Chapter Forty-One

Lady Potato vs. Cannoli

Vince

The week passed too quickly.

On Monday, I had my meeting with Freddie and a couple of his closest associates. He told me that his mimi—their ‘Grand-mère Lézard’—had already given them the go-ahead. Now it was just a case of gathering enough forces and paying off the right people ahead of Friday.

I stayed at Crossbody’s again that night, because he still seemed a little fragile and… well, even though I was mostly confident that the plan would work, there was still a part of me that was terrified I only had a limited amount of time left with him.

On Tuesday morning, we went into Goliaths to speak to Holt and tell him what Crossbody’s mother had threatened to do. He went extremely pale but tried to hide the worst of his reaction, because Crossbody kept apologising and was hunched over with guilt while I gripped his hand.

“This is… It’s fine,” Holt said faintly, using his notebook to fan his face. “Everything’s above board, so there’s nothing she can… Larkin?” he called, a little shrilly.

I heard chair wheels roll over the floor before the fae’s pink-haired head peered around the doorframe.

“Yeah, boss?”

“Will you please go out and get me some ice cream? And rum?” Holt asked in a strangled voice. “And Taylor.”

“Um, sure.” He stood and kicked his chair back toward his desk. It sounded like it knocked something over on its way. “What was the first thing again?”

“Ice cream!” Holt wailed dramatically, producing a handkerchief to dab his forehead. “And rum. And Taylor. I need a hug.”

Larkin hesitated, then walked into the office with his arms outstretched.

“Not from you!”

“Cold, boss.” Larkin pouted and turned to walk back out, but froze when he saw my hand twined with Crossbody’s. “Holy fuckballs, are you two boning?”

Crossbody flushed, eyes darting uncertainly to me.

“Yes,” I said calmly, lifting our joined hands to kiss his knuckles.

“What? Seriously?” Larkin stared at us. “So was that stuff during court, like… foreplay or something?”

Holt temporarily forgot about his panic to eye us with intrigue, clearly wondering the same thing.

“No,” I said steadily, even though, thinking about it… it kind of had been, in a way. “We hadn’t fucked then. Pretty soon after, though.”

Actually, it had been that very night. When Crossbody sucked my dick by the treadmill.

“Vince,” he muttered, a flush creeping up his neck. I grinned at him.

“Wow.” Larkin was still staring at us, almost in awe. “That’s kinda hot.”

“Larkin.” Holt was now covering his eyes with a hand. He fluttered his handkerchief in Larkin’s general direction with the other. “Please. My ice cream. And Taylor.”

After Larkin had left, I quickly filled Holt in on our plan and asked with a wince if we’d both be able to take the next week or so off. He agreed without hesitation, then said he was going to make a few phone calls to see what he could do, so we left him to it.

That afternoon, we met up with Freddie. He seemed delighted to meet Crossbody, who acted like his usual calm, controlled and appropriately aloof self. No sign of the desperate and beaten down person he’d allowed himself to be in front of me, and it just made me even more determined to take care of this. To take care of him. He let himself be vulnerable with me and no one else. It wasn’t something I took lightly.

Freddie had managed to procure me the specific kind of supernatural passport that visitors to Otherworld needed. I didn’t ask how. He assured us that everything was in place for Friday. He actually seemed excited about it, and he said his mimi was too. She was a wild old lady, so it didn’t surprise me.

On Wednesday, we had the nightmarish task of taking Lady Potato to my uncle’s place. It took half an hour to get her into the cat carrier. My arms got scratched to shit in the process, and as I finally stood with a relieved sigh, she somehow managed to punch the door off the carrier and escape.

After another twenty minutes of chasing her around the house and Crossbody coaxing her out from under the bed with some homemade cat treats, she was finally safely back in the carrier and we were on our way to Rob’s.

“Are you sure your uncle doesn’t mind?” Crossbody asked quietly, clutching the carrier on his lap and occasionally pushing a treat through the door holes to stop Lady Potato wailing.

“Nope. I think he’s excited.”

He winced. “Did you tell him that she’s evil?”

I laughed, reaching over to squeeze his thigh. “She’s not that bad.”

Crossbody grunted and pushed another treat through the door, then hissed and yanked his finger back. A drop of blood welled on the pad, but he just sighed. “Got her claw in. Little demon.”

“Well, I think cats hate being locked in a carrier. Rob will give her a big fuss when we get there.”

“She might be scared that she’s being abandoned,” he said worriedly. “I haven’t had her all that long.”

“We won’t be gone long,” I said confidently, glancing over at him. “Right? Just a couple of days?”

He nodded, but his shoulders stiffened with tension, so I squeezed his leg again and said, “It’ll work. And if it doesn’t, we’ll think of something else.”

“Yes.” He let out a slow breath. “I’m just… I haven’t been back there in six years. I’m… very nervous.”

“I’ll be with you.” I tangled my fingers through his and squeezed. “As your hot ghoul butler, I won’t leave your side.”

He smiled over at me. “Thank you.”

“We’ll stop at my place after Rob’s so I can pack some clothes.” I frowned. “Definitely don’t own anything that makes me look like a butler, though.”

“Maybe just a suit?”

“I have one suit.” I glanced over at him with a wry grin. “How many do you have, your highness?”

He flushed a little. “Quite a few, but I don’t think they’d fit you.”

“It’s fine, the suit’ll work.”

“Gods, I’m going to have to put on traditional clothes.” He rubbed his face with a shudder. “They’re so uncomfortable. And stuffy.”

“Bet you’ll look handsome, though.” I grinned. “And then I can take them off you when we’re in your room. Like a good little butler.”

“Vince.” He squirmed. “Stop. I have to meet your uncle in a minute.”

I chuckled, turning onto Rob’s street. “Right now, actually.”

As I parked up behind Rob’s truck, his screen door burst open and he stepped outside, grinning and waving. I waved back, unbuckling my seat belt and reaching for my door.

“Gods, you look a lot like him,” Crossbody murmured, doing the same.

I grinned. “Yeah. Definitely gonna grow a horseshoe moustache when I get older.”

After climbing out of the car, I grabbed the bag of Lady Potato’s stuff from the back seat and waited for Crossbody to get out, carefully holding the cat carrier. He looked nervous, which made me smooth my hand over his lower back as we started walking across Rob’s front yard.

“Hey, Rob.” I gave my uncle a grin.

“Hey, Vin.” He looked at Crossbody, who cleared his throat.

“Hello, Rob,” he said politely. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m—”

“I know who you are.” Rob grinned and stuck out his hand. “High Lord Crossbody. Great to meet ya.”

“Rob’s a big fan of the wrestling,” I murmured as Crossbody gripped his hand.

“You bring a real touch of class to it,” Rob told him, then scrubbed a hand over my hair with a cackle. “Not like my boy Vinnie here, waggling that tongue at people’s asses all the time.”

Crossbody’s cheeks flushed pink as I chuckled, trying to smooth down my messy hair.

“Anyway, come in.” Rob turned and pulled the screen door open. “I’m all ready for the little princess. My buddy Jim gave me a cat tree. It’s scratched to shit but looks clean enough.”

“I appreciate you doing this,” Crossbody said as we followed him inside. “Very much.”

“Hey, Rob, why are you covered in powdered sugar?” I asked, having already clocked the fine white layer speckling the front of his shirt. “Been baking again?”

“Yeah, I’m getting real good, Vin.”

“You bake?” Crossbody asked, looking around as we followed Rob into the kitchen.

“Learnin’.” Rob grinned at him and gestured proudly at a platter of oddly shaped pastry tubes, covered in a thick layer of powdered sugar, which was also all over the countertop.

“For his fancy new lady friend,” I said with a sly grin, which made Rob shoot me an unimpressed look.

“Cannoli.” Crossbody nodded politely. “Very nice.”

“Aren’t they Italian?” I asked with a frown. “I thought you said she was French.”

Rob grunted, picking up his coffee mug to have a sip. “She said she was from Florence. I thought that was in France.”

I burst out laughing as Crossbody’s mouth twitched.

“So you’re learning to make Italian desserts for her?” he asked Rob. “That’s lovely. I actually—” He darted a quick look at me. “I enjoy baking myself.”

“You do?” I asked. He gave me a tiny grin.

“Yes.”

“If you really wanna win over my boy here, make him some monkey bread,” Rob told him. “That’s all he keeps fuckin’ asking me to make.”

“I’ll make you monkey bread,” Crossbody said quickly as a flush crept up my neck. I grinned at him, aware Rob was watching us.

“Thanks.”

I hadn’t outright told Rob that we were… a thing of some kind, but he wasn’t stupid. The fact that I was suddenly going to Otherworld with the colleague I used to complain about all the time, and I was asking my uncle to look after his cat while we were gone, made things kind of obvious.

“When we get back, I’d be happy to show you how to make some Italian desserts,” Crossbody said to my uncle. “And I actually speak Italian, so… I could teach you some phrases, if you really want to impress your… lady friend.”

Rob’s face lit up. “Yeah?”

“Of course.” Crossbody glanced at me. “Assuming Vince doesn’t… mind.”

My brows twitched. “Why would I—”

“This ain’t nothing to do with Vin,” Rob said. “I’ll hold you to that, High Lord. Thanks for the offer. Some real charming phrases would be good. Stuff like, ‘You look beautiful tonight.’”

“So you’re seeing her at night?” I smirked.

“Shut your face, Vinnie.” Rob grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and reached for the coffee pot. “I’m not old yet. I’ve still got some spunk in me.”

“Rob.” I shot Crossbody an embarrassed look as his mouth twitched.

“I meant metaphorical spunk, not literal spunk. Although…” Rob cocked his head meaningfully as he poured us each a cup of coffee. “Anyways, let’s get the little princess out, huh? Let her inspect her vacation home.”

“Yes.” Crossbody cleared his throat and crouched, setting the carrier on the floor and reluctantly reaching for the door. “She’s… quite lively. When she’s in a mood. Just to warn you.”

Lady Potato had fallen silent in the carrier. Ominously silent. I quickly grabbed some treats from the bag and dropped them in front of the carrier door, hoping it would distract her.

It didn’t.

Crossbody turned the first latch, and in an instant she was headbutting her way out, making the door burst off. She did scoop a treat into her mouth but didn’t pause to eat it, instead scrambling up my leg and digging her claws in, then leaping onto the kitchen table with a shrill meow. Rob ducked when she launched herself at him, landing directly on the plate of cannoli behind him on the counter.

“My cannoli!” Rob cried as she kicked several off the plate in her rush to scramble across the worktop and jump onto the top of the fridge. Once there, she calmly sat and began licking cannoli filling off her paws, purring loudly.

“I’m so sorry,” Crossbody was stammering, rushing forward to pick up the cannoli she’d kicked onto the floor. “I’ll make you more—”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, son.” Rob waved him off. Nothing ruffled him—that was one of the few ways we were different. “It was just a test batch. She really is a lively one, huh? Reminds me of that mangy old cat who lived under the trailer for a while, eh, Vin?”

“Yeah.” I chuckled. “This one’s a lady, though. Apparently.”

“She’s got good taste, at least.” Rob nodded up at her. “Shame you two can’t try them now, though. Well, I think there are a couple she didn’t touch…”

I shot Crossbody a quick look and gave a subtle shake of my head.

“We should probably get going, Rob,” I hastily said. “Got to pack.”

He sobered, giving Crossbody a sympathetic smile. “Right, right. Vinnie told me a little about what you’re, uh, going through. Sorry, son.”

“I appreciate it.” Crossbody shot him a tiny smile back. “Hopefully it will soon be resolved. I… Vince has been… wonderful,” he added hoarsely, looking at me. “He’s taken care of all of it. I’m extremely grateful.”

“That’s my Vin,” Rob said cheerfully, coming over to clap my shoulder. “You’re a good boy, Vinnie.”

I flushed, casting Crossbody an embarrassed glance. He was still watching me.

“He’s wonderful,” he repeated quietly.

Rob raised his brow at me meaningfully and gave me a tiny smile, hiding the look from Crossbody as he turned to grab our coffee cups. “At least drink these before you go. While you tell me about the little princess’s schedule and whatnot.”

Twenty minutes later, we were climbing back into my car as Rob waved from the front porch, a small scratch on his arm from when he’d tried to pet Lady Potato. He still seemed enthusiastic about looking after her for a few days, though. He’d said his lady friend, Isabella, was coming over for dinner later and bringing some toys she’d bought especially.

“I liked him very much,” Crossbody said as I pulled away from the kerb.

I grinned. “He liked you too.”

He sagged a little in relief, looking over at me. “Did he? Are you sure I wasn’t too… stuffy?”

I chuckled, reaching over to palm his thigh. “No. You were fine.”

He flushed and looked down, threading his fingers through mine. “I know I come across that way at work most of the time, which makes the others not like me.”

I wasn’t sure what to say, because he wasn’t wrong. Eventually, I said, “You’re close with Corey. And you get on well with Carl. And La Dame Blanche,” I added, my tone growing a touch surly.

“Yes. It’s easier to talk to them because we have things in common. La Dame Blanche is a classically trained dancer, and my mother enjoys ballet performances at the palace. And Carl visits Otherworld fairly often.”

My brows shot up as I glanced over. “He does?”

Crossbody nodded. “Not the Spring Court. His brother works for the Winter King.”

“As what?” I asked curiously.

“Officially, as an ambassador for the very small vampire community that has settled in the Winter King’s domain. He’s far more open and willing to have other supernaturals visit his kingdom, and his court has a long history with vampires. But some things Carl has told me make me think his brother is actually an assassin.”

“What? ” I squawked. “Carl’s brother is a fucking assassin ? A vampire assassin?”

“I think so.”

“Everything about Otherworld is medieval as shit,” I muttered, shaking my head in disbelief.

“Yes,” Crossbody agreed, absently rubbing his thumb over my palm. “Maybe that’s why I struggle to… relate to the others at work.”

“I mean, yeah, that and your… royal upbringing,” I said awkwardly. “It must be hard. I’m so sorry I made it worse for you,” I added hoarsely, my chest aching. “I was such a shit to you.”

“I was a shit to you back.” He smiled over at me, lifting our joined hands to kiss mine. “And I know my tone does make it easy to assume I’m always… trying to lord it over everyone. Honestly, sometimes I was, because that’s what I’ve always been taught to do, I suppose.”

“Well, if you just open up to the others at work a bit more like you have with me…” I squeezed his hand. “I’m sure they’ll love you.”

Crossbody looked over at me, and I suddenly felt very exposed, so I cleared my throat and gently tugged my hand free to fiddle with the radio. From the corner of my eye I saw his mouth curve into a tiny smile, cheeks flushed as he looked out the window.