Bad Luck, Baby

19 - Bad Penny

Ro followed me down to Janelle's apartment for my daily training. Feeding me breakfast and teaching me magic seemed to go hand in hand for Janelle, so the lesson always took care of both. I wasn't sure Ro was invited, but I didn't dare suggest he find his own meal. He'd barely let me out of arm's reach since we got out of bed.

At Janelle's eggplant-colored door, I paused to knock, Ro crowding close at my back.

"You're late," Janelle called by way of greeting, and we entered to find her seated on the couch, dressed in yoga pants and a fuchsia blouse. She'd laid a black cloth over the low table, and was busy spreading a large deck of cards in a wide arc. "Now, I wouldn't mind, but–"

She looked up as she spoke and cut herself off as her eyes darted between me and Ro, whose hand rested on my lower back. Then her face split in a wide, gap-toothed grin, and she clapped her hands, making me jump.

"Well, butter my buns and call me a biscuit!" she exclaimed, cackling, and turned her head to shout. "Ky! Come an' look!"

Kyrie came in from the kitchen bearing a tray laden with a coffeepot and a plate of savory scones, both of which smelled delicious.

"Jani, our apartment is not large," Kyrie said with a long-suffering air. "You need not shout so—"

She stopped short, and her eyes went wide as she caught sight of me. The tray tilted in her hands, and she barely managed to straighten it before the coffeepot slid off the side, rattling the cups.

"Oh... my," she whispered.

"I win," Janelle said, holding out a hand, palm up.

Recovering herself, Kyrie carefully set the tray on the coffee table and shook her head. "You said a week."

"And you said a month. I'm closer, so I win."

Sighing, Kyrie pulled a thin wallet from her pocket, removed a ten-dollar bill, and placed it in Janelle's outstretched hand. Still cackling, Janelle tucked it in her blouse.

Confused, I shifted my weight awkwardly from side to side. "Um... what's going on?"

I felt vaguely uncomfortable, like I'd failed to understand a joke because I was the butt of it. As if he sensed my unease, Ro slid his hand from my back to my waist, pulled me a little closer to his side, and—to my surprise—growled at our friends.

Janelle pursed her lips at him. "Don't you growl at me, 'Rozimbrel. I'll send your ass straight to hell." To me, she said, "You're bonded, obviously. Seemed bound to happen, so Kyrie and I had a little bet going as to when. Neither of us expected it so soon, though."

I blinked. "You can tell just by looking? And... you know his name?"

"Mm-hmm." Janelle shoved her long braids over her shoulder and nodded at Ro. "That's a strongly bonded familiar, right there—good luck getting a moment alone for the next week or so—and I've known Ro's name for years."

Ro huffed, his hot breath tickling my ear and sending a shiver up my spine.

"A necessary evil," he said. "I trusted your father about as far as I could throw him, which... Well, now that I think about it would have been quite far. But you get the point. If he'd ever found something better, or simply tired of me, you can bet he'd have banished me in an instant. In which case, Janelle would have been able to summon me back."

"But... I thought you wanted to go home," I said, trying—and failing—to extricate myself from his arms while intensely aware of Janelle and Kyrie's gaze. From how hot it felt, I was fairly certain my face looked like a cooked lobster.