Page 23 of Deadly Avarice
As far as I knew, there were only two things that scared Pops—contemplating my mortality and djinn. Knowing there was a third didn’t do my heart any favors.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have called him, but I didn’t see another solution. We need that list of names.”
“I know.” Pops’s voice was soft. “Gaia help me, I know.” Finally turning, Pops’s dark eyes landed back on me. Most found Pops’s gaze difficult to hold. I never had. Those inky pools were warm when they fell on me. Three strides placed Pops back in front of me. Long fingers slid beneath my chin, gently raising myhead and gaze. “You must follow your heart, Erasmus, no matter where that leads you. If you do not, then you will merely be existing, not living. However, following your heart does not have to mean self-sacrifice. Have a care, pay attention, be aware, and do not allow yourself to be lulled into false promises. Do not let your guard down. Trust in yourself, your momma, and me.”
“You left someone out,” I said.
Pops huffed. “Of course. The human as well.”
“The human has a name. A perfectly lovely name.”
Pops dropped my chin and placed his hands behind his back. “I am aware.”
Without missing a beat, I said, “And I love that human.”
Pops’s icy mask cracked as his lips twitched into a soft, sad, smile. “I am aware of that also.”
Chapter
Eight
Erasmus
“I wish you could have seen Phil’s house,” Peaches gushed. Five minutes into our conversation and that was no less than the third time he’d uttered that phrase. “It was magical.” Peaches ended on a sigh. “Phil is such a wonderful home and hearth pixie. And everyone was there, even Ray and Wendall.”
Ray was, of course, Hellfire Rayburn, the Fairy Queen’s muscle. Not that she really needed someone to fight her battles. Queen Silvidia was possibly the most powerful being in Fairy. I wasn’t sure how she stacked up against a djinn. Gaia willing, we’d never need to learn. “Trinket had so much fun playing with Sedrick’s niece and nephew,” Peaches added when I remained quiet.
I listened with half an ear. Whether he knew it or not, Peaches had just given me a good segue for why I’d called. When Peaches stopped to take a breath, I interrupted and said, “So, about the hamster…”
“Yes, well…” I’d certainly knocked the wind out of Peaches’s sail. With a heavy sigh, he said, “Between you and me, I don’t think it’s working out.”
Relief flooded me. “Yeah, I kind of got that impression. I think a hamster is a little too…benign.” I wasn’t sure if that was the right word or not. “At least the kitten had some spunk.” It had teeth and claws that Aurelia half-heartedly respected.
“True. I just thought… I mean, I still think a pet is a good idea.”
Oddly enough, so did I. “Me too. I just think maybe a hamster isn’t the best.”
“No, no. You’re right. I will find it a new home and think of something else.”
I took that moment to say, “Aurelia has mentioned a scuttlebutt a time or two, but I—”
“She’s mentioned it more than that to me,” Peaches huffed, clearly annoyed. “I was ready to ask Ray to look into it, but Lucroy doesn’t think it’s a good idea.”
Another tidal wave of relief passed through me. I nearly said,Thank Gaia, out loud but managed to refrain. “I, uh, I think King Moony might be right on that one.”
“Perhaps. Maybe I should ask Ray if there is something else of Fairy he might recommend.”
Gaia help us. I did not think it was a good idea to attach anything related to Fairy to Aurelia but maybe I was wrong.
I cleared my throat and said, “What about a dog? Aurelia might—”
“Too much work for her,” Peaches cut me off. “Not that I think you’re wrong. I just believe Aurelia isn’t ready for something that needy.”
I started to argue but thought better of it. In a way, dogs wereneedy, although I didn’t think that was the correct term. They certainly required more attention than a cat. More training too. Maybe Peaches was right.
“Well, whatever you think best,” I finally managed.
“Thank you!” Peaches beamed, clearly happy with my response. I wasn’t totally blowing smoke up the pixie’s ass. As far as we all knew, Peaches was charting a brand-newmastercourse where Aurelia was concerned. Considering the track record regarding Aurelia’s previous masters (all prematurely deceased), I couldn’t fault Peaches’s ingenuity or desire to change the status quo.
