Wolves at the Door - Lidiya Foxglove Page 0,18

I genuinely thought some faeries would snap this place up, but I also figured she didn’t know anything about faeries. No one did. The faeries had been deeply reclusive for centuries and only recently had they rejoined the other realms in fighting for territory. So if I sold her on the idea, maybe I could gain some say on how to shape the renovations.

I guess I had a teeny-tiny bit of my conniving ancestors in my bloodline. I swear, I only intended to use it for good.

“Well, I still have the cash I planned to use on this house,” I said. “What if we really go in on this together? I throw in another hundred grand and we really make this house stunning. We both recoup our profits first and then split the rest four ways between you, me, and Jake and Jasper, who I promise you really do work their asses off.”

“Wow. You really want in deep on this.”

“I love this house! I just get so excited! I want to be invested in it! And you know you need the help. And now that we know it’s a magical hot spot, I think we can ask eight hundred thousand for this house if we really make it shine.”

Billie looked around and I could tell she was tempted. It was a risk, for sure. I didn’t know if the faeries would actually buy the house or understand the value. They would also likely pay in gold, jewels, or magical items because it wasn’t like Wyrd had a bank that handled inter-world currency exchanges.

Jake and Jasper were probably going to be annoyed at me and tell me I acted impulsively again, but that was another perk. If we ladies teamed up, Jake couldn’t start mansplaining the kitchen renovation. (I had to ignore the fact that my eventual buyer for Lockwood House had agreed with his ideas.)

“Do we have time?”Billie said.

“I think so…” I was trying to do mental calculations in my head. We would need some help. Maybe we could bring Billie’s crew in just for a short time and keep them well-protected from monsters.

Then her expression darkened a little. “I guess it doesn’t really matter in the end. I bought it for the treasure. That’s why I paid so much.”

That look made me worry a little about what she thought was going to happen. There was a certain air of doomsday about her all of a sudden. “Still, you might as well make some money too!” I tried to stay upbeat. I did want to make money.

“All right, I’m game. I sure would love to get eight hundred grand for this house, that’s for sure. Even split four ways, that would be my best flip ever.”

“Mine too. But let’s not tell Jake and Jasper that,” I said. I had a feeling the Sullivan Brothers had enjoyed a big profit flip or two. And just as I was thinking that, I heard a van door slide open outside.

Chapter Nine

Jasper

“Hey, what are those two talking about?” Jake said, noticing the two incubi on the porch before he said one word about the house.

“Hel’s boobs, probably,” I said.

“Man, they better fucking not be.”

“I’m kidding.” Then I laughed. “You’ve really gotten possessive.”

“When I want something, I want it,” Jake said. “Anyway…you know. Don’t play it cool.”

Yeah. I did know. Once we both decided we liked Helena, it was like we realized just how much we’d been noticing her and liking what we saw for the last several years. That’s how it goes sometimes. There’s that moment when everything changes, when something previously veiled becomes so obvious that you can’t stop staring at it.

We were here to win a witch’s heart, and we had already agreed this was a united front. That made just as much sense as anything. Hel was our perfect partner.

I stepped down from the van and pain shot through my leg. I let out a groan of agony through gritted teeth.

“I’ve never seen someone forget they broke their leg this many times,” Jake said.

“I haven’t forgotten. I just keep thinking it won’t be that bad. And it just hurts because we’ve been in the van so long.” My hand slammed against the side of the van, like I could slap out the pain. It also steadied me. “Believe me, I’ll never forget that little bastard’s face when he blasted me.”

If I ever saw Helena’s cousin again, I was going to have a hard time not mauling him, even if he was