“Ugh. It was my job to trim the hair around Fluffy’s asshole because he was too fat to clean it.” Julie groaned. “I don’t miss that.”

Val tried to imagine the resplendent queen who magically healed broken bones in seconds performing that disgusting task and failed.

“What happened to them when Lillie passed away?” she asked.

“They got adopted by friends of ours—Malcolm and Cassidy. Pookie passed on since he was as old as the hills. Fluffy’s still around and presumably still can’t lick his own asshole.” The queen chuckled. “They have a chupacabra puppy now. It’s more Cassidy’s speed.”

“Wait, Malcolm and Cassidy?” Val gaped. “The crown prince of vampires and his wife?”

“Don’t look so starstruck.” King Taylor laughed. “You’re close friends with his sister-in-law Anne.”

Val blinked. “I guess that’s true.”

“Where’s your faerie?” Julie asked.

Val dispensed mugs of coffee and handed out cream and sugar. “She’s in the apartment. Would you like to see her?”

“Definitely not. I’ve had enough of faeries to last me a while, thanks. If you say she’s doing well, I trust you.” Julie sipped her coffee.

Val sat opposite the queen. Lillirelda tried to grab Taylor’s mug as he raised it to his lips.

“We didn’t come here solely to annoy you, believe it or not.” Julie lowered her mug.

“I’m not annoyed, Your Majesty,” Val assured her.

“No, but we can be very annoying,” Taylor acknowledged.

“Debatable. Anyway, I have a request for you, Val.” Julie raised her chin. “Do you have room for a commission? It’s slightly urgent.”

“Slightly?” Taylor raised his eyebrows.

“I can make room, Your Majesty. What do you need?” Val asked.

The queen reached for Lillirelda. Her husband unstrapped her from the carrier, and the queen scooped the little princess into her arms. Lillirelda giggled and played with her mother’s hair.

“I need an amulet for my daughter,” the queen murmured.

Val nodded. “Of course, Your Majesty. It’s vital for the future of all paranormals to keep her safe. Any child deserves to be safe.”

“A laudable sentiment, but that’s not what I want the amulet for.” Julie smirked.

“Your Majesty?” Val raised her eyebrows.

“I need to keep the babysitter safe,” Julie told her.

Taylor grimaced sheepishly. “Four of them have quit so far.”

“Lilli only wants her grandma, doesn’t she?” Rosa crooned. “Lilli only wants her abuela.”

“She spends most of her time with Julie and me or her grandmother or Bianca,” Taylor explained. “Occasionally, we all have other responsibilities. It would be great to have someone else able to watch her, but so far...”

“Nobody else has had the balls,” Rosa stated bluntly.

“Lilli spontaneously combusts,” Julie pointed out. “We can’t exactly blame them. She won’t gain control over her powers for a few more years. I don’t mind replacing the crib every couple of weeks, but she set the last babysitter’s robe on fire, and she was a dragon. Still not sure how Lilli managed that.”

Val nodded. “I see the problem.” She rubbed her chin. “You need an amulet that will create a fireproof bubble ward around Lilli when she bursts into flames. Maybe one that responds to heat or lunar magic.”

“That would be amazing,” Taylor gushed. “We could have silk sheets again instead of salamander skin!”

“Spoiled petrichor prince.” Julie fondly caressed his cheek.

“You know it.” Taylor kissed her hand.

“I’ll draw up the plans tomorrow morning, Your Majesty,” Val promised.

“Excellent. Thanks, Val.” Julie beamed.

They finished their coffee and headed to Rosa’s van outside. As Taylor wrestled Lillirelda into her car seat and Rosa started the van, Julie turned to Val.

“It’s good to see you thriving.” She smiled. “Thanks for everything you do for the throne and for my family.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for sending me here.” Val swallowed. “My life is very different.”

“It’ll get even more interesting with time.” Julie tilted her head. “Take care of that dog. He’ll mean a lot to you.”

Val nodded, and with that, the queen and her family were gone.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The days were getting longer. The evening light played on Genevieve’s polished hood as Val turned down her street after an uneventful day of bodyguarding. She looked forward to summer’s return and getting home in the daylight, but she enjoyed the long shadows and the soft gold light that made the grimy street seem beautiful.

“We even have the time and energy for a home-cooked meal, Gennie,” she murmured. “Rosa would be proud.”

She parked the Mustang in the garage, exited, and stretched her arms high above her head. As she strolled to the back door, she checked her watch. Plenty of time to work on Lillirelda’s amulet before dinner.

The apartment door squeaked. “Hello?” Tetra yelled. “Did you forget me?”

Val bristled. “What?”

“I haven’t seen you in, like, two days,” Tetra complained.

“They’re your days off,” Val barked. “You’ve got plenty of food. I figured you wanted to chill.”

“I’m going out of my mind!” Tetra bellowed. “I’ve watched the last Sherlock four times. When are they going to make a new one?” She kicked the doorframe, which shuddered.

“Don’t break my house!” Val yelled.

“Fine! Be an asswipe. Lock me up in here,” Tetra cried dramatically, stomping into the apartment.