Page 9 of Pike

She eyed the monster skeptically, inching toward the door. “Gesundheit.”

He continued as though she hadn’t spoken, glaring at her. Willing her to stay. This was her idea, after all. “It’s a night spirit. It sits by a crossroads and asks for favors. Treat him well, you’re in luck. Otherwise…”

His voice trailed off and she didn’t need him to finish to know the answer. Her ass would be grass, in a manner of speaking. The thing might be little. It might even be so ugly as to be cute in some lights. No, who was she kidding? It was a monster pure and simple.

The karakondzula was hideous, with a big protruding nose and eyes and fur the rancid color of decaying compost. It hissed when it caught her staring.

She took a step back, scratching her neck. “What do you want me to do with it?”

“I want you to fight it.”

“No, I think I’m good. Thanks. I don’t want to piss off a creature that looks like it would eat the skin off my body and come back for seconds. I’m sure I taste good, so I don’t want to give him the opportunity.”

“You wanted to learn. I’m doing you a favor. Here.” He tossed the spitting and hissing ball of anger at her face without further ado. The thing latched onto her hair with a squeal that sent her halfway across the room.

“Holy crap!”

“Try to talk to it,” Pike called out with a hint of laughter.

It took every ounce of self-preservation she possessed not to scream, the sound caught on her tongue. Not even when the karakondzula’s breath made her want to pass out. Or vomit. Her hands rose to pry it off even as it clung to her neck for dear life.

“Nice beastie, good beastie.” Her voice quivered, muscles shaking. She urged her feet to stop moving and her brain to focus. Focus! “You really don’t want to hurt me, do you? I’ll find you a nice crossroads and give you a present for your troubles.”

The karakondzula continued to cling, his talons digging into her shoulders.

“That’s it.” Pike’s encouragement wasn’t anything special. His face was an unbroken surface giving no hint of what lurked beneath.

“It’s hurting me!” Lavinia insisted.

“Then calm it down. Easy.”

“Pike, this goes beyond anything I’ve asked of you.”

“You wanted to learn. Now talk to it.”

“Let go of me you little…cutie. I might have something in my pocket you’ll like. Maybe something to eat. I bet you enjoy presents.” Lavinia was rewarded for her efforts when the karakondzula stilled. He kept his grip tight despite the curiosity. “Yeah, let me look in my pocket and see what I can find for you.” She didn’t take her eyes off its legs and rather protruding nether regions while she reached down to search, hoping against all odds that she’d have something worthwhile. Something he would like.

Her fingers closed around a pack of gum, half-opened, all melted from her penchant for leaning against the radiator in her apartment. “Ooh, look at this,” she continued softly. “How do you feel about cinnamon? It’s so yummy.”

“Keep talking,” Pike said.

“I wonder if you’ve tried gum before. It’s delicious and chewy. Something you can wrap around those sharp, sharp teeth.” She glanced higher and what she saw had her swallowing her tongue. “Why is he foaming at the mouth?”

“Don’t worry. It’s daytime. He won’t hurt you.” Pike’s smile thinned in frustration. “Much.” Like she wasn’t getting the hang of this fast enough. Like she wasn’t trying to bargain with a pack of gum to keep the karakondzula from eating her face.

“He’s staring at me.”

“Why don’t you look into the future? See what you need to do to win?”

“You know damn well that’s not how it works.”

“Try, love.”

Lavinia nodded, holding the gum aloft, and noticed the moment the little goblin’s gaze dropped down to focus on the brightly colored wrapper. “You sure are adorable once you get past the fur and claws. And…and foaming mouth. Here, go on. Take a piece.”

The goblin released part of her hair to grab the pack of gum. The clicking in the back of his throat could have gone either way, either delighted or pissed, so she wasn’t sure.

Okay, try to calm down. It was a stretch, talking herself off the freak-out ledge while Pike sat there from whatever perfect dimension he’d crawled out of looking, well, perfect. Her stomach knotted. Her palms began to sweat. How was she going to learn how to defend herself if she didn’t even have the courage to face a goblin?

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