I nodded. Actually, I had no idea what Claire’s problem was. Maybe it was just residual. In about a year, she’d gone from underpaid auction-house employee to fey princess to new mother to woman on the run with her endangered child, who also happened to be the heir to the Blarestri throne. It was enough to put anyone on edge.
But Aiden really was okay, with the conspiracy that had threatened his life over and the instigator dead. And he was now in possession of a talisman that pretty much ensured that he’d stay that way, even if someone managed to get past the wards, the phalanx in the garden, and the tense, half-dragon mother. Frankly, I didn’t fancy anyone’s chances.
“She’ll calm down eventually,” I told Ray. “So what are you doing here again?”
“Living,” he said, which I’d have taken for a smart remark, except he sounded pretty emphatic. But I didn’t have time to follow up on it. The nearest store was only a couple blocks away, and we’d already arrived.
Sanjay, brother to Bawa of the world’s deadliest curry, ran it, but he went home at six and some new girl was on duty. We skirted the aisles of Ramen, cards of press-on nails and towers of hairspray that constituted daily essentials in Brooklyn, and finally located the condom aisle. It also housed the diapers and the baby food. I wasn’t sure if that was random product placement or brilliant advertising, but either way, there was a good selection.
“So what kind are we talking about here?” Ray asked, surveying a neatly stacked display.
“I don’t know. Just pick one.”
“Well, there’s a lot of choice. I mean, you got your flavored, your ridged, your pre-lubed, your thin, your super-ultra-thin, your super-ultra-thin-pre-lubed, your…Huh.”
“Huh what?”
“Would you look at this?” he asked, examining a small box. “It says it glows in the dark.”
“So?”
“So what use is that to anybody? I mean, what am I supposed to do? Write her name in the air with it?”
“I’d rather not think of you doing anything with it,” I said honestly.
“Besides, the fey already glow, so you gotta think it’s a waste of—”
“Ray!” I glanced around, but there was nobody within earshot.
“Well, excuse me if I’m not used to buying condoms for aliens,” he said more softly.
“They’re not aliens.”
“Well, they’re not human. I mean, they could have anything under those tunics, you know?”
“Like what?”
“Like…I don’t know. It could be barbed or something.”
“Barbed?”
“Well, I don’t know.” He slanted me a glance. “Do you?”
I just looked at him.
“No, of course not. You’re too uptight.”
“I am not uptight.”
“You’re the definition of uptight. I bet you and Mr. Muscle Bound haven’t even done it yet.”
“Okay, enough with the personal—”
“Nailed it.” He nodded. “You wouldn’t have freaked out on him this afternoon otherwise. ‘Oh, no, somebody’s in my head for five seconds, even if it did save my life—’”
I scowled. “You don’t get it. He’s not supposed to be able to do that.”
“He’s a senior master. They got skills.” Ray shrugged. “Anyway, I don’t know what you’re complaining about. As soon as a baby vamp wakes up, he’s got all kinds of people in his head.”