Page 18 of Delinquent Dette
“Hello.” A short greeting on the other end distracted Sten after two rings. Laughter from children—many of them—roared in the background.
“Hallr, my boy!” Sten greeted his son and earned an exasperated sigh.
“Yes, Papa is here. Can you please come get him?” Hallr knew what Sten wanted.
“Ah. On my way. Be there in a few days.” Sten hung up, sighing heavily as Jasper gave him a wary look. “I’m heading out.”
“I’m heading into the cellars in a few days, likely. Be nice to Papa. I’d like to see him.” Jasper offered a half smile and Sten nodded, heading out to get his things together.
In the old days, he’d have flown. In this new world? First-class flights were easy to come by.
***
America hadn’t changed much since he left. More and less industrialized. The air was cleaner, at least. He landed at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport and rented a car.
The drive. He made it in silence but had half a thought to stop by a human mall while he was at it. He needed his beard trimmed, some new clothes, and perhaps a bottle of wine to be polite. That was still the right thing to do? He asked the stylist while getting his trim and was assured that a bottle of wine wouldn’t go amiss. Maybe some flowers. And for Frikka? He’d taken care of that before he left home. A single gold coin. He’d held onto it for so many years.
Continuing after his sojourn, he made it into town and set the GPS to take him by a flower shop.Snapdragon.The only one in town.
The moment he pulled into the parking lot, the scent hit him. Rich, heady flowers that reminded him of the mating flowers he’d gotten from India all those years ago.
Two Dettes stood inside the building leaning on a counter, one with a pallor of Vritra mixed with Dior, and the other… If Hallr hadn’t menaced the Dette already, Sten would have been surprised.
He swallowed hard and entered, a cold sweat prickling his skin. The two Dettes glanced up at him and he expected fear or defensiveness, but got only a smile. The little red-haired Dette beamed.Tiger Lily.“Here for nestblossoms?”
“No.” Sten stared at the blue beauties in a vase on the counter.
“Oh. Anything else I can help you with?” The little Dette wiped his hands on an apron with colorful little pup prints all over it.
Sten faltered, English still thick on his tongue. “I do not know what I want. I need flowers—What do I give if I have not seen my son in a very long time?”
The redhead squinted, head tilted. “Nidhogg or Nielsen? Thinking Nielsen, you guys have that whole fucken’ icy-blond vibe.”
Sten stuttered. For such a small creature, he had a big mouth and no fear. “Nielsen.”
The other Dette eyed Sten warily, and the scent on him came off strange. He flinched as if Sten might comment, but he had more manners than to do so. A Dette’s scent was their business until a Drake made it theirs. With their consent, of course.
“My lover has come back to the area, too. It is many years since I saw.” Sten swallowed hard.
“Oh gods,” the Vritra Dette whispered. “Sten?”
Sten nodded quickly and a look of realization turned the redheaded Dette’s face into a wash of relief. “Cheezus, you camejust in fucken’ time. Frikka is driving me nuts. Love him to death, but the pups are just too much with him.”
“Pups?” Sten’s mouth went dry. “Frikka has pups?”
“Uh, no. Mine and Hallr’s… I’m Leo, Hallr’s mate?” The Dette gave Sten an odd look and his earlier assumption had been right. Hallrhadmenaced the Dette.
“I am not up to current date on the news. I talk to Hallr only infrequent.” Sten stumbled over his words again. “I did not know he mated.”
“Oh boy. Bastien, can you hold down the fort and close up?” Leo waved at the strange Dette and gestured for me to follow him into a back room as he gathered his things. “You can drive me home and I’ll fill you in.”
“You will get into a car with a strange Drake?” Sten stepped back nervously.
“Uh, yeah. I have GPS on my phone.” The little Dette typed away on his phone before grinning up. “And Hallr knows I’m on my way. Nielsens have always been good Drakes to me, and if you and Frikka didn’t kill one another, then you must have the patience of a saint. Honestly, I kinda figured Frikka had killed you and buried you somewhere.”
Sten snorted. “Not for the lack of trying.”
“Sounds about right.” Leo escorted him out and hopped into the passenger seat of Sten’s car, gesturing for him to turn back on the road. “So, you know Frikka is there. What else?”
