Page 92 of Heir of Ashes

I stifled a shudder. How to get rid of him was the question I should figure out, not why.

“If I free you from your bondage, will you leave?”

“I bound to Massster. I go with Massster.”

I racked my mind for a solution. And then I had it. “If I order you to do something, you will obey?”

“Yesss, Massster.”

“Then I order you to become free and return to the Low Lands, back to your flock.”

He stood—or crouched—there, unblinking.

“I am ordering you to be free, to go back to the Low Lands and not owe me any loyalty.”

Nothing happened. “So what?” I threw my hands up in frustration. “You’ll follow me around for eternity?”

“Yessss, Massster,” he hissed.

“If I make a wish you can fulfill, will you leave afterward?”

He didn’t answer. I glanced out the window and thought about the havoc and carnage Frizz could cause. “If I touch you by mistake, will you attack me?” I asked, just to be clear.

“No. I give you loyalty, Massster.”

“How about if someone else touches you by mistake or steps on your tail? Will you attack them?”

“With your permission. Massster.”

I closed my eyes. “No. You don’t have my permission. You will not attack anyone. No one, not even if they step on you.” I hesitated a moment, then added, “You stay invisible until I say otherwise. Do you understand?”

“Yesss, Massster,” he said and disappeared.

“We’ll get you some food tomorrow,” I said to the empty air. If he had been with me since we’d left the Low Lands, it meant he had gone without food ever since. He could be under my command and not attack anyone, but what would happen if he became too hungry to care? When would too hungry be too much? I didn’t want to find out.

After I took a long, hot shower, I fell face down on the bed and stayed that way until Vincent’s knock roused me in the morning.

***

Once I signed the revised contract, Roland and Vincent took me to my new apartment, just a few blocks away from the Hunters’ base in upper-east Manhattan.

It was a two-bedroom, ground-floor unit in a ten-story residential building near the East River. I had my own separate side entrance and a backdoor, both painted pale yellow with light brown shutters on the windows. The front door opened into an adequately sized kitchen, separated from a furnished living room by a half wall. A short hallway led to two bedrooms across from each other and a cream-tiled bathroom at the end. Therewas a laundry room off the kitchen, which in turn led to the outside. The apartment was clean, the furniture new, and the appliances still had their tags.

And it was all mine.

I loved it.

Before leaving, Roland handed me an envelope containing legal papers, a copy of the contract, and an advance paycheck in case I needed to buy things. I nearly dropped the envelope when I saw a brooding photo of myself on my new ID—an NSA credential. Holy shit, I was an NSA agent!

What really surprised me was that Vincent left with Roland. I had expected he would be some sort of guard until they were sure I wouldn’t run away. Then again, they didn’t just call themselves the Hunters for nothing.

***

A few hours later, I boarded a flight to Sacramento. My nerves were taut as I found myself in an enclosed space with Frizz and a plane full of people. Though Frizz had fed well that morning and obeyed my commands, the anxiety gnawed at me until we finally touched down without incident.

I breathed a sigh of relief and felt easier after leaving the crowded airport altogether. While I waited for a cab, I placed a call to Tommy using my newly-acquired cellphone. After giving the cab driver directions, I sat back, closed my eyes, and began pondering the logistics of keeping Frizz as a pet—at least until I found a way to get rid of him. I’d have to buy him some doggy shampoo and make him take showers. Remo Drammen had said those creatures were valuable once they owed a person a favor. Well, I had Frizz’s loyalty and gratitude. How valuable could he be to me?

“We’re here, Missy,” the cabby said.

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