”
“Because you want to be more than my love slave?”
“I never said that. Just promise me something,” he added after a moment, capturing her face in both hands and holding it far enough away from his that he could look into her eyes. “Never call me puddin’.”
Claire shuddered. “I think I can safely promise you that.”
“Hey!”
They moved apart again as Diana and Samuel came down the hall.
“Was that who I think that was?”
“Yes.”
“With…?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“They’re moving to Florida together, Dean’s taking over the guesthouse and, if Augustus Smythe is to be trusted, which, of course, he isn’t, I’m now covering a specific area…” She patted one of the hunter green walls almost fondly. “…based around this very building.”
Diana’s lip curled. “Oh, man, that’s such a happy tie-up-all-the-loose-ends ending I think I’m going to hurl.”
“Take a number,” Austin advised.
Claire ignored them both. “What did Mom say?”
“That I did the right thing and we’ll talk about the rest when I get home.”
“Well, she actually said,” Samuel began and broke off as Diana glared.
“So what do we do with Byleth long term?” she asked, pointedly changing the subject. “She could live here with you, you’ve got the space. I think you two would make wonderful parents.”
Dean blanched. “Uh, better idea.” He pulled out a crumpled envelope. “I found this in her jacket pocket. It’s got the address and the phone number for a Mr. and Mrs. Harry Porter and a note that says ‘if you ever need us, call.’”
“I don’t know,” Claire began.
He handed her the envelope. “The ‘i’ has been dotted with a little heart.”
“Oh, yeah. They deserve each other. Although…” She sighed, frowning at the little heart. “I still don’t like the thought of releasing even an ex-demon into the world.”
“She’ll be going to high school,” Diana reminded her grimly. “Anything demonic she managed to do in the short time she was here, she’ll more than pay for.”
“Good point.” The envelope changed hands again. “She’s your project, Diana, you can do the honors.”
“Okay, but I’m doing it from the phone in Dean’s old apartment, I so don’t want to run into Mr. and Mrs. Scary Old People again.” Pivoting on one heel, she scanned the hall. “Samuel?”
Just as she started to worry, he emerged from the elevator, jaws working.
“Come on, we’re going to go ruin Byleth’s life. What are you chewing?” she asked as they started down the basement stairs.
“Someone left a piece of calamari in that little room.”
“Eww. Don’t eat stuff you find on the floor.”
“I’m eight inches tall. My options are kind of limited.”
As their voices faded, Claire moved back into Dean’s arms, slipping her hands under his coat and grinning at his reaction to the temperature of her fingers. “Now that Hell’s back out of the picture, you really have to put a furnace in this place.”
“I know. Claire, I was wondering…”
“Natural gas is probably cheaper.”
“Not that…”
Her hands dropped lower. “Just as soon as we get rid of everyone.”
“No. Well, yes. Wait a minute.” He caught hold of her wrists while he was still capable of stopping her. “The angel, is it gone, then?”
She nuzzled his neck. “Not exactly. Diana turned him into a cat.”
“Samuel?” Shoulder blades pressed into the wall, he detached enough to look down at Austin.
“Samuel,” Austin told him. “But Diana thinks Claire doesn’t know, so keep it to yourself.”
“Why?”
He shrugged and wrapped his tail around his front paws, managing to somehow look like a small, furry, one-eyed Buddha. “It’s an older sister thing. In an effort to keep a small piece of the high ground, Claire needs to know things that Diana doesn’t know she knows because Diana is so much more powerful. Keeperwise.”
“Okay. But couldn’t this whole thing…”
“No, he’s no more an angel now than that girl’s a demon. They canceled each other out when he knocked her away from the hole.”
“Did he know that would happen, then?”
“Does it matter?” Claire asked.
“I guess not.”
“I wouldn’t worry about him,” Austin said soothingly. “He’s a cat.”
“Which means?” Claire demanded from inside the circle of Dean’s arms.
“Which means—and do you have to do that in front of me?—that he’s still a superior being.”
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The finest in Fantasy and Science Fiction
by TANYA HUFF from DAW Books:
THE SILVERED
THE ENCHANTMENT EMPORIUM
THE WILD WAYS
The Confederation Novels:
A CONFEDERATION OF VALOR
Valor’s Choice/The Better Part of Valor
THE HEART OF VALOR (#3)
VALOR’S TRIAL (#4)
THE TRUTH OF VALOR (#5)
SMOKE AND SHADOWS (#1)
SMOKE AND MIRRORS (#2)
SMOKE AND ASHES (#3)
BLOOD PRICE (#1)
BLOOD TRAIL (#2)
BLOOD LINES (#3)
BLOOD PACT (#4)
BLOOD DEBT (#5)
BLOOD BANK (#6)
The Keeper’s Chronicles:
SUMMON THE KEEPER (#1)
THE SECOND SUMMONING (#2)
LONG HOT SUMMONING (#3)
THE QUARTERS NOVELS, Volume 1:
Sing the Four Quarters/Fifth Quarter
THE QUARTERS NOVELS, Volume 2:
No Quarter/The Quartered Sea
WIZARD OF THE GROVE
Child of the Grove/The Last Wizard
OF DARKNESS, LIGHT, AND FIRE
Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light/The Fire’s Stone
