Free Red Devil (Dangerous Spirits) by Kyell Gold Page B

market?”
    Because it was better than sitting around the apartment, he went with her, hoping his fur would dry more quickly in the sun. She didn’t ask any more about the picnic; instead they talked about Sol and his date, about Alexei’s job, and about what movies were coming out. Meg tried to get him to make fun of some of the other shoppers with her, but after the picnic, Alexei didn’t feel comfortable mocking people, so she stopped quickly.
    Athos texted her a list of ingredients and a ritual, supposedly—she wouldn’t show Alexei the message, but made him get some wormwood incense, some candles, and a bell. “Do we need chalk?” he said, and Meg gave him a strange look.
    “I have some,” she said. “Why did you think that?”
    “On the Internet, some of the rituals wanted things drawn with chalk.” He grinned at her, glad that he’d figured out part of it.
    “Yeah, well.” She pointed at the bag she’d made him carry. “We got what we need, except the painting. Let’s go home.”
    “The painting?”
    “Yeah.” She tapped her phone. “You need something related to the ghost to call it, and unless you want Sol to lie in the circle with his freaky green eyes…”
    “I suppose…” Alexei said slowly. “If Sol is away, and we can put the painting back afterwards.”
    “He’ll never know. And it’s not going to work anyway, so it doesn’t matter.” Meg swatted his shoulder, and he flicked his tail back at her with a conspiratorial grin.
    Alexei’s good spirits lasted until Sol returned. “Kendall feels really bad about the water balloon,” was the very first thing the black wolf said. Alexei didn’t say anything. Sol waited and then went on. “He wants to make sure you’re coming to Game Night on Saturday.”
    The previous week, Sol had talked Alexei into going to the restaurant/arcade Playtime with the VLGA, and the fox had convinced himself that in a more relaxed setting, he might get to talk to Mike. “We have a soccer game on Wednesday,” Alexei said. “I will see him there.”
    “Yeah, but we don’t usually hang out that much at the games. He said he wants to buy you a drink at Game Night.”
    Alexei shrugged. “We will see.”
    Sol let it go at that, either because he didn’t want to argue any longer or because he was getting ready for his date. He had bought a cologne with a musky scent on the way home, “Because he’s a bear and his nose isn’t as good,” he said, when Alexei wrinkled his muzzle at the thick odor. The bottle was marked “subtle,” but Alexei thought it was rather strong, and his nose was relieved when Sol, dressed in a nice shirt and slacks, took his scent out the door.
    The sun wasn’t quite setting, so he didn’t ask Meg about doing the ritual, but grew more excited as he helped her prepare for dinner. When she scolded him for flicking her with his tail, he tried to keep it more demurely tucked away, but it kept flicking around and wagging when he stopped paying attention.
    They’d bought a white fish, which Meg fried in butter, but Alexei could not recall afterwards how it tasted, apart from the seared butter. He devoured the fish and bread, all the while looking at the fading light through his bedroom door. Patiently, he helped Meg clean the dishes, and when she had given him the last plate and he had dried it, he looked at her and smiled, and she said, “Oh, all right, let’s go.”
    He went to his room first, but she didn’t follow. “Bring the painting,” she said. “We’ll do it in my room. Otherwise Sherlock Wolfy will wonder why you were burning wormwood in your room.”
    “I can just tell him I like the smell,” Alexei said.
    “Yeah, but if he smells it from my room, he won’t even ask that much. Besides, if he comes home early…. Easier to move the painting.”
    Alexei climbed onto Sol’s bed. He gripped the edges of the frame with both paws and lifted it away from the wall. For a moment, Niki’s eye met his, and he