Sin & Spirit (Demigod of San Francisco #4)(27)

“That’s not true,” Mordecai responded.

Daisy’s eyes turned haunted. She’d spent her early childhood in and out of foster homes, each of them equally bad. She’d seen her fair share of horrors. “One of the homes was by a creek. More than a few kittens wandered up, missing—”

“All right, Death’s raven, we get the picture.” Bria shuddered.

“This little guy has both his eyes, doesn’t he?” Boman nuzzled his head against the cat’s. The purring was so loud that it reached me across the kitchen.

“I don’t want to sound like a dick or anything, because starving is no fun,” I said, trying to be delicate, “but what is it doing in here?”

Red huffed out a laugh, turning back to the window.

“Ah, isn’t it just the cutest thing.” The unidentified woman crossed the room in dainty little strides, like a little pixie or something. She stopped by Boman’s side to pet the cat. I didn’t miss her goosebumps—probably a reaction to the handsome, well-built man next to her. A man directly connected to the Demigod of San Francisco. The way she kept batting her eyelashes drove the suspicion home.

“Also, who are you?” I asked her.

“Jack brought the cat in this morning, because he, like all the guys, are big ol’ softies without a clue.” Bria shook her head, not giving the unidentified woman time to answer me. “You can’t bring a cat into a house with a shifter. And if you do, it’s only a matter of time before one starts marking. That’s not a good scene.”

Mordecai turned around to look at Bria, his expression sour. “I have more control than to go around peeing on walls, thanks.”

“You wait. I see a very embarrassing sleepwalking situation in your future,” Bria said, rinsing her dishes.

“Excellent.” Daisy clapped. “That’s a good reason to set up motion-detecting cameras.”

“That’s an invasion of privacy!” Mordecai was back to hollering. She’d really developed a talent for getting under his skin, lately.

“It’s the common areas. It’s not like I would set them up in your room.” She made a face and stuck out her tongue. “Gross. I do not want to know what you do in there.”

“Good time for a subject change.” Bria slipped her dishes into the dishwasher. “It’s your house, Lexi. If you want to drop the thing at the pound, it would find a home really quickly. It’s got that soft, snowy coat—someone is bound to pick it up.” She tucked the fruit bowl into the fridge. “And that woman is your new stylist.”

“Oh. Yes.” The woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, flashed me a set of straight, blindingly white teeth. “Hi.” She practically pranced up to the other side of the island. “I’m Aubri, with an I. Like Bria mentioned, I’ll be helping you with styling. Demigod Kieran called my office this morning asking for a representative. We’re usually booked up solid, but…” She rolled her baby blues. “When I heard you were looking for someone? Of course I jumped at the chance.”

“I told Kieran he needed to outsource because you were dragging your feet,” Bria said, switching off the coffee pot. Apparently I was done with it. “He had only held off so long because he didn’t want you to think he was calling you a mess.”

“She is a mess. Always has been,” Daisy said.

“That’s part of her charm!”

Daisy exaggeratedly leaned away from Mordecai. “Oh my God, Mordie, I am sitting right here. Why are you yelling?”

He looked abashed. “Sorry. Autopilot.”

“All the big dogs use someone.” Aubri nodded at me with big, serious eyes. “All of them. Life in the spotlight can be harsh. It’s best to go in armed.”

I sighed. “I’m not going to lie and say this isn’t a huge relief, but I feel…unfeminine. Like, I should know how to dress myself and do makeup. Isn’t that a girl thing?”

Aubri stuck out a hip. “There is dressing yourself, which you really excel at.” She nodded adamantly. Daisy turned in her chair and draped an arm over the back, a goofy smile on her face. “And there is dressing yourself, you know?”

I didn’t.

“So I’m just going to nudge you in a focused direction, that’s all.” Aubri squinted as she looked me over. “It’ll be so easy, just you watch.”

“It wasn’t all that easy when I was doing it myself,” I murmured.

Aubri leaned against the counter. “You look really great, by the way. You have a natural beauty my clients would kill for. I love your spunk.”

Daisy’s lopsided smile grew.

“A few little touches, a quick clothing change, and you’ll be singing.” Aubri beamed at me.

“A few…touches?” I looked down at my outfit. “But this was how it looked on the mannequin.”

Aubri nodded with a supportive smile. “Totally. And it really smashed the runways last season. But I think we can get something a little more”—she pulled her lips to the side and squinted one eye in apparent thought—“your style.”

I slid off the chair at the island like a lost lamb. “My style?”

Boman set the cat down and grabbed my dirty dishes. “I got this, Lexi. Go get beautified.” He unleashed his wide, glittering smile. Aubri froze for a moment, looking at him like she was staring up into the sun.