“Priceless, really.”
I snorted at that. “Don’t these deals need to feel fair to both of us?” He agreed with a slight incline of his head. “A new coat for everyone in my family,” I said thinking we could use them. He shook his head and I narrowed my eyes thoughtfully. “Priceless?”
He nodded watching me think.
“I can’t go that high for something I would have been determined to do on my own.” But obviously, I needed something that could measure up to my ‘obedience’ in his eyes. The thought of anything extravagant made me feel annoyed and wasteful. Fine. Something big, yet practical.
“A car!” I blurted. “For Aunt Grace. Not new though. Something nice with good gas mileage.” He didn’t respond either way, considering the deal. “Seriously, I wouldn’t have gone outside,” I reiterated. Still he hesitated. “And you can cover the first year’s oil changes.”
“Any maintenance for the life of the vehicle,” he countered.
“Not new, right? A beater?”
“Not new,” he agreed.
“Deal.”
He pulled me into a tight hug and whispered, “I’ll be right back.” Then he disappeared with my arms wrapped around nothing.
A second later, I heard a knock on the front door. “Tess?” my Grandma called from outside. I took half a step toward the door and froze. My promise stopped me. It’d meant so much to him that he would willingly buy Aunt Grace a car. He said he’d be right back…
Ahgred wasn’t interested in Gran, but he could use her to get to me. The thought of him using her now sickened me.
“I’m sorry, Gran,” I called wanting to cry. “I can’t let you in until Morik comes back.”
“What?” she cried. “He’s supposed to be watching you. Wait until your mother hears this.”
He said he would be right back. The seconds ticked by. I took another step toward the door. He said not to open the door, nothing about looking outside. Creeping to the door, I parted the curtain and almost screamed. Ahgred himself stood outside his green eyes glowing. He saw the movement and focused on me.
“Tess,” he hummed in his own voice. “Open the door. I will give you the world.”
I dropped the curtain and backed away from the door. “No thanks,” I whispered.
Behind me, something tapped the kitchen window. I spun and saw Morik’s worried face. He put a finger to his lips and motioned to the French doors, indicating I should let him in. I walked calming toward him. The window, not the door. Through the glass, we stood eye to eye.
“Can you look like anyone?” I asked.
Morik’s eyes narrowed and then a grin split his features. “Do you prefer another to Morik?” he asked. It didn’t sound like Morik just looked like him.
“No,” I assured him automatically. “Can you sound like Morik at the same time you look like him?” I wondered studying his face through the window looking for some discernible difference.
Ahgred grunted a quick snarl before changing into his own shape.
“I won’t let you in, Ahgred,” I said quietly waiting for his next move. “Nor will I go outside.”
He stared at me for several long moments and then faded into the darkness.
I looked at the clock. Just before ten. I wandered back to the kitchen and took a sip of my soda, waiting and wondering what could have delayed Morik.
Five minutes passed between when he left and when he returned. He reappeared in the same spot, his eyes already focused on me, eyeing me from head to toe. Under his arm, he cradled the plastic container of Aunt Grace’s mix.
“You got it!” I exclaimed, moving to him and snagging the container. “What happened?”
His eyes shifted to the window and then over his shoulder to the door as he answered, “I thought I would be safe to enter your room, but your mom and Stephen were in there…”
“What?!”
His eyes darted back to me and he spared me a quick smile. “My timing couldn’t have been worse. I scared your mother. With them in there, I knew I could safely appear in the living room and quickly did so. However, I heard your mother excuse herself and knew I needed to wait to explain my presence.”
“Tell me they weren’t on my bed,” I pleaded imagining the worst.
“I interrupted a kiss during a tour, I believe.”
“A tour? Give me a break. He owns the house. It was an excuse to take a minute to make out.” I popped the lid on the container and tossed a tasty morsel into my mouth. It helped ease the painful possibility of what could have been if not for Morik’s timing.