Page 6 of Gray

“This is no laughing matter.” I put my hands behind my back and slowly paced in front of the hot tub. “The victim was last seen yesterday evening in the arcade. I have reason to believe that Simon, in a fit of pure rage, dick-napped the one known as Dino-Pete. Maybe even smashed him to pieces to forever silence him. And you—” I snapped my body toward Galen. “—are his accomplice.”

“Okay, detective.” Galen reclined further and slid an arm behind Simon, chin tipped up and a slight curve to his lips. “What evidence do you have to support your claim?”

“Um. Guys?” Kyo popped his head into the room. “Not to interrupt… whatever this is. But. I found this in the couch cushion. Gotta admit, when I sat down to watch TV, I didn’t expect to get pegged by a dick.”

“Dino-Pete! He lives!” I ran over to Kyo and grabbed my beloved statue. The head was the tip of a green dick, the shaft was the neck, and the squatty body had T-Rex legs, balls, and a short tail. Simon had found him in an inventory box at his antique shop and was so repulsed that he let me have him. His loathing of Dino-Pete was what put him at the top of my suspect list.

“I believe you owe someone an apology,” Galen said.

I looked at Simon. “Sorry for calling you a penis thief.”

He smiled. “It’s okay.”

I yawned and held the statue to my chest. “Solving crimes makes me sleepy.”

“Everything makes you sleepy.” Galen stood from the hot tub and handed a towel to Simon as he got out too. “Cas and I are patrolling tonight. You coming too, Kyo?”

The water dragon nodded. “Yep.”

“I can come with you guys,” I said, walking with them as they left the pool area.

“No. You stay here.” Galen patted my head. “Take a nap in your favorite spot and wait for us to get back.”

I stopped walking when we reached the staircase in the foyer. The three of them took the steps up, not even noticing I was no longer with them.

My brothers made me stay behind a lot when they patrolled. As much as it bothered me, I couldn’t blame them. Sloth made me a liability. My energy could be zapped in an instant, debilitating me and making me vulnerable to the enemy.

During the battle in Transylvania a month before, I had kicked major demon ass, cutting down shades left and right and killing some upper-level demons too. Sure, a few sleepy spells had hit me, but I’d pushed through them. However, right when we’d returned to Echo Bay, my brothers reverted to their overprotective selves. I hadn’t been able to go with any of them during their nightly patrols.

Would they ever see me as more than sleepy little Gray?

Once upon a time, I had been lethal. A predator. Now, I was more like a domesticated house cat who did nothing but nap and eat.

After placing Dino-Pete on a shelf in my room, I flopped down on my bed and expelled a heavy sigh. I turned on the TV and watched an episode ofJujutsu Kaisenon Funimation before growing too restless. The problem? My body didn’t want to move.

The desire to get up and do something—anything—paled in comparison to Sloth’s influence. All I could do was lie there like a bump on a log as the world passed me by.

***

“Welcome to Timeless Antiques & Curiosities,” I greeted the two women who entered the shop. “Can I interest you in this one-of-a-kind broach?” I held up the item I’d been in the process of placing in the display case. “Legend says it belonged to an ancient sorceress who was killed by a spell gone wrong. And now the broach contains her spirit, bewitching anyone who dares wear it.”

Simon sighed from behind the counter. He didn’t appreciate my embellishments of the things in his antique shop. Customers enjoyed it though. I’d been able to sell a lot of things by exaggerating details. Me being cute probably helped too.

“Is that true?” one of the women asked.

I shrugged. “It could be. Anything’s possible.”

She smiled. “It’s pretty.”

“Prettyandunique. It will be right here if you want it.” I placed the broach in the case and winked at her.

She didn’t buy it, but her friend did. After they paid and exited the shop, I smiled at Simon.

“I should get a raise.”

“You don’t actually work here,” he said. “You wandered in here one day and never left. And you sleep most of the time.”

“I’m a better worker than Kyo.”