“Like it or not, this is your home now.” Val gestured through the windshield at the glittering mass of vehicles crawling between Manhattan’s skyscrapers. “Here, people have names.”

“I have a name,” the faerie snarled.

Val shook her head. “Correction. Here, people have names they tell each other.”

The faerie didn’t look at her, but her tone was quieter when she spoke. “Why don’t you simply order me to tell you my true name?”

Val fell back in her seat. “What?”

“You could. I would have to tell you,” the faerie muttered.

Val shook her head. “Why in Merlin’s name would I do that?”

“Because you can. Because it would degrade me and perhaps give you more power than you already have over me.” Fourth’s words escaped between clenched teeth.

Val sighed. “Believe it or not, I’m not out to get you, girl. I know that faeries’ true names are considered sacred, and I won’t invade something that important to you unless it’s a matter of life and death.”

The faerie glanced at her, and her shoulders loosened, though her arms remained crossed. “Okay.”

Blaring horns prevented conversation in the car for a few minutes. Val rubbed the bridge of her nose, too tired for this.

“Fine. I’ll respond to a nickname,” the faerie muttered grudgingly. “You’ll have to choose it, though. I don’t know what human names sound like.”

Val fished for ideas. “I could call you Jane Doe, but that’s boring. You need a name that suits you. Something exotic.” She shrugged. “Sinatria referred to you as ‘Fourth’ because you’re fourth in line. We could base your name on that. Quadra, maybe. Or Tetra.”

The faerie tilted her head.

“Tetra?” Val pressed. “You like that, huh?”

“It’ll work,” the faerie conceded.

“Then you need a surname.” Val stared at the billboards as they reached the interstate, the traffic now flowing slightly faster. She picked a name at random. “Dupont. Tetra Dupont. Does that work for you?”

The faerie shrugged. “I suppose it’s fine.”

“Cool.” Val tried for a smile. “Nice to meet you, Tetra.”

Tetra neither looked at her nor said anything. They drove the rest of the way to Val’s house in silence.

Relief washed over Val as the garage door clanged shut behind Genevieve. She got out and stretched, soreness rippling through her muscles.

“Okay, we’re here,” she announced. “Welcome to your new home.”

Genevieve opened her passenger door and tilted, helpfully expelling Tetra onto the garage floor.

“Gennie, seriously,” Val hissed. “I know she called you a ‘thing,’ but calm your spoiler down.”

Genevieve honked.

Tetra stumbled to her feet and looked around. “An acceptable cave.”

“No, dumbass. I didn’t mean this room.” Val sighed. “Come on. Let me show you to your apartment.”

“Apartment?” Tetra asked.

“You’ll see. This way.” Val gestured to the new wrought-iron stairs that ascended the garage wall in sleek lines. Her boots thudded on the solid steps as she led Tetra to the door, which was attractively paneled in oak with cast-iron fittings. She turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open.

“This is your new home,” Val clarified.

Tetra shuffled through the door and stood in the center of the new apartment that took up all the space above the garage. A huge window overlooked the rooftops of Bay Ridge and offered a distant glimpse of Owl’s Head Park, a speck of greenery amid the browns and grays of the city.

The polished concrete floors made the space look bigger. The modern kitchenette in one corner had granite countertops and sleek, shiny appliances above cabinets painted white. The bright red couch provided a splash of color, tempered by gray and navy cushions, and faced a TV on a wooden cabinet. Beyond the open-plan area, a half-open door hinted at the spacious bedroom and bathroom.

“I suppose this will do,” Tetra muttered.

“You won’t be staying here for free for long,” Val warned. “Part of being a productive member of society is paying rent, especially in New York City.”

“What?” Tetra stared at her.

Val shook her head. “I’m too tired for this. I’ll explain later.” She stepped back. “See you in the morning.”

The faerie folded her arms. “You’re going to let me starve?”

Val sighed. “I’ll order takeout.”

“What?” Tetra demanded again.

“Look, a guy will show up at the door with hot food, okay?” Val snapped. She stomped over to the couch and grabbed a remote from the arm. “See this red button? Push it to turn on the TV.”

“The what?” Tetra asked.

“This thing.” Val hit the button. “See?”

Tetra jumped as a news anchor announced that traffic was terrible in Manhattan like that was new. “What’s it for?”

“Keeping you busy. Here, this is where you sleep.” Val clomped to the bedroom and pushed the door open. “That’s your bed. This is the bathroom.” She pointed at the toilet. “Pee in that.”

“What about—” Tetra began.

“Yes, that too,” Val grumbled. She turned on the shower. “Hot and cold water comes out of there.”

“What for?” Tetra asked.

“To wash your stinky ass with, you feral thing. Can you stay out of trouble in here for the night?” Val demanded.

Tetra folded her arms. “If you tell me to, I’ll have no choice.”