Free Pandora's Box by Natale Stenzel Page A

you. So, am I to understand
     that you’ve inherited the family puca?” Her mother sounded wickedly amused—even smug.
    She knew? “No. Nonononono.” In a truly mature move, Mina hung up on her laughing, protesting mother. “It can’t be real.” Her
     mother’s wasn’t exactly the most reliable opinion on occasions like this. She needed someone objective, someone scientific.
     Yes. So, maybe . . . Janelle the doctor? Yes, she’d call Janelle. Where was the damned business card again?
    She stumbled over to the end table, ignoring a wave of dizziness. See? More proof that she just had a really bad head injury.
     That was all. A physical problem, easily cured. She carefully keyed in the phone number and listened to the rings.
    “Hello—”
    “Janelle! Look, you’ve got to help me. I’ve . . .”
    “—can’t come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name and number—”
    Not home. Mina hung up. She closed her eyes. What now? What else was there? “Riordan.” She smiled grimly, her inner vision
     a wickedly appropriate one. “Speak of the devil.”
    Flash-shimmer and the puca landed on his ass. An ass landing on his ass. Now that was a sight for sore eyes. The ass glared at her. “Hey,
     I turned your electricity back on. Well, flipped the switch in the fuse box, anyway. Still, it was a favor. Aren’t you supposed
     to be nice to me?”
    “Yeah, but you’re supposed to not be real.”
    “But this?” He glanced down at himself. “I suppose you think this is funny?”
    “I think it’s fitting. If I’m going to have a psychotic episode, then I’m damn well going to be in charge of it.”
    “Ever piss off a puca before?”
    “No. But what are you going to do? Take my house away? Blow a hole in the back of it? Bust my head? Bankrupt me? Drive my
     family to insanity? Saddle me with a curse and a smart-mouthed, perverted puca? Gosh, I’m scared.”
    He frowned and scrambled to his feet. Hooves. “Look—”
    The doorbell rang. Mina froze.
    Riordan the talking ass stilled. Then narrowed his eyes over what had to be a calculating little smile.
    Mina stared at that smile. “No. Oh, no.”
    “Mina, open up.” It was Teague.

CHAPTER FOUR
    “Well, damn.” Mina heard Teague muttering, presumably to himself, just outside her front door. “She’s probably sleeping it
     off. I’ll just go around—”
    “No!” Mina shouted in a near panic. “I’m. Um. Not dressed. Give me. A minute.” She glanced around wildly. It could be the
     ultimate test, or—
    “So what’s it going to be, lovely Mina?” No ass should be able to croon in such a mocking manner.
    Nerves clanging, Mina lowered her voice and tried for an ingratiating, borderline butt-kissing tone. “Um. Riordan? I’m really,
     reeeeeaaaally sorry about calling you up like that. Any chance you could just poof yourself back into—”
    He was already shaking his head. Didn’t seem the least bit disturbed about it either, the ass. “You commanded the form and
     when you command it, it’s solid. No invisible asses for you, sweetie. Say goodbye to disembodiment. Didn’t I mention that
     part? It’s all in the adjusted rules of my semi-confinement, so I must have forgotten. Or it could be that I’m still learning
     them myself. Hmm. After this little lesson, we should probably proceed with caution, don’t you think?”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “I’m saying you can ask and we can all be polite about it, come and go as we please, but commanding is different. Once you
     commandme to a solid form, I can’t voluntarily return to disembodiment anymore. I’m here. Hey, you know, I did try to warn
     you about that phrase and what would happen, but noooooo. You got mad at your puca and called upon the hot guy. So here we
     are. You and your ass. And now you’re in a bind.” He sounded absolutely delighted about it, too.
    She glared at him. “Hey, you did that on purpose.”
    “Well, maybe I did. But nobody forced you