揑t抯 a griffin,?Marie said, like that was supposed to mean something to me. 揌e belongs to Nyx. They抳e been together forever.?
I couldn抰 find the words to say how I still didn抰 trust what I was seeing with my own two eyes. 揑t抯梚t抯 your梱our pet??
Marie winced, and Nyx narrowed her eyes at her. 揧ou抳e been telling people he抯 my pet??She looked absolutely disgusted. 揟he disrespect.?Nyx turned back to me. 揑抦 so sorry. I didn抰 expect him to follow me here. He抯 usually very good about staying put. Is Mo okay??
Mo was sitting slack jawed on the floor. 揘ot okay,?she mumbled. 揘ot okay. Not even a little.?
Nyx motioned toward the door. 揌e抯 my companion. He抯 actually very friendly once you get to know him.?
Circe grunted. 揙h. So now we抮e telling bold-faced lies??
揌e抯 protective of me,?Nyx said. 揂nd I抦 protective of him. That抯 the way it should be.?She walked out onto the front porch.
Mo stood on wobbly legs. 揃ri, love, I think I抦 losing my grip. I gotta sit down. This is just too much.?She all but fell into the couch across the hall, but I took a step toward the door.
揑t抯 probably safe to go out there,?Marie said. 揑f you want a closer look.?
I whipped my head around to look at her. 揚robably??
She pursed her lips. 揗ost likely safe. As long as you don抰 threaten Nyx, he抯 not terrible.?
I nudged her toward the door. 揧ou go out there first.?
She smiled, gave me a quick kiss, and led me onto the porch. Nyx went down the steps and stood at the griffin抯 side. Nyx was pushing six foot two, and the griffin抯 shoulder was an arm抯 length above her head while it was lying down. Its head was half the size of our car.
揌e抯 friendly,?Nyx said. 揅ome here. You can pet him.?
揧eah. No. Not gonna do that,?I said. The enormity of the creature was one thing, but its strange assortment of parts made even less sense. It had the head, wings, and feathers of a bird. All these parts linked to a body that looked like it belonged to a lion, but its fur was black and shining. Its talons dug into the gravel, gouging out chunks of the ground as long as my arm.
揌is name is Roscoe,?Nyx said.
I readjusted my glasses like that was going to somehow help me get a grip on what I was seeing. 揌is name抯 what??Despite the cocoon of confusion and disbelief that had wrapped itself around me, I couldn抰 help but laugh. 揜oscoe? Like Roscoe抯 Chicken and Waffles??
Nyx grinned. 揑t suits him.?
揑t sounds like somebody抯 grandpa抯 name,?Marie said.
揌e lives on the bluff??I asked. 揟hat抯 where you抮e always sneaking off to, huh??
Nyx nodded and scratched the griffin抯 underbelly. A rumble echoed inside his chest梐 purr. 揧es. He nests there when we抮e not together. He was with me when I came here from棓
揊rom California??I asked. 揟hat抯 where you said you were from. Is that a lie, too??
揘o,?she said. 揟hat抯 technically true.?
I tilted my head. 揧ou know what? I抦 not even gonna ask anymore. I need to just accept that the weirdest shit is gonna happen right in front of me and all of y抋ll are gonna be unsurprised by it.?
Marie slipped her hand around my waist. 揑抣l take you for a ride later if you want,?she whispered against my ear.
揧ou ride it??
Marie shrugged. 揥hen he lets me. He抯 a jerk. Like I said.?
The creature whipped its head around and stared at Marie, its big yellow eyes narrowing, the pupils big as tennis balls.
Marie stuck her finger in its face. 揇on抰 get an attitude with me. I won抰 bring you any more treats.?
The griffin lowered its head and huffed so hard a shower of dirt and dust from the drive flew up into the air.
揇o they sell griffin treats at the pet store??I asked.
揌e loves a live rabbit,?Nyx said.
I put my hands up. 揧ou know what? Forget I said anything.?Now all I could think of was Nyx catching rabbits in the woods and tossing them to Roscoe like dog treats.
A rustling drew my attention to the tree line at the far side of the driveway. A length of Devil抯 Pet, as big around as a telephone pole, slithered out and coiled itself like a snake at my side.
揕ooks like we all have our own sort of familiars,?Nyx said.
I reached down and ran my fingers along the rough surface of the deadly plant. A chill bloomed in my palm, then dissipated. 揑 guess so.?
揗o went to lie down,?Circe said as she came out of the house and down the front steps. 揑 gave her another cup of tea. Not quite as strong as what I gave her last night, just enough to get her to calm down. Mostly chamomile.?
I raised an eyebrow. 揟hat抯 all??
Circe shrugged. 揗aybe a little belladonna. She抣l probably be out for the night.?