Sin & Spirit (Demigod of San Francisco #4)(42)

“What happened to you?” Boman asked, pausing in rinsing lettuce.

Thane braced against the island and winced. “The wolf lunged, distracting me from the gremlin, who used the opportunity to kick me in the nuts from behind.” Half the room busted up laughing. Jack danced over and punched him in the arm. “It’s not funny. I think a surprise kick to the nuts hurts more.”

“As opposed to asking for a kick in the nuts?” Jack asked with a grin.

“If you’re Donovan, yeah,” Thane said, adjusting his junk.

“Dude, I was checking to see if that cup worked,” Donovan said, moving something around on a pan. “I’d forgotten I’d taken it off because it had gotten itchy.”

Bria blinked at him incredulously. “Thank God you’re pretty, because wow, you sure are dumb.”

The guys laughed again, even Thane, who immediately followed it with a groan.

Kieran strolled in a moment later, his hair wild, his eyes bright, and the smell of the ocean rolling off him. My heart leapt at the sight of him, warming me from the inside.

“You good?” he asked me softly, stopping next to me to knead my shoulders. “As good as you can be in this itty-bitty house?”

I laughed. “Yeah, just exhausted,” I replied. “Not to worry—Boman has supplied me with green goo so that I won’t look too puffy or tired. Lord knows I wouldn’t want to offend the menfolk by not looking my best.”

“Aubri said so, sir. I wasn’t commenting on Lexi’s looks,” Boman said.

Silence trickled through the kitchen. The guys all sent incredulous glances at Boman.

“I said I wasn’t commenting,” Boman said, his voice rising. “That I wasn’t. I wouldn’t comment on a girl’s looks—you know that, Lexi. I mean, not to say I wouldn’t compliment you if you were all dolled up and looked really pretty because—”

“Oh, so she’s ugly right now, but you’re being a gentleman and not acknowledging it?” Jack asked with a lopsided smile.

The color drained from Boman’s face. “No! That’s not what I meant. She’s always pretty. She’s one of the prettiest girls I know. I’ve always thought that.” Kieran turned to him slowly. Boman put up his hands and took a step back. “Sir, let me explain. What I’m saying is, pretty girls don’t like to be told they’re pretty because it makes them feel objectified—”

“Which you just did…even though she currently looks ugly,” Thane said seriously, cupping his balls.

Donovan’s back was shaking with his failed attempt to hide his laughter. “Oh yeah, a real gentleman, sure. I noticed she barely sat down before you ran over there with serum to fix her up.”

“I did not—”

Zorn leaned closer, catching my attention as the guys picked on Boman. Even though he didn’t look it, Boman was the youngest of the Six, which meant the guys often chose him as the fall guy. When they really got going, they made fun of him ruthlessly. Actually, Zorn was technically the youngest, although everyone knew better than to mess with someone whose reciprocal humor was so violent.

All the guys aged really slowly because of their blood bond with Kieran. I wasn’t sure if they were immortal, though. I wasn’t sure if Kieran was, since he was only a quarter Demigod. Frankly, I was afraid to ask. I didn’t know what that would mean for us.

“I heard you found out about what your wards have been up to,” Zorn said softly. I could feel Kieran’s attention shift.

“Yeah, look, I didn’t know,” I said. “It’s not right, what she’s doing.”

“It’s exactly right,” Zorn replied. “Exactly. She’s had a hard life, and she’s in a situation where she has no control over her fate. A survivor doesn’t just accept her circumstances—a survivor finds a way to gain some control. We think she’s collected a nice little nest egg so far.”

“Over fifty thousand, I think,” Kieran said, taking the empty chair on my other side. My mouth dropped open. “That’s an estimate. I think she’s sold or returned roughly seventy-five percent of her purchases.”

“Kieran! How could you let her spend so much? Are you out of your mind?”

“Shh.” Zorn looked up at the corners of the kitchen. “I think I got all her listening devices, but I’m not positive. She’s gotten good.”

“Two reasons,” Kieran said, his gaze delving down into mine. “I want her to be comfortable here, and this nest egg she has created herself will help her do that. The second is because Zorn is studying her and tweaking his training accordingly. That we have no idea where she is putting the money means she is a better pupil than I think any of us anticipated, especially for a non-magical.”

“It’s because she’s non-magical, I’d wager,” I said. “She is spending her time learning, analyzing, and applying. The only thing she has to fall back on is herself. She has no magical crutch. No advantage. You’re forcing her to adapt, and she’s using her brainpower to do it.”

Zorn and Kieran both nodded.

“I would ask you,” Zorn said, “to just forget about this. Don’t mention it again. If you have to, tell her to do the right thing. I want to see how far this goes.”