Sin & Spirit (Demigod of San Francisco #4)(83)

Red pushed back from the window, and when I passed by her, she filed in behind me. “He got you a limo for the occasion.”

“Yeah, but what’s the occasion? Should I not have eaten? Are we having dinner?” I asked, passing through the open door and into the front yard. Sure enough, a stretch limo awaited us.

“It’s only two o’clock. It’s an awkward time to eat,” Daisy said, following us out.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Aubri ran out holding a large jewelry box. “I almost forgot this!”

She gingerly took out the necklace Kieran had designed for me. Butterflies filled my stomach as she put it around my neck. It wasn’t just the beauty of the piece, or the way it made me feel—it was the meaning behind it. It was our two magics, intertwined. His life and mine.

“Even better.” Bria looked down the street as Frank emerged from the bushes to the right. That was his new hangout. Apparently I’d had one too many visits from a Demigod hellbent on messing with my life. He’d lost faith in the safety of the open grass.

Thankfully, no Demigods—that I knew of—had traipsed by since the battle. None that had made contact, anyway, in spirit or in reality. They weren’t done with me, Kieran firmly believed that, but they’d realized we were stronger than they’d anticipated. And so they’d taken a step back to reassess. Or so he said. I was still training like mad anyway, trusting Harding to show me new stuff when he came by (which wasn’t as often now) and constantly practicing on the stuff I did know. I was making great strides in my magical reach, my abilities, and my comfort level with the spirit world. I still didn’t travel in the Beyond without Harding, but I knew someday soon I would.

“We’re clear.” Bria nodded at the man holding the limo door open for us.

He nodded at me and put out a hand to help me in. Red followed, and Frank tried to climb in after that.

“No.” I put out my hand.

He paused with his hands on the sides of the door. “What?”

Daisy’s face pushed through his center, and she paused, her nose scrunching, before scurrying in. “Ew! Did I just pass through…something?”

“Frank, you can’t come,” I said as Mordecai stalled at the entrance.

“Gross! Lexi, banish him!” Daisy said.

“I concur,” Bria murmured.

“He’s fine, you guys. He’s just doing his own thing.” I pointed. “But do it somewhere else, Frank. You’re not riding in here.”

“But how will I know how to get to the new house? You can’t leave me here,” he whined. “I need to look out for you. Your mom said so.”

I shoved him away with my magic, then motioned Mordecai in. “The new house?”

Bria froze before nonchalantly looking at her phone. The conversation with Kieran about moving in together pushed to the forefront of my memory.

“Oh my God, did he get us a new house?” I asked, trying to contain myself as the limo got moving.

“Why would we need a new house?” Mordecai asked. “Ours is plenty big.”

“Whatever happens, make sure that house stays ours,” Daisy said. “Just in case he gets grabby. We can flip it.”

“It doesn’t need to be flipped. It’s in perfect condition,” Mordecai said. “It’s just in a bad part of town.”

“No, it’s just up against a bad part of town. I bet we can put in some legislature to get the border moved.”

Mordecai frowned at her. “We can’t do anything, and I doubt the non-magical government will let us claim part of the dual-society zone. That zone is for everyone. You sound like Valens.”

Her eyebrows pinched together. “Low blow.”

“Well?”

“Fine. We can trade. Maybe just extend that bit out—”

“Enough,” I said, really wanting to run my hand across my face in annoyance. Trying to keep a perfect face was difficult. “We’re not selling the house, and we’re certainly not going to try changing the boundary lines to selfishly inflate our selling price.”

“Just saying. It’s a wasteland on the other side. I doubt they even want it.”

“Daisy,” I said as we drove along Ocean Beach, which was clear and beautiful. I looked at the clean white sands, which had been fixed up nicely since our big battle with Valens. Half-nude bodies stretched out on their beach towels, taking in the sun Kieran was ensuring continued to shine. Streams of gray smoke rose from barbecues. No one was crazy enough to swim in the frigid waters.

The limo quieted as we drove up the hill, higher and higher. My heart beat faster. Each turn made the butterflies in my stomach flutter harder. The increasingly beautiful view made my heart climb up into my throat.

Finally, we pulled onto a road I recognized. Bria, Mordecai, and I had once parked down the way in order to break into Valens’s house.

And then, finally, we parked right in front of that house. That enormous house on the cliff, with arguably the best view in magical San Francisco.

“Out we get,” Bria said, still nonchalant.

Daisy’s eyes rounded as she looked at me, her eyebrows at her hairline. She was a kid from nothing, and she’d never been to this place before. She wasn’t inside and already it was blowing her mind.

Mordecai climbed out first. “That weird fountain of Kieran’s mom is gone.”