“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.”
“Fine. You want orders, here they are.” Val ticked them off on her fingers. “Stay in the apartment unless you have an emergency, in which case you may come into the house. Don’t hurt anyone.” She paused. “And try not to break anything.”
Tetra folded her arms. “You said you wouldn’t imprison me.”
Val pressed her fingertips to her temples and struggled to take deep breaths. “Tetra, I haven’t slept in two nights. This is not the time to push me. You will stay in here while I catch up on sleep. I’ll sort the rest out in the morning.”
She stomped out of the apartment and locked the door behind her despite her orders.
Daylight gleamed on the curtains when Val woke up.
She pressed her face into her pillow. Wow, what a screwed-up dream. There was this moonlit ritual involving Lunar Fae. King Arthur and Merlin were there, and—
Val sat up. “Oh, shit! That wasn’t a dream.”
She found her phone and checked the time. It was a few minutes past eight, and it was morning. Val vaguely remembered opening the garage door for the burger delivery guy to take Tetra’s dinner to the apartment last night, then nothing. She’d been asleep for almost twelve hours.
Val wondered if the faerie had evaporated or destroyed the apartment during that time.
She rolled out of bed and padded barefoot down the stairs in shorts and a baggy T-shirt. Her feet squelched on the disgusting mess on her kitchen floor. Val stared at her ruined coffee machine, the shattered fridge, and the melted microwave.
If she’d had hair, she’d have pulled it out. She wanted to scream.
Maybe she should go to the apartment and order Tetra to clean up the mess she’d indirectly made. The thought was tempting, but she recoiled. Tetra was her vassal, but she wasn’t a slave.
She stumbled back to her comparatively tidy bedroom and contemplated hiding from life for the next week, but jewelry commissions beckoned. She had to clean her place up.
The thought of tackling it on her own made her groan.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Val fished it out and felt a rush of relief at the name on the screen: Liam Miller. Maybe she didn’t have to do everything on her own.
She picked up. “Hey, man.”
“Did I wake you?” Liam chuckled. “Or do you have a cold?”
“You will not believe the two days I’ve had.” Val flopped onto her bed.
Liam’s voice turned soft. “Are you okay?”
