Chapter 16

The brownie had found us, evidently. When I woke in the morning, all of my scattered clothes had been freshly laundered and folded tidily. I grabbed my robe and stumbled down to the kitchen. My sister was huddled in the breakfast nook with a baseball bat in her hand.

“Good morning!” I said, pouring myself a cup of coffee.

“WHAT THE FUCK???”

My sister didn’t swear.

“What’s got you so upset?”

“I came downstairs and breakfast was made and things were put away and the dishes were clean. WHAT. THE. FUCK.”

“Sorry, I forgot to tell you. We battled it out with a fat elf yesterday and won ourselves a brownie. Not the chocolaty cake kind.”

“There is a brownie. Here. In my Earthly home?”

“Yep.”

“Oh.” She started to unfold, “Well, that was very kind of him… to help…”

I gave her a wink, “Thought you might enjoy.”

“Why didn’t you tell me, you jerk?” she said, throwing a carefully folded napkin at my head and taking a plate over to the island to snag a bear claw from the pile of pastries.

“It completely slipped my mind. He’s helping me find Ulrich.”

“Do you remember when we were kids? We would have done anything for a brownie.”

“Don’t say I never got you nothing.”

“I think Christmas is covered,” she said, biting into the pastry. “Oh god, this is so good. I think he made it himself.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it.”

Killian came out, scratching his messy nest of hair and looking entirely too sexy for 8AM, “I see the brownie found us.”

“They tend to be good like that.”

Killian grabbed a piece of fruit from a bowl and bit into it, “I have missed nectar.”

“Here the brownie goes to all this trouble to brew up some coffee and get us some sugary goodness and you’re all excited about fruit? Elf, you and I may not be on speaking terms.”

“You are not getting rid of me that easily,” he laughed, “I have far more annoying habits to repulse you with.”

“Great. I can hardly wait.”

“So, what’s your plan for today?” asked my sister.

“I figure we’ll talk to the brownie, see if he has any good leads, investigate them, and try not to get killed.”

“Sounds like a great plan. I shall be in the shower,” Killian said, planting a kiss on the top of my head.

“He’s cute,” said my sister, watching him walk down the hall.

“Not that cute.”

“I wouldn’t kick him out of bed for eating grapes.”

I rolled my eyes.