Page 30 of Wanted: A Roommate Who Isn't Evil

A ballet theatre rested at the city’s edge. The building was made of the finest stone that glowed silver in the morning sunlight. Inside, half a dozen twisty hallways, a large auditorium with velvet red chairs, and a wide stage with a sweeping black curtain boasted of the theatre’s riches. But the best part was that the rafters above the stage were just dark enough to conceal Luc resting in them.

The fox leaned back against a pole, letting one leg dangle as he watched the dancers practice their routine below. Arched bodies morphed into spinning gods and goddesses, their pointed-toe perfection something of a marvel.

Once upon a fairy life, Luc had watched dancers such as these perform for his grandmother, the Dark Queene. His mother hadshushed him when he’d tried to ask questions during the performance:“Why are they wearing antlers? Doesn’t that make it harder to dance?”and,“How do they glide on their toes like that?”and,“Can I try?”

Luc was no dancer, to be certain. Not in comparison to the gifted fairies of the Dark Corner who had spent day and night practicing beneath the cloud of turmoil. But once or twice, while hidden away in his room, he had tried it—gliding over the floor with his fox grace—so passionately, in fact, that he drew a quiet music in from the wind and made the air taste like sugar. He’d snuck into the woods to watch the fairies dance every month after that, carefully mimicking their moves from the shadows of the emerald trees. He wanted to show his mother once he had mastered the routine.

Even after his mother had left forever, Luc had wandered back to the dancers’ lair in the woods. He’d watched them to pass the time, to ease his soul, to keep himself from crying. It was his one secret refuge that his father did not know about and therefore could not destroy.

But naturally, he’d left all that behind when he’d joined the Shadow Army.

Human realm dancers were not quite as magical as fairy dancers. They could not jump as high, nor could they spin as long, nor did they have the same impressive balance. Even their costumes were bland in comparison—lacking braided wreaths, speared antlers, or awakened creeping plant dresses. But theirhard work and persistence was a form of magic all on its own.

Luc rubbed his eyes as he witnessed the ballet dancers reset to begin their routine again. He wasn’t much of a coffee drinker, but he wondered if he ought to indulge in one this morning to fully wake himself. He couldn’t exactly complain about a bad sleep for he would never tire of sleeping on a mattress. In fact, he’d slept like an untroubled childling these last few nights since he’d moved in with the North Fairy. Curious, considering he was beyond stressed by the prospect of Mor, Cressica Alabastian, or Dranian’s white-haired friend with the dirty, uncovered feet popping in at any moment for a visit.

But even with last night’s drama, he appreciated his bed. The park benches had always been too hard on his back for peaceful slumber. It was the curse of being a prince—even if Luc had never recognized himself as one.

When he decided he’d had enough of the ballet, Luc swung from the rafters and landed in complete silence behind the curtain, out of sight. He glided from backstage to the emergency exit and came outside to crisp morning air tickling his nose.

Perhaps he would take a nap today. There was no reason he couldn’t when he owned his own bed.

He ventured through the winding streets, searching the shops he passed for one that might promise to serve ice cream all year long. But he found no such place to ease his cravings.

Eventually he reached his building. He airslipped up to the third-floor hallway, deciding he didn’t care to waste time on thecode or the stairs anymore. He eyed clingy Beth’s apartment door as he walked past, imagining her popping out and demanding he do more servant tasks for her. What a spoiled human she was.

He unlocked the door to 3E and went in, sensing immediately that Dranian was awake and in the kitchen. And brewing coffee. Luc sniffed a little. The delicious scent was completely muddied by the smell of repulsive, wet dog. He scowled at the mutt sleeping on a blanket in the living space as he followed his nose to the kitchen.

Dark rings surrounded Dranian’s eyes when he looked up. Luc’s mouth twisted as he considered addressing the incident that had happened the night before—when he’d barged in on the North Fairy having a complete meltdown. Luc had seen all sorts of panic-driven fairies back in the Army. But it was as though no one had ever taught Dranian how to overcome his spell. Perhaps none of the fools he called “brothers” even knew how to overcome such a thing.

What a herd of idiots.

Dranian turned away to watch the coffee maker as it brewed, fiddling with this and that. Tugging a mug from the cupboard. Glancing up to the top shelf for a moment to where Luc had tossed the sugar. Then he moved on and went to the spoon drawer.

“Does that always happen to you when you’re overwhelmed?” Luc cut the obvious tension in the room to shreds. He was dying to know. Mostly for purely snoopy reasons.

“That’s none of your business,” Dranian muttered,grabbing a spoon. He took the nearby tea towel and began wiping water and coffee drips off the counter.

“It’ll become my business if you continue to make a ruckus in the space I’m living in,” Luc pointed out. “You severely disrupted my sleep last night. I’ll take a cup of that coffee as reimbursement for my stolen slumber.” He nodded toward the coffee maker.

Dranian grunted in reply, and Luc sat down at the table to wait.

“Did you have a bad dream?” he pressed.

Dranian glared back at him. “Stop that,” he demanded.

“Stop what?”

“Probing.”

“Oh dear.” Luc sighed. “It’s not probing. It’sinterrogating,” he corrected. “I hate not having answers when I have questions. I plan to start cutting off your fingers soon if you don’t tell me what I want to know.” He smiled at himself, imagining how nice it would be if he wasn’t joking.

Dranian let out a long, deep breath and leaned against the counter on his fists. “You talk too much,” he muttered.

“Yes. I’ve been told that before.” Luc nodded, flicking a gross crumb off the table.

He allowed the North Fairy several moments of silence before he spoke again.

“I’d like to make a bargain to get rid of that dog,” he said.

---