Page 59 of The Deer and the Dragon
“Oh, this will be undrinkable. I just like the smell. Let’s get ready and swing by the bakery before we commit crimes.”
She pumped a sleepy first into the air. “Doughnuts and theft!”
I abandoned her to shower, brush my teeth, and go through the motions of my morning routine. The fear of being in my hometown coerced me into applying an extra layer of makeup, lest I run into anyone from my youth. I wanted to look my best, should I bump into any of the girls who were mean to me in high school. Fauna was practically dancing with impatience while I picked out my clothes. I’d packed as if I were staying for a week rather than a single day, and I struggled to decide what would strike the perfect balance between successful, attractive, and conservative.
“Come on,” Fauna urged. “We’ll be in and out. Quick adventure.”
I shot a look at her reflection in the mirror just over my shoulder. “You either underestimate how small this town is or how insecure I am. But I’ll blame you if we go anywhere without making a killer impression.”
I forced Fauna to take the bags to the car just to give her something to do with her energy, promising her that there were some hard candies in the glove compartment. I settled on a long-sleeve cream dress that gathered at my waist and fell just a few inches above my knee. The neckline offered just enough cleavage to pique the interest, without showing so much that it gave away secrets. It was conservative whileit still hinted that I had money. The best part was that it had pockets. I paired it with heels, a watch, and a delicate designer necklace to inform anyone who recognized me from my youth that they’d been shortsighted for mocking our income disparity. I swept my hair into a ponytail with trembling hands and stared at myself.
My gray-green eyes were neither my mother’s sky blue nor my father’s hazel. I’d hoped it meant I was adopted and had a much cooler family somewhere else, but no such luck. I’d used a shaky hand to sweep a cat eye onto either side, then dusted my lids with a mauve and sparkly neutrals. Worry had turned me a sickly shade of bloodless, but a generous amount of blush put the life back in my cheeks. My mousy hair had never relinquished the final traces of gold that lit its occasional strands, even if I was no longer the pale daughter of Norway that had represented my maternal line for generations. I smashed my lips together, rubbing in what remained of the lip gloss before sighing, full mouth tugging down in a disappointed pout.
I looked great.
I looked successful.
I looked put-together, elegant, and mysterious.
I looked like I was one minute away from a breakdown.
A whistle cut through the air as I exited the motel. It was the first time I considered how Fauna and I were dressed as if we were headed to entirely different events. I was ready for an upscale board meeting, while she looked like she was about to sell me crystals and tell me that astral projection had changed her life. Her crocheted bralette top looked great with the giant butterflies printed on her flowing pants, but I struggled to picture her shopping for such an item. Then again, she had just scared a gas station attendant along the interstate over a gummy bear craving. Who knew what she was capable of achieving.
I approached the car and asked, “Where do you get your clothes? I never asked.”
“My place!” She smiled.
“Your…excuse me?”
“I have a house in the mortal realm. You know, for funsies.”
At this point, I wasn’t sure why anything she said shocked me. If she informed me that she also had a husband, three children, and wore pantsuits from Monday through Friday, I probably would have found it just as ridiculous as everything else I’d learned. None of it had to make sense, I supposed.
“Where is it?” I asked, bringing the engine to life so I could get the air-conditioning going. The car was already stuffy, despite the early hour.
She waved the question away. “On the beach.”
I waited for her to expand. When she didn’t, I promoted, “We’re nowhere near the beach. How are you getting clothes from there? Didn’t you say to that Azrames guy that you were…mortal-bound at the moment?”
She shot me a side-eye,presumably at how I’d referenced the monochromatic demon. She said, “I’m limited in what I can dowithyou. If I want to stay present with you, I have to stay in mortal form. Personally, I can come and go from wherever I want. And once you have the søjle, we can stroll everywhere from the Celts to the Shintos to the Greeks without you having to bond. If you can spare me for two minutes while you think I’m in the bathroom, sometimes that’s all it takes for me to blink in and out.”
“I’ll jot that down on my ever-growing list of worries,” I mumbled.
“You’d love my place. Unless you hate the ocean, but no one hates the ocean. Being in it, maybe. But looking at it? Always enjoyable. Plus, the owner is fae, so he rents it out to a bunch of us to come and go as we please. We trade in favors, mostly.”
I arched a brow.
“He’s a eunuch, so they’re not those kinds of favors, but I applaud your entrepreneurial spirit. Usually he just needserrands run around the world or between realms, but only once in a while. It’s a pretty sweet gig. And since I’m an absolutely lovable gem, I’m welcome between most kingdoms…except Egypt,” she shuddered. “I may have pissed off Osiris. But in my defense: I should never have been the one sent to deliver things to a god of death. We have incompatible personalities. Anyway.” She tucked a curl behind her ears as if speaking of a boring Tuesday night before saying, “My landlord knows I’m indisposed for a while. I’m on a super-secret, very important mission to be stuck in a mortal body with a pretty blockhead so she doesn’t make deals with angels.”
I smiled as I relied on my memory to guide me to the bakery. “Oh, so we’re adding pleasant adjectives before the insults now? I’m flattered.”
She nodded. “I call it like it is. You make bad choices. But, this is the first time I’ve seen you dress up, and you’re stunning. I can sprinkle all sorts of incentives before truths if it makes them easier to swallow.”
“Like putting a dog’s medicine in cheese?”
She made a contemplative face. “Whenever I don’t understand a reference, it just informs me that I need to watch more television. When our very special mission is over, I’ll dedicate three weeks to nothing but education in the form of reality shows.”
“That’s wise,” I agreed.
