Page 15 of Carnal: The Beast Who Loved Me

Rosie narrowed her eyes at the cat sending it the telepathic message that she wasn’treallyhuman and that there was only one angel save per cat. She couldn’t do anything to the cat visibly, but she sent the sound of a snarling wolf into the cat’s mind and almost laughed when Catty Kay jumped straight up in the air with fur standing out like a cartoon. When the cat landed on the floor scanning its surroundings for the direction of the threat, Rosie smiled. It was on.

Ready to change the subject, Rosie said, “Thanks for showing me the ropes.”

“That’s a phrase you don’t use around people who were recently held captive by your kind.”

“Sorry. Dandy’s a nice name.”

“Short for Dandelion.” Her reply was also short to the point of being curt and didn’t leave a bridge for further dialogue.

Rosie tried again. “Did you choose it?”

“No. I was born here. My parents chose it. They like the yellow flowers and the indefatigable spirit.”

Rosie was impressed. You didn’t hear the word ‘indefatigable’ used in conversation every day. “So you’re practically family, Charming said?”

That made Dandy stop although she didn’t change expression. “Crave is my Promise.”

“I think I understand what a Promise is, but I don’t know Crave.”

Dandy’s eyes widened for a second. “Crave. The son in the middle? Between Carnal and Charm?”

Rosie grew serious. “I didn’t know there was another son. No one’s mentioned him.”

“Well that figures,” she said. “He was captured by the Rautt. Don’t know for sure if he’s alive or dead. If he’s alive, don’t know for sure that we wouldn’t wish he was dead.”

Dandy delivered that news in a monotone as if she was reading the newspaper.

“I’m sorry,” Rosie whispered. “I didn’t know.”

Dandy shrugged it off. “So what do you know how to do?”

Rosie looked around the bar. “Nothing.”

Dandy stared at her for an awkward few seconds. “If I take you into the kitchen and ask the same question? Will the answer be ‘nothing’?”

Rosie nodded.

Dandy barked out a laugh, but it quickly faded into mild amusement as she shook her head. “What kind of work have you done before?”

“I’ve, ah, never worked before.”

Dandy blinked slowly as if she was having trouble processing that information. “Never?”

“No.”

“Nothing?”

“I’m, um, not as old as I look.”

“Yeah. I’ll bet.” After giving Rosie another look up and down, she said, “I guess this is Free’s idea of a joke. You going to do what I tell you?”

Rosie nodded. “Within reason.”

“Let’s start here. You know how to sweep?”

“No.”

“Mop?”