Wild Knight (Midnight Empire: The Tower #1)(15)

That particular thought stuck with me. Yes, I’d broken my own rule and turned down the prince’s offer but that was different. Working for vampires—for House Lewis, no less—was too risky. My life wasn’t worth the payout.

“I’ll change that diaper in a few minutes, Jemima. Let me sort out the food first.”

I sauntered into the kitchen where the rest of the crew awaited me. Their bellies were empty like clockwork. Hera, the calico cat, lorded over the rest of the animals even though she was the smallest. Her fierce attitude gave the illusion that she was much bigger. Her tri-color coat was the envy of the other animals. She was gorgeous and she knew it. She’d appeared outside the building a few years back during a brutal cold snap. I took pity on her and brought her inside. She never left.

The noise must’ve stirred Sandy from his slumber because the fennec fox appeared in the doorway, blinking and slightly disoriented. He tended to avoid the other animals, which was no small feat in a flat of this size. He acted disinterested in them, but I guaranteed if someone tried to mess with his flat mates, Sandy would be the first line of defense. When I met him, he was trying to take down a mischief of rats in Notting Hill. They’d backed him into a corner and he was not going down without a fight. I could’ve walked on by and let nature take its course, but his scrappy attitude compelled me to intervene. I thought he might turn on me the moment I finished clearing the path of rats. Instead he flicked those big ears and followed me home. I had no idea where he came from because he certainly wasn’t native to England, but Sandy was one of us now and he seemed content with that.

“It’s been quite a day,” I announced. “I’ll tell you about it as soon as we’re settled.”

In the living room, Herman bleated for my attention. Dissatisfied with the speed of my response, the black and white pygmy goat trotted over and pushed his horns against my side. I scratched behind his ear.

“Hello to you, too.”

I set to work filling bowls with food and water before a mutiny occurred.

“You’ll never guess what happened to me today,” I rambled. “I fought a selkie and a vampire.” I paused for dramatic effect. “Guess what else? This was no ordinary vampire. He’s the Demon of House Duncan. He’s so terrible that his own father sent him to live as a member of House Lewis.” Not that King Casek was a lovable lamb. The ruler of House Lewis was fearsome in his own right and the only reason Callan was sent to live here was to pay penance for past aggressions. The offering of the only son and heir was a show of good faith that the Highland king would behave.

I fell silent and let everyone enjoy the contents of their respective bowls in peace and quiet. No one wanted my voice as the soundtrack that accompanied their meal.

I took the opportunity to pour myself a glass of filtered water and drank greedily. What must it have been like for a young Callan to be sent away to live with the enemy of his family? House Lewis and House Duncan were longtime rivals for control of England. It had to hurt.

I opened a tin of black beans and rinsed them before dumping half the contents into a flour tortilla. Meat wasn’t exactly in abundance these days, but I was fairly certain I’d be a vegetarian regardless. My connection to animals was too strong to view any of them as food. Besides, legumes were easier and cheaper to source. I was always happy when a client offered to pay with protein. It saved me the trouble of shopping.

I only realized how hungry I truly was when I bit into the tortilla. Sagging against the counter, I took another enormous bite, still thinking about Prince Callan. At least he had two homes that wanted him. My home was the street for longer than I cared to remember. Some of those years were a blur. If I tried to bring the memories into clarity…There was little reason to remember any of it. I survived and that was all that mattered.

I ambled into the living room and opened the window that led to a makeshift balcony to check for Barnaby. One of the reasons this flat suited my needs was because of its ‘outdoor space.’ There was also a metal ladder that connected from the balcony to the rooftop which was convenient for some of the animals as well as for me.

I removed the hen’s diaper and let her outside for fresh air. If she didn’t feel the need to poop every twenty minutes, the diaper wouldn’t be necessary, but I had no interest in searching for all the poop pellets after a long day of chasing monsters.

I dropped onto the sofa, physically and mentally drained. It took a lot of effort to contain my magic. Using small bits of magic provided temporary relief, but I could never completely relax and I paid a price for the constant exertion.

Big Red jumped beside me and curled into a ball, his head resting on my thigh. I patted his head as I considered the prince’s offer. It seemed too good to pass up and my inner child longed to see the inside of the royal palace. My mother once mentioned a visit there at the request of the royal tutor to demonstrate elemental magic to the children of staff. She’d spoken of the palace itself with reverence and a dreamy look in her eye, which was one of the reasons I remembered her account with such vividness. Rarely was my mother wistful. Her life had been hard up until her final moments and she’d hoped to spare me the challenges she faced. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that her efforts were in vain. The mere fact of my existence meant my life would be an uphill battle.

I couldn’t have the same dewy-eyed approach to the palace. My mother was a pureblood witch. She hadn’t run the same risk by stepping foot inside a residence overrun with the most powerful vampires in the realm.