Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
“Sorry.”
Amara’s heart stopped, thought it over, then rebooted. Hard. “Jesus Christ, Chernobog!”
“Not my full name.”
Amara had been tower-bound; now she leaned against the fence to wait for her heart to fully commit to getting back to work.
“If you won’t wear a bell, at least consider tap shoes. While I’m recovering from the heart attack, let’s chat. Why’d you go along with Team Scheme?”
“They asked.”
She groaned and got ready to yell, or at least whine.
Then she took another look at him and reconsidered.
“They didn’t freak out around you or make jokes about how scary you seem.
They just politely asked you to help them.
And you said yes, because you’re the living embodiment of the ‘dark is not evil’ trope. ”
“They were nice.”
Amara nodded. “I get it, I think. Dumb plan, dumb reason, but . . . okay.”
“I try not to be,” he said earnestly. “But. I’m frightening anyway.”
“You’re like Jessica Rabbit. You’re not scary, you were just drawn that way.”
“What?”
“Pop culture reference. One of Gray’s favorite movies.”
“He’s nice.”
“He’s wonderful. And still here, can you believe it? I’m not sure I do. I haven’t ruled him out as a hallucination. Like that movie The Tale of Two Sisters where—spoiler!—the youngest sister was dead the whole time. You would tell me if Graham Gray was a hallucination, right?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent. One less thing to worry about. Now switch to pastels and give real thought to tap shoes.”
“No.”
“Have it your way. Listen, it was terrifying running into you, and I’m glad we caught up, but I’ve got miles to go before I sleep or have a nervous breakdown or however the cliché goes.”
“Bye.”
* * *
Gray heard the staccato rapping at the bedroom door and put aside The Invincible Red Sonja #1 to answer.
He opened the door and beheld a sight that would buckle the knees of ordinary men: Amara in her sleep outfit of mauve velour pants, black thermal top so old and well-washed it was nearly transparent, and fuzzy green socks.
She smiled. “My turn to demand an impromptu sleepover, don’t you think?”
He laughed and swung the door wide.