Wolves at the Door - Lidiya Foxglove Page 0,30
fast so we could get back to work.
Why don’t we just let the incubi have Hel and go for Billie? The thought crossed my mind, but it was clear right away that Billie wasn’t Helena. She was tough on the outside, but it was a front. She worked hard, but she didn’t do the dirty work the same way Helena did. There was something about a princess who would spend hours refinishing floors and pulling down old plaster and shoveling trash into a bin that just made me want to fuck her all night. And then bring her home to our parents and brag about her for the rest of our lives.
I think Billie could read that she wasn’t our type, but I could tell she’d had enough suitors in her day that she didn’t take it too personally.
“So, you guys are cool with Helena going off with Graham?” she asked, still poking at us a little while she finished the last of her fries that evening.
“What about your plans?” I asked. “You could wed a faery or two when we sell this place. It’s going to need a human bride to anchor it.”
“The thought did cross my mind. I wouldn’t mind settling down. I could tinker with this house forever. There’s just one big problem.”
“You don’t trust faeries?” Jasper asked. Which was a common and reasonable position. Faeries being ‘neutral’ and all also meant that no one could trust them.
“No. I just don’t like kids. I have an IUD and I’m not going to start popping out babies for a faery lord. But that’s kind of an important part of a marriage like that.”
“Well, that’s fair,” Jasper said. “Our cousin Amelia doesn’t want kids either, and she took some flak in the family for it, but I think we wolves have some evolving to do too, you know. Modern times. Especially since we often have two or three kids at a time.”
“I wonder what Hel would say about that,” I said, worrying over it briefly. I wanted kids, and it was hard to imagine Hel wanting triplets.
“If you have four dads she might be a little more open to it, at least,” Billie said. “Perks of male bond-mates. Usually dads just don’t pull as much weight as moms with the kids, even when they think they do, so having four of them makes a lot of sense.”
“The men in our family are pretty involved,” I said. “We spent tons of time with our dad. We’ll take care of our own.”
“Okay, well…good for you.” Billie shrugged. “I have a friend who would love to marry faery lords. If they’re looking for someone, I’ll call her. She’s super pretty and fun. I don’t need a man myself, not right now.”
“Sure, you’re a successful businesswoman,” Jasper said graciously. “It’s hard to make time for a social life.”
“That’s right.”
While Jasper’s attempt at feminism was great and all, and Bilie clearly was a successful businesswoman since she nabbed this house from us, I thought she also seemed like she was lying.
“On the other hand,” I said, a little more delicately, “if you want a partner to share your life, there’s no shame in it.”
She looked a little freaked out by this. “I didn’t realize you were actually the sensitive one, Jake. I thought you were the bro.”
“We actually sort of trade off,” Jasper said. “It just takes Jake longer to show it.”
“Well…the truth is…” Billie’s eyes suddenly turned a little tearful and she swallowed. I was getting freaked out the longer she paused. No one meant to initiate a confession. “Look, if this goes wrong, I am taking the fall with the council. Completely. Ever since I heard about the existence of Pandora’s Box I thought it was my destiny to open it and probably to be executed, but at least I would end the reign of terror. I realize that sounds heavy and kind of crazy, and I don’t want to scare you off, so let me just say again that I want to open the box all by myself and if the council asks me about you I’ll just say I lied to you and that sort of thing.”
I looked at Jasper. Shit.
“That’s…heavy, yeah,” Jasper said. “You think this is a sacrificial mission?”
“Maybe,” she said stiffly. “For me. But it’s cool. I’ve made my peace with it.”
“Did Deveraux warn you about this or something?”
“As if I need someone else to warn me that the wizard council are dangerous!” She wadded up her