I barked a laugh. “Three heads? How drunk was he?”
The landlord offered a timid smile. “I know it sounds absurd, but stranger things have been seen in the city and it wouldn’t be the first time someone claimed you brought an illegal animal into the building.”
Yeah. My reputation was questionable at best. Fortunately no one could ever prove anything so I managed to break dozens of rules without consequences. I realized that was nothing to be proud of, but there were times when I was willing to put my neck on the line and aiding helpless animals was one of them.
A low growl rumbled behind me.
Okay, aiding not-so-helpless animals too.
“All good here. Sounds like 3B made the most of happy hour earlier.” I tried to shut the door but Mona was quicker than she looked and wedged a wide shoe in the gap before I could manage.
“Would you mind if I took a look around? It isn’t that I don’t trust you. It’s just that I’d like to tell the tenant that I inspected the premises personally.”
“I would love to give you the grand tour.” I made a show of yawning. “But I am bone tired and I have an early day tomorrow. All I want to do now is take a bath and head to bed.”
“I completely understand. I had a warm cup of tea when his complaint came through. It will be cold by the time I get back to the first floor.” She grimaced. “There’s nothing worse than cold tea.”
Try accidentally swallowing the splattered guts of a basilisk.
“Why don’t you go back to your flat and I’ll handle 3B?”
Mona shook her head. “Would that I could. I have a reputation to uphold, you see. If the tenants start to think I can’t do my job, I’ll no longer have one. Do you see how that works?”
I was wasting valuable bath time. “Give me one second to tidy up. I’ve left out a few unmentionables that I was considering for a date.”
I knew the mention of unmentionables would cause Mona to clutch her pearls.
“Yes, of course,” she said. Her gaze dropped right to the floor.
I closed the door and ushered the animals to the window. There wasn’t time to perform the spell for the holiday home. I’d have to rely on them behaving on the balcony for the five minutes it took Mona to search the flat. We’d done this drill enough times that the animals understood the urgency and obeyed my instructions.
Ever so quietly I closed the window and pushed a chest of drawers in front of it. Mona had no idea how strong I was and would assume I’d need help to move such a formidable piece of furniture.
There was no sign of Trio, not that I could fit her on the balcony with the others anyway. She had no experience on the top floor of a building. What if she fell? I’d never forgive myself.
Where could she be? I sent her a mental message, injecting a sense of danger, and hoped the dog understood. It was one thing to establish a rapport. It was quite another to develop complex communication. Barnaby and I had spent years perfecting our dynamic. The raven had practically evolved into an extension of me.
I hurried back to the door and widened the gap and stepped aside to let her pass. I felt for Mona. It couldn’t be easy being human in this world. It wasn’t easy being me either, but at least I had advantages humans could only dream of.
The older woman stretched her neck and swerved left to right. She reminded me of photos of giraffes I’d seen as a child. They’d gone extinct along with a host of other animals at the start of the Eternal Night.
She gestured to the bedroom. “May I?”
“Feel free.” My heart thumped as I trailed behind her. What was the worst that could happen if she discovered a three-headed dog in my flat?
I would be homeless, along with the menagerie.
That would be pretty bad.
The closet door was ajar and I inched over for a peek. No sign of the dog, not that she could’ve squeezed in there anyway. My closet was more like a deep bookshelf.
Bless her cotton socks, Mona actually got down on her hands and knees to check under the bed. With her backside in the air and her glasses sliding down her nose, she looked ridiculous.
I took the opportunity to scan the room for Trio. My heart beat faster. Where could an enormous three-headed dog hide? There were no drapes to shield her. No large pieces of furniture to hide behind.
A hiss prompted Mona to shuffle backward.
“You found Hera’s hiding spot,” I said. “She doesn’t like strangers.” Can’t say I blamed her either.
“You’re only supposed to have one pet,” Mona said, using the bed for support as she pulled herself to her feet.
“I have one. Hera.”
“I spotted multiple bowls in the kitchen.”
Sneaky Mona. She was more astute than she looked.
“Those are all for Hera. Wet food, Dry food. Water.”
“Your cat eats better than most people I know.”
I couldn’t decide whether that was good or bad in Mona’s estimation. As stealthily as I could, I peered into the hallway.
Where was Trio? I had a sudden vision of the dog digging a hole straight through my floor to the flat below.
Mona dusted off her hands. “I’m sorry to have bothered you. I’ll let 3B know he was mistaken.”
“Thank you for being such a thorough landlord.”
Mona beamed at me like I’d handed her a trophy. “You’re too kind, London.”
I escorted her to the door, careful not to walk too quickly and reveal my eagerness to be rid of her. “Have a wonderful evening.”
“And you.”
I shut the door behind her and sagged against it. I thought Trio might magically appear in the living room. When that didn’t happen I searched the flat. I moved the chest to its original spot and opened the window to let the others inside. Sandy growled as he brushed past me to communicate his displeasure.