Excerpt Awwkkk! Ex Alert! Awwkkk! You know your day isn't going to go well when you open the door to find a woman dressed as an ancient Greek goddess on your doorstep. My eyes widened and I stuck my head out the door, scouring the neighborhood for witnesses. There was no doubt about it. I was going to be the talk of the community. First a gorgeous purple muse, and now this. I grabbed the young woman's arm and pulled her inside, slamming the door behind her. She looked suitably alarmed. For a long moment I stared at her, my hands on my hips. She was impossibly beautiful, with long, reddish blond hair, a Barbie doll figure, and full, perfectly shaped lips. Her eyes were large and blue in a porcelain-skinned face. I hated her immediately. "I assume you came to see Zahn?" She gave me a small, polite bow. "I am Astis, daughter of Calliope." I frowned. "Calliope?" "Chief of the Muses." Zahn's deep voice startled me. I turned and watched him stride toward us. I hadn't known he was awake. He didn't look happy to see our visitor. He stopped before the pretty goddess and bowed deeply. "Astis. To what do we owe this honor?" Astis dipped the longest, thickest eyelashes I'd ever seen in a demure maneuver that didn't seem to go with the regal stance. "Zahn. I come to see how you fare." He stared hard at her, his feelings hidden behind the handsome mask of his face. I glanced at Astis and saw the same blank slate there. Oh, oh! I thought. This was trouble. Right on cue Mike shot into the room as if flames were licking at this tail feathers. "Awwkkk! Beware the Ex! Hide the china! Awwkkk!" Mike fluttered to Zahn's shoulder and twitched there, looking more nervous than I'd ever seen him. Astis lifted her gem-like blue gaze toward the bird and her face briefly showed anger. So briefly in fact that I would have missed it had I not been staring directly at her, watching for a response. Then she smiled at Zahn. "I see you still have that moth-eaten bird." Zahn reached up and handed Mike a nibble of something. Mike took the offering but simply held it in his beak, apparently too nervous to eat. "Mike will always be with me. He's very loyal." My gaze flashed to Zahn. His dark, purple face was still unreadable, but his tone had been fraught with meaning. My initial feeling of foreboding strengthened. Whoever this chick was, she apparently was not good news for anyone in that room. A taut moment followed, wherein I considered chewing off most of my fingers. I finally decided action was better than maiming myself. "Would you like to come in? Have a seat? Can I get you something?" Like reservations on a flight out of here? Astis dragged her emotionless gaze from Zahn and Mike and smiled at me. Suddenly I wondered what all the drama was about. She seemed harmless enough. "I'd like that, thank you." Striding toward the door into my backyard, she motioned for Zahn to follow. "I'll take a cup of tea, please. As hot as you can make it. With lemon and just a touch of honey. And if you have cake, I'd like that too. Chocolate, if you don't mind, with cinnamon sprinkled across the top -- just a small slice. And I'd like some water too -- spring water -- with a slice of lime in it, and if you have a chilled glass that would be very nice. We'll be by the fountain." I watched her exit the house into the back yard and slowly turned to Zahn. "Are you kidding me?" He shrugged. "Sorry. I'll take care of it." He strode after her with Mike clinging tenaciously to his shoulder. Mike was so agitated that his feathers were all ruffly. He looked like he'd flown under one of those industrial sized dryer things in a car wash. It wasn't until the door closed behind them that I realized what she'd said. "Fountain? How the hell did she know there was a fountain?" Unfortunately I didn't get a response because there was nobody in the room but me. So I swore to myself and headed into the kitchen to try to scrounge up something resembling the massive order she'd given me. "Spring water my ass." I murmured angrily. It occurred to me that the water in the toilet probably started from a spring somewhere. My spirits rose considerably with the thought. |
