Page 6 of Claimed By Night

“It would be in every one of my customers’ best interests to keep their mouths shut if they want to continue enjoying her, right, Dravon?”

“Yeah, but gossip still gossip, mistress. An’ gossip get out.”

Anona shrug. “Even if Variant were to find out I had an angel, I doubt he’d do much. We have a long history, Dravon. Perhaps he’d even allow me to keep the girl, if he knew she was no threat to him.”

Dravon look like he don’t believe a word she sayin’ which show he’s smarter than he look ‘cause Anona talkin’ all kinds o’ shit. “Seem like a risk ta me, mistress.”

Anona wave her hand in Dravon’s face like she tryin’ ta say Variant can go fuck his edict. “Your conversation bores me, Dravon.” She downs her wine an’ pounds the glass on the table. That’s my cue to refill it, which I do. While I float past Dravon, I let out a rippin’ fart which, owin’ to my size, sounds more like a zipper openin’. But the smell ain’t gonna be good; I spent my mornin’ eatin’ farringer mushrooms.

Hahaha, the twat.

“But what ‘bout all that ramblin’ the angel was sayin’ ‘bout someone or somethin’ followin’ her? It coulda been Variant’s soldiers after her?” Dravon ask, turnin’ his head to the right an’ then to the left, sniffin’ real hard an’ suckin’ my fart up through his nose.

Got you, ugly prick!

Then I think ‘bout what the dickhead just said. Someone was followin’ the angel? Interestin’. Maybe Variant’s emissaries were after her, or maybe the bounty hunters? Or maybe just some hungry-ass creature wantin’ a little meat?

“You told me you saw no one and nothing following her,” Anona answer him with a shrug. “Those were the ramblings of an addict, Dravon. You saw how bad herAtacomitewithdrawals were.”

“Bad,” Dravon confirm with a heavy nod. “And now?”

Anona smile real broad like an’ motions to the top of the stairs. “Now, she sleeps like a babe. And sleep, she’ll need, because her vacation here ends tomorrow.”

“Vacation?”

“Tomorrow, she goes to work,” Anona say. “Tomorrow, she starts making me my fortune.” She take a deep breath an’ stands. “And on that note, I’ll check on her.” She take a step forward an’ face me. “Flumph, prepare our guest a plate of food.”

“Yes, mistress,” I answer.

***

FLUMPH

I float behind Anona while she take the stairs. I’m busy balancin’ the plate o’ radishes an’ stewed beef she got me carryin’ ‘tween my small hands. When Anona reach the hallway, she stride forward an’ pull out a skeleton key from her pocket. Then, she rattles with the lock ‘til I feels like I’m ready to drop that heavy-ass plate! Finally, the stupid bitch unlock the door an’ walk inside, me flyin’ jist behind her.

I heard Anona’s got a great ass but far’s I can tell, it look like anybody else’s. I ain’t exactly an ass connoisseur though ‘cause as a sprite, I’m asexual. It’s a damned good thing too, ‘cause I seen plenty o’ males with female problems an’ I want none o’ that shit.

I put the plate down on the rickety-lookin’ chair next to the cot where the girl be. That’s when I look at her. She’s passed the fuck out, but now I get why Anona be in such a good mood. The girl real beautiful. Easily the most beautiful girl I ever seen. An’ that be sayin’ a lot since I’m asexual, ‘member?

“Rise and shine, gorgeous,” Anona say, but the girl don’t move. Her veins are thrummin’ with the bold, green lines ofAtacomite. That mean it probly gonna take a while to wake her up.

Anona lean over the girl an’ put her hands ‘neath the girl’s armpits, liftin’ her into a seated position. The girl’s head flops forward like she ain’t conscious.

“We need to get you cleaned up for your busy day tomorrow,” Anona goes on, mostly to herself. “Once word gets out about you, you’ll have a long wait list.”

The angel don’t open her eyes. Anona frown an’ inhale real deep—it’s what she do when she feelin’ impatient. She shake the girl ‘til the girl open her eyes. An’ her eyes are like two crazy blue jewels glowin’ in her face.

“Flumph, order her a bath,” Anona bark at me, an’ I dutifully fly out the room an’ stall over the railin’.

“Godwin!” I yell, but ‘cause I be so damn small, my voice don’t carry over the noise o’ the tavern. I float a few feet forward an’ yell for Godwin agin. The bastard’s hard o’ hearin’.

Someone on the floor tells the ogre I’m hollerin’ for him an’ the enormous creature appear a few seconds later. He look up at me with a dumb expression. His body be so big, it take up the whole door frame, but he also got this ridiculous little pin-head on top. He look like a giant tick.

“Fill a tub an’ carry it up to the middle room,” I command. “An’ don’t go sloshin’ none o’ the water out.”

“Yessir,” Godwin say in his dopey voice.

I turn ‘round an’ flap back into the angel’s room. By this time, Anona got the girl standin’, though she don’t seem too stable on her feet. Anona’s holdin’ her upright with a hand on each o’ the girl’s hips. They both facin’ a mirror on the far side o’ the room. The girl’s eyes are barely open, an’ she swayin’ from one side to the other like she’s tryin’ to get her footin’.

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