Wickedly Dangerous (Baba Yaga, #1)(51)
Mikhail looked from the dog to Alexei, who was hovering over the pie, sniffing hopefully. One suspiciously finger-shaped section of whipped cream was missing, and the big man was making a noise not unlike that coming from Chudo-Yudo.
The blond man’s mouth curved into a reluctant grin. “You seem to have solved the riddle that gets you past the door keepers,” he said, shaking his head. “I suppose you might as well stay, although Baba could be gone a long time.”
“I’m in no hurry,” Liam said cheerfully. He moved over toward the coffeemaker sitting on the counter. “Why don’t I make us some coffee to go with our pie? I’m sure Barbara wouldn’t mind.”
He reached one hand out toward the container marked Coffee that sat on the counter, but a slim beige hand already rested on it. Liam blinked. He hadn’t even seen the other man move, but somehow Gregori had gotten there before him.
“Why don’t you allow me to make the coffee,” Gregori said easily, edging into Liam’s personal space so he was forced to move out of the way. “This coffeemaker is a little . . . temperamental . . . best to let me do it.”
“Uh, okay,” Liam said. “Point me to the cupboard where she keeps the plates, and I’ll slice us each a piece of pie.”
He turned around, and Alexei already had a huge chunk lying in the middle of one equally large hand and was eating it with his fingers.
“I’m good, thanks,” the big man said around a mouthful of chocolate and nuts. Whipped cream fringed the edges of his mustache like ice on a pond.
Mikhail handed over plates and forks for the rest of them with a dramatic eye roll. “Just ignore our ill-mannered friend,” he said. “He was raised by wolves.”
Chudo-Yudo raised his head and barked.
“Good point,” Mikhail responded. “I didn’t mean to insult the wolves. They actually have much better etiquette than Alexei.”
Liam looked from the man to the dog and back again. “You know, Barbara does that too. Talks like she is actually carrying on a conversation with the animal.”
“Does she?” Mikhail drawled, eyes a deep, guileless blue. “Fancy that.”
Liam took his pie and slid into the banquette table, with Mikhail across from him. Gregori brought over a steaming cup of coffee and placed it in front of the sheriff, then stood next to Alexei at the counter to eat his own piece with considerably more dignity.
Liam lifted his mug, a heavy pottery creation decorated in shades of deep purple and carved with symbols he didn’t recognize, and took a deep sniff. “Hey, does anyone else smell roses?” he asked.
The other men just looked blank and shook their heads, although Liam could swear that one of them choked back a laugh. He shrugged, figuring it didn’t matter, and let the deep sweet bliss of Bertie’s pie dissolve on his tongue like a forkful of love with whipped cream on top. His eyes closed in ecstasy for a moment, but then snapped back open at a distinctive creaking sound. Liam gazed in disbelief as the wardrobe at the end of the kitchen swung open and Baba stepped through the door.
“Son of bitch!” she said, as she bumped her head on the doorframe on her way out. “I always forget to duck. Damn, that smarts.” Behind her, the clothing that usually hung there seemed to have been replaced by a swirling gray mist filled with iridescent sparkles. Before she slammed the door shut, Liam could have sworn he saw a tiny green and pink hummingbird fly by, vanishing even further into impossible depths.
Alexei and Gregori moved toward each other as if to try and block Liam’s view of the closet, probably not realizing it was already too late. So he couldn’t see Baba when she asked testily, “What the hell is wrong with you two? Why are you standing there like a couple of mismatched statues in Aphrodite’s garden?”
They shifted aside to show Liam sitting at the table, and he was treated to an intriguing slideshow of shock, anger, consternation, and something a little like fear as various expressions came and went on Baba’s normally unreadable face. She finally seemed to settle on resignation, and took a hesitant step in his direction.
“Uh, hi,” she said, lifting a hand in greeting.
“Hi yourself,” Liam said, feeling remarkably calm, under the circumstances. “Did you just walk out of that closet?” He looked her over, taking in her unusual attire, jewels, sword, and all. She looked exotic, stunningly beautiful, and in some intangible way, more herself than he’d ever seen her.
“Nice outfit. Special occasion?” He was fairly certain she hadn’t just come from a costume ball. Unless it was one that involved some kind of giant pumpkin and a fairy godmother.
“There’s pie,” Alexei mumbled, mouth full, and retreated to sit on the couch, out of the line of fire. “It’s really good pie.”
Chudo-Yudo made a noise that sounded suspiciously like laughter and covered his eyes with one mammoth paw.
Gregori just sighed and said, “You might as well tell him, Baba. And while you’re at it, you can tell all of us what the queen said when you broke the news that Maya had discovered a door into the Otherworld.”
He cut a piece of chocolate pecan rapture, put it on a plate, and nudged her into the seat opposite Liam. “Here. You look like you could use this.” He handed her a full cup to go with it.
“Did he say ‘door to the Otherworld’?” Liam asked incredulously. His coffee mug suddenly weighed about twenty pounds, and he put it down before he dropped it. “What the hell is the Otherworld? And why are you wearing a sword?” He wondered if it would help if he pinched himself, and tried it surreptitiously under the table. Ow. Nope. The room was still filled with crazy Russian men and one impossibly gorgeous, frustrating, mysterious woman. Who was wearing a sword.