“The fuck, songbird?” Caspian growls, gathering another nyxie. “I hope your ice skating is better than your shooting. You nearly fucking drowned!”
“I—I’m okay,” I assure him between gasps, taking aim again. “I’m all right.”
“Fucking hell,” is Caspian’s only reply, and I stifle a giggle.
I release the sling, this time catching the tip of a nyxie’s swishing tail. It’s enough to drag the creature off the shelf. The moment the magic touches the demon, the net pops into a bubble and the target disappears, taking it back to Hell where it belongs.
“Yes! Only four more!” I dive behind a crate, my entire body pounding with adrenaline. A deafening whinnying echoes around the room. “Caspian, above you!”
My partner pivots and shoots. He snags the nyxie clopping against the frosted window but loses his footing in doing so. His arms and legs flail around him as he tries to regain his balance, and I sneeze, releasing my slingshot without looking. The net misses the nyxie on the top shelf, and the demon lunges for Caspian, taking the entire storage unit with it.
Glass bottles and crates skid towards the floor.
I let out a scream when Caspian is almost crushed beneath them, but then I remember my slingshot and I quickly pull it, aiming for the unit. The net wraps around every item of stock, including those damn flowers, and freezes everything within its grasp.
Caspian slips onto his backside, but thankfully remains uncrushed and alive. “Thanks for that, songbird,” he calls out, catching the nyxie that nearly killed him with a swift, expert swing of his slingshot.
“You’re welcome.” I aim for another and catch it, but its hoof cuts into me when it jumps past. A tear in my uniform stretches over my arm, instantly drawing blood, but the adrenaline stops me from feeling any pain. “There’s no way in hell either of us are dying on our first day.”
Caspian laughs at that and tries to get onto his feet. To my utter delight, it’s like watching Bambi take his first steps. Caspian eventually gives up and instead rolls on his stomach until he reaches a section of the floor that hasn’t been frozen.
Once we’re upright, the two of us aim for the last nyxie together, and with a shared grin, we capture it. The final pop is like music to my ears.
“Take that, you slippery little fuckers!”
Caspian shakes his head at me and tucks his slingshot back into his pocket. “I take it you’re all right? No injuries?”
“Nuh—nothing bi—!” I sneeze again, nearly dropping my own slingshot. “Nothing big. Just deathly allergic to those damn flowers.”
“Really? I had no idea,” Caspian drawls sarcastically. “Could’ve fooled me with all the sneezing you weren’t doing.”
I tuck my weapon away and follow him out of the room. “Well, you should’ve seen you. You were like Bambi skating on that ice. It was so freaking funny.”
Caspian stops and turns steely eyes onto me. “Who the fuck is Bambino?” he asks in a dangerously low voice, his expression instantly hardening. A crease forms between his brows as he glares down at me. “Don’t compare me to your lame-ass boyfriends, songbird.”
“It’s Bambi,” I correct, unable to stifle a laugh. “And chill, dude. Bambi’s a cartoon character from my childhood. You know, the Disney one?”
“Never watched them,” he mutters, climbing the stairs. “Too busy having a life.”
I pause at the bottom of them and gawk at the back of his head. “Never… watched… a Disney…” I echo. As if jolted by the words, I rush up the stairs and chase after him. “Who the hell has never watched a Disney? I bet even the Prince of Hell himself has watched one!”
Caspian shrugs and shoves his hands in his pockets. I have to run a little just to catch up with him. Damn Caspian and his long legs!
“I think you’re lying,” I say when I fall into step with him. “I mean, come on. Never watched one Disney? Not even Frozen? Everyone and their dog has watched that movie. Actually, it’s quite fitting considering what we went through in the stockr—”
“Oh, for the love of fuck, songbird. Just let it go,” Caspian grumbles, though his voice is laced with a hint of humour that stops me.
“I fucking knew it!” A huge smile spreads over my lips as I chase after him. “You have watched one! You can’t fool this Disney-loving nerd. I bet you’ve secretly got Disney blankets and stuffed toys and everything. The whole Disney shebang!”
His low chuckle echoes down the hallway, and my smile grows even wider.
I decide on a new mission, a secret one assigned only to me: find out when, where, and with whom Caspian Hardling watched Frozen. I bet he knows that song word for word. Everyone does, especially parents. The thought of Caspian watching Frozen in our little room, hating and loving it at the same time, makes me laugh. I would pay good money to watch him sing a Disney song. Maybe that can be the bonus part of my mission.
The tracker in my pocket vibrates, drawing my attention away from him. Caspian must receive the vibration because we both pull our trackers out at the same time.
“Six points. Not bad,” he mutters, stepping into the bar area.
Not bad at all. Six down, only hundreds more to go to reach the top of the leader board. When I enter the bar area, Feargus is pouring three shots of whisky. He motions us over with a jerk of his chin.
“Thanks for getting rid of those wee bastards for me,” he says, pushing me a glass.
“And for not dying,” I quip, rubbing my arm as I make my way over to them.
Caspian notices and reaches out, then retracts his hand and drops into one of the stools. His expression hardens as he stares down into his drink.
“Aye and that,” Feargus says, nodding to the shots. “On the house.”
I slide onto the stool beside Caspian. It appears there’s some perks to being a
