Dogs and Goddesses Read online

  Noah didn’t seem to hear her, just stared down into his coffee mug for a moment before saying, “You know, I have an appointment that I need to get to soon.”

  “An appointment?” Daisy said. “On a Saturday?”

  “Life of a freelancer.” He looked around. “Want me to help you put this place back together before I go?”

  Daisy looked at the living room and shook her head. “That’s okay.”

  He got up, walked around the island to her, and kissed her, slow and deep, then pulled away as if checking for more wind. This time, it was barely a breeze.

  You want wind, Daisy thought, you’re gonna have to put some shoulder into it.

  Noah looked back at her and kissed her on the forehead. “I’m gonna go find my shirt. Should be in the bedroom somewhere.”

  “Okay.” She stepped back and watched him go back into her bedroom, the sleek muscles of his back working under his skin, and she remembered her hands on that skin the night before, her lips tasting him as his hands—

  A gentle breeze shifted through the apartment, fluttering the reminder notes tacked up on the corkboard by her front door.

  She looked down at Bailey. “Well, this is ridiculous. This can’t happen every time; it’s not … ,” and she trailed off as her eye caught her magic clicky pen sticking out of the pen cup. Inspiration struck, and she grabbed it.

  “Let’s test a theory,” she said to Bailey as he followed her to the open window. She looked out of the window and saw the timid girl still trying to hand out those brochures. Daisy closed her eyes and concentrated on the energy she had pooling at her base. She almost felt like she could see it, glowing bright orange, the fire within to act, to do, to—

  She opened her eyes, focused on the girl, and clicked her pen, directing all her energy at her. A wind blew around the girl, tousling her hair, and she looked around, seeming confused.

  “Huh,” Daisy said, looking down at the pen, which felt kind of hot in her hand, but that could have been her imagination.

  “Hey!” the girl yelled.

  Daisy’s heart banged in her chest, thinking she’d been caught—messing with magic, bad idea, should have thought this through—but then she looked out to see the girl climb up on the squat stone retaining wall that held up the lawn around the psych building, looking intently at the people passing by.

  “Hey!” the girl yelled again, and people around her stopped and stared. She held up her brochures, waving them over her head. Daisy could see her chest rising with every breath from all the way across the street. “This is important!”

  “Oh, that’s so cool,” Daisy whispered, shifting to make room for Bailey as he poked his head out to watch, too. She put her hand on his back to keep him safe, petting him as they watched the girl demand the attention she needed.

  “This is information about women’s safety on campus!” she yelled, handing out brochures as people came up to her. “Make sure you give one to every woman you know! You could be the difference!”

  The flower vendor woman walked over, got one, and headed back, reading it as she did.

  Daisy looked at Bailey and smiled. “Dig us,” she said, and Bailey licked her face. “We’re good doers.”

  “What’s going on?”

  Daisy turned her head around to see Noah watching her, looking concerned.

  “Nothing.” She tucked the pen into the window seat cushion and stood up. “You found your shirt.”

  Noah glanced down at his rumpled T-shirt. “Yeah. It was hanging on the shower rod.” He looked back at her. “We were in the bathroom?”

  “Guess so.” Daisy walked over to him, Bailey close on her heels. “So, you really have to go?”

  He pulled her to him. “Yeah, I really think I do.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’d like to take you out for dinner tonight, though, if you’re free.”

  Daisy wrapped her arms around his waist, let her head rest on his chest for two heartbeats, then pulled back and smiled up at him. “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Then, maybe we can come back up here and talk a bit,” he said.

  She pressed herself tighter against him. “Or, we can come back here and not talk.”

  “Lady’s choice.” He kissed her slowly, the heat building between them until finally he broke it off with a breathless, “Appointment.”

  “Appointment,” Daisy said, taking a step back. “Right.”

  He hesitated for a moment, then left, and Daisy leaned back against the wall, her entire body full of energy, and the breezes started to swirl in her apartment.…

  She ran to the window seat, grabbed the clicky pen out of the cushion, and closed her eyes, concentrating the energy, but unable to focus on where she needed it to go, her thoughts on Noah and how his touch made her feel, and the winds started picking up. If she didn’t send the energy somewhere—

  She opened her eyes, saw a man looking at the flowers in the cart, and clicked her pen. The wind swirled around the man, and he glanced around, then started picking bundles of flowers off the cart while the flower vendor smiled.

  Daisy looked behind her at Bailey, who jumped in the air. “It’s not saving the world from a fiery apocalypse, but small things matter, too, right?”

  “Right!” Bailey barked. “Treat!”

  “Yes,” Daisy said. “In a second.”

  She turned back around to look out the window at the man buying flowers, but when she did, she saw Noah standing in the middle of the street, staring up at her.

  “Uh-oh,” she said to Bailey. “You don’t think he saw, do you?”

  “Uh-oh!” Bailey barked.

  Then a horn honked and she jumped; a guy in a pickup truck had almost hit Noah.

  Noah stepped out of the way, but the guy rolled down his window and yelled, “Watch where you’re going, asshole!” as he moved on toward the intersection.

  “Excuse me?” A red-hot anger ran through Daisy, and this time the wind was warm and sharp. Without thinking, she looked at Mr. Casey and his hose and clicked her pen. Mr. Casey’s arms jolted to the left, dousing the guy through his open window.

  “Jesus!” the guy yelled, and Mr. Casey said, “Sorry!” and the light changed and the guy drove through, cursing.

  “Serves you right, dickhead,” she muttered as the guy laid on his horn; then she turned around and sat down on the window seat, her heart beating furiously in her chest, excitement and exhilaration running through her.

  “I never thought I’d say this, Bail,” Daisy said, leaning forward and patting him on the head as a giggle erupted from within her, “but I think I’m gonna like being a goddess.”

  TEN

  Kammani stood before her altar and considered her underlings.

  Mina, clicking on her computer on the steps below, was a Wortham, and the Worthams’ belief was passionate and strong, and therefore essential. Bun’s and Gen’s belief was not passionate, but they were young and easily controlled, and two of her original seven, and therefore essential.

  But Doug … A long and energetic night with him had convinced Kammani that while he was a fine example of this new world’s manhood, he was going to make a lousy sacrifice. For one thing, he had no tolerance for pain. Which meant she was going to have to get Samu back. And the Three. And find the missing Vera and—

  The doors opened and Kammani turned, her head high.

  Noah strode toward her, frowning. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “How dare you question the goddess?” Mina said, outraged.

  Noah stopped at the foot of the altar. “Something’s going on here, and you’re going to tell me what it is.”

  “I am the goddess,” Kammani said coldly. “I am here to rule this world.”

  “I don’t want to hear that crap,” Noah said. “What was in that drink you served the class?”

  “The tonic?” Kammani laughed. “Honey. Cinnamon. Anise. And a very old wine from my country.” She fixed him with her eyes. “But you presume. Your tone—”