Free Bound Together by Corinn Heathers

me within the next forty-eight hours...”
    “I'll talk to her,” I reiterated.
    Williams shrugged. “That's all we can ask. Have a pleasant day, Miss Ashley. I'll be looking forward to your answer.”
    The towering agent walked out my front door and shut it behind him. The auto-lock was already engaged but I turned the manual deadbolt just to be sure. I walked back to the kitchen table where Williams sat and felt around underneath. The chance that he'd actually left a listening device behind was pretty low, but it never hurt to be careful.
    The search came up clean. That didn't mean there was nothing; AEGIS likely had access to all sorts of crazy spy gadgets that I'd never find in a million years without specialized equipment.
    “Did you really mean it?”
    I almost jumped out of my skin. “Shit, Misaki, can you give me some kind of warning before you just pop up out of nowhere?”
    “I'm sorry,” she murmured. Her ears drooped, but didn't lay completely flat. I took that as a sign she was getting more accustomed to the way I talked. A good sign, to be sure, especially if the both of us were going to end up fighting creepy fucks for AEGIS.
    “It's okay.” I reached out and took her right hand, squeezing it gently. Her ears perked up and she smiled. “Yes, I really meant it. You heard everything that went on, right?”
    “Yes, even when I draw into the Relic, I can still detect sound and astral energy. I am not surprised that AEGIS wants us to fight for them.”
    “So I gathered.” I dropped down onto the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to me. This time Misaki sat down without protest. Her tail curled around, seemingly of its own accord, and swished gently to and fro across the mattress.
    She gazed at me with those huge green eyes. “You want to accept the offer, yes?”
    “I do, I mean, it's a lot of money... but even more importantly than that, it offers us some defense against your ex-family. I don't think they would hesitate to murder me in order to take you back.”
    “I don't want that to happen!” Misaki blurted, her usual musical lilt cracking. I certainly didn't disagree, as I was quite fond of living, and I suspected that Misaki enjoyed being treated like a person instead of an object.
    “That makes two of us. Do you think we should do it, then?”
    Misaki didn't hesitate. “Yes. If AEGIS can protect us from the Tsukimura clan, I will gladly lend my spells to their cause.”
    “It's not really different than what you were doing before, is it?”
    “No, though AEGIS doesn't discriminate. They destroy all specters, regardless of who has summoned or established pacts with them. My former Master and I were sent to slay specters of rival families and to keep servant Houses from growing too bold.”
    I suppose I should have seen that coming. Mundane politics were a clusterfuck mess, and adding corrupted supernatural beings only made it a million times worse. What surprised me more was Misaki's implication that AEGIS was at least maintaining the appearance of honesty. I wasn't completely convinced. I'd been with the government long enough to know it was never that simple.
    “Agent Williams oh-so-graciously gave us some time to consider the offer,” I mused, returning to the issue at hand. “I think I'll wait to the last minute just to fuck with him.”
    Misaki's head tilted curiously. “Oh.”
    “I don't know about you, but I'd like to actually enjoy my time off. Williams will keep; he gave us two days to give him an answer.”
    “Um, I've never had a 'day off' before.” Misaki's ears twitched slightly and the cadence of her tail's swishing changed subtly. “When my former Master and I were not hunting specters, I would spend my time maintaining the Tsukimura manor with the maidservant staff, or sleeping within the Relic..”
    I grimaced. “All of your time? You had no time to yourself at all?”
    “No,” Misaki replied, her voice growing distant. “The Tsukimura house is very