CHAPTER 27

"So which way from here?" Yuki asked him as Abella stepped out of the cabin.

"That way," both he and Abella said, pointing to the northwest. For him, it was like a lure, an attraction that told him exactly where he needed to go. "You feel it, too?"

Abella nodded. "It is like the house. I have an urge to fly there right now."

"You can go ahead if you want," he told her.

"My place is by your side." She moved next to him, then bowed her head. "Not that you had a choice, but thanks for letting me come."

He said nothing. His feelings about her presence were mixed, and he was afraid that he would put his foot straight in his mouth. Though grateful that she was by his side, he was well aware that she was the home's bouncer, and hoped that nobody came around looking for trouble.

So, he smiled at her. Maybe her decisions weren't what he would have picked, but he wanted to make sure she knew that he was still on her side. The air was much colder here, so he slipped on a pair of gloves and tightened the straps on his bag. Once finished, he took Abella by the hand. Her grip was strong and welcoming.

"Let's go for a hike," he said, then led them into the forest.

The rats took about an hour to close the portal, but Beth stayed to watch until they were done. The structure would remain until Mike was back. The last thing they needed was an emergency, and portals could only be chewed into enclosed spaces. It had something to do with how reality folded, but when Reggie had described the process to her, the details had mostly gone over her head.

She checked her phone, then looked out at the yard. Last time Mike had left, they had been attacked by vengeful spirits. The sunny weather did little to cheer her, as she was painfully aware that Mike had taken the home's heavy hitters with him. If something happened that required brute force, she felt ill-equipped.

"Lass?' Sulyvahn came around the side of the house, a bucket in one hand and a trowel in the other. "Ye be lookin' a bit wired to the moon. T'was wonderin' I am if I were able to ease things a bit for yourself?"

"That obvious?" She was suddenly aware of the heavy tension that had settled into her neck. It was stress, and her usual coping mechanism of wine and orgasms wasn't an option.

"Aye." Sulyvahn reached into the bucket and pulled out a rose. "This one reminded me of yer own self, it did. Beauty and thorns, all rolled in one."

"Thank you." She took the flower and inhaled its aroma. The yard smelled like a floral boutique ever since the equinox ceremony. She had watched in awe as the entire yard came to life at once, the flowers blooming and the various flora expanding in size. It had been like watching a time-lapse video.

"Maybe it be nerves." Sulyvahn set the bucket down. "I know ye be fearin' fer the home."

Cecilia manifested up on the porch. The banshee was sitting on her swing, and her white skin was almost blinding in the bright light of day.

"The home will be fine," Cecilia told her. "He won't be gone long. I'm always watching. I'll raise the alarm if I see something amiss."

Beth smirked. "I know you will. If you two will excuse me, I have some work I should be doing."

Suly gave her a dramatic bow as she left.

Once inside, she walked into the office and sat down with a groan. While it was true that she could find something to do, she wasn't in a position to concentrate on any task.

The room connected to the office was a sitting room full of Egyptian artifacts. Death walked out of it holding a cup of tea in one hand and a children's book about pyramids in the other. Upon noticing Beth, he set the book down on her desk.

"Would you like some tea?" he asked.

"Yes, please." She looked up at him. "Even you can tell how stressed I am?"

"Hmm?" Death studied her for a moment. "I was offering for the sake of etiquette, but you do look troubled. I'm thinking maybe a lavender blend."

"Sure, thanks." She watched him go back into the study, then looked down at the book he had left. It claimed to have a reading level perfect for third-graders, and when she opened it, she noticed that Death had been scribbling in the margins.

"Pyramid." She tapped the word that Death had circled. A line connected the word to a triangle he had drawn on the side. Flipping through the book, she saw that he had made notes, particularly in the chapter about death rituals. Clearly, something had caught his interest, which was a far cry better than booty pics of Tink.

It suddenly occurred to her that someone had taken those pictures.

"Hey there, hot stuff!" Lily-Mike walked into the room, her legs far apart as she waddled. "Sure is hard walking around with these massive fucking balls in here, am I right?" To emphasize her point, she unzipped her pants and pulled out a set of testicles that would have been perfectly at home on a trailer hitch.

Beth laughed. Lily gave the testicles a poke, which caused them to make a sloshing sound.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Beth asked, trying hard not to blush. Even though she knew it was just Lily screwing around, she was still looking at a weird version of Mike's ball sack.

"Told Mike I was gonna knock everybody up. Can I borrow your phone?"

Dubious, Beth handed over her cellphone while Lily rested her giant nutsack on the desk. Her tail appeared and took the phone, holding it away from them so that Lily could snap a few pictures.