Page 31 of Reapers Don’t Ride

“No problem. We’ll just find another ferret somewhere else,” I said, turning to the door, grabbing the card that was under Romi’s nose, just waiting to be charged.

“I mean, it’s for sale, but the price is much more than you’d expect for an ordinary rat killer. It’s a well-trained creature. It can get into any crevice and take anything you need.”

Crucible made the screech again, the one that said he was hungry, thirsty, and scared. I couldn’t leave him here, not if he was in a cage he couldn’t escape.

“If you like it, I can get it for you,” Gavriel said, touching my shoulder and smiling at me.

His lips. I’d kissed those lips such a short time ago.

“It’s not for sale,” a young man said, coming from the back, his fairy wings shredded to pieces behind him, his eyes bright yellow-green. He smelled like anger and ink, but not pixie dust. This was the one they wanted on their crew? He didn’t have any signs of enslavement, not the way he looked at Romi, and not the way he moved so freely. Interesting.

“He’s yours?” I asked, studying him, trying to see what value he added to Shane’s crew. There was something about him, familiar in the lines of his face. Almost as though Shane and this pix shared a parent. More and more interesting.

“Yes. He’s mine.” He gave Romi a rebellious look.

Romi’s eyes glinted. “You’re not the one who captured it.”

“I didn’t need to catch it. I was feeding it for weeks before you put it in the cage.”

Romi waved a hand at the fairy. “Yes, yes. Young people are so interested in freedom, but do they think about duty? Eh?”

I flexed my claws and stepped closer to Romi, getting his attention immediately. “Duty? What duty could a ferret owe you? I suppose it’s like the duty I owed Tralcon for giving me the gift of immortality and training me to be the world’s greatest killer.” I took another step closer to the goblin, and he backed up into a table, staring at me with large, golden eyes, green skin going slightly pale.

He fumbled in his shirt for a weapon.

I cocked my head. “Are you thinking about raising the stakes?”

He froze, then slowly pulled his hand back out.

“Good choice. I’ve decided that freedom is more important than duty. It’s worth dying for. Worth killing for. Shall I kill you for the ferret’s freedom? What about this pix? Do you own him, too?”

The goblin got all flustered, scowling at the fairy guy.

“I’m not the one he’s keeping chained by duty,” the fairy boy said, not looking at Romi.

Romi hissed at him. “That does it. You’re out. The next time I see you, I’m sending the dogs after you.”

The dogs were a band of goblin mercenaries. You did not want the dogs after you. Except that it could be a fun game of hide and seek when you were wasting time between jobs.

I held up a hand, and Romi froze again. I patted the front of his shirt. “Now I’m interested.” I turned to the pix. “You. Do you have a name?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes. Of course I have a name. Everyone has a name.”

“I don’t. I just have titles. Ruby Blood? No. I lost my name when I sold my soul to a demon. What did you sell your soul for, pix?”

He scowled at me. “Don’t call me pix. I’m not afraid of you.”

I turned to Romi. “He’s not afraid of me. Is he really that stupid?”

He shrugged. “He’s at that age.”

“The age of courage? What about chivalry?” I turned to Gavriel, who was watching this scene unfold with an impassive face, as if it weren’t a disaster. “What would you call an age of such virtue?”

“Short-lived.”

“Are you two done here?” the Pix demanded, scowling at me. “Romi, you should throw them out or call the dogs.”

I smiled at him. He really had no fear. “The dogs and I are old friends. He could throw me out, but I doubt he’d survive it. My friend here doesn’t like other males touching me. He’s very jealous.” I glanced at Gavriel, hoping he didn’t mind my saying that.