| |
Rick hurt. A lot. He’d been released from the hospital with a list of care instructions and a new temporary home. Dante had suggested he move into his house at least until the guys who’d ordered the hit on him were found. Rick had been reluctant at first. It was, after all, a different thing to spend even your down time with your partner. But the first nightmare of the attack decided for him. He couldn’t go back to the hotel he was at, and he was in no condition to find something else at the moment, so he’d have to take Dante up on his offer at least for a while.
“I think this is it?” Gracie said uncertainly as she pulled into the drive of a two-story brownstone. “Gosh, Rick, it looks old enough that George Washington could have lived here.”
“It probably is.” Rick started to laugh, but moved to get out of the car and the pain killed any desire for humor.
Dante pulled his door open and offered him his arm like a fancy manservant. Avoiding explaining Dante to Gracie was easy enough on the phone, in real life not so much. The man was so anachronistic, Rick was shocked she hadn’t asked questions yet. So far she seemed to think he was just a cute quirky kid like her brother and all his friends. He took Dante’s arm and leaned heavily on his partner as he got out of the car. Dante kept a worried eye on him, but didn’t comment.
“I took the liberty of moving all your stuff from the hotel room to the room across from mine. It is a large, well furnished room and should serve your needs quite well.” Dante’s concerned look deepened as they slowed to mount the stairs to his porch. “It is however on the second floor, as they all are.”
“It’s fine. I won’t be this weak for long, and I won’t be a burden to you much longer than that.” Rick gritted his teeth from the pain. Why did he leave the hospital again?
“You are not a burden. I am simply happy you are alive to care for. You may stay as long as it is beneficial to you.”
“Wow, Dante, your house is like stepping into a museum!” Gracie called from the door. “I’m really impressed.”
“What she really means is she’s impressed you don’t still live with your parents.” Rick teased under his breath. He felt kinda bad for her brother Timmy, who would probably never hear the end of “Rick’s young new partner who has his own house and actually says intelligent things, instead of living with his parents and filming unboxings of his Harry Potter socks.”
Dante groaned. “Why can I not appear closer to your age when I resurrect? People do not question whether a thirty year old can function as an adult.”
They joined her inside, and Rick kind of saw where her sense of awe came from. It was not a time capsule home from the American Revolution, but a collection of various eras as eclectic and anachronistic as its owner. The furniture seemed mainly Shaker, but a deep chair-and-a-half La-z-boy sat near the fireplace and a walnut mid-century modern buffet cabinet sat in the dining room. There was no television, but a state-of-the-art sound system and music collection dominated one wall. A massive impressionist painting of a phoenix in flight covered another. The kitchen looked like an old world relic, but the appliances seemed to be modern recreations rather than archaic museum pieces. It was also as immaculately clean and impeccably decorated as its owner was.
“I think I’m impressed also.This is way nicer than my apartment in New York.” Rick walked to the music collection. It contained records, eight-tracks, cassette tapes, and CDs from every genre and across every era, but was heavily dominated by classical symphonies and operas. Which kind of made sense, once you realized that symphonies and operas dominated music for most of the last five hundred years.
Dante shrugged. “I have a good job and few needs. The house is paid for and the furniture I have collected over time. Most of my money goes into clothes and music.”
“I believe it.” Rick carefully slid a copy of The Beatles Abbey Road from the collection. “Do you have any idea how much this stuff is worth?”
“Yes.” Dante sounded very uncomfortable with the conversation, and Rick wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t like talking about himself, or because Gracie was in the room. “Charles insisted that I get it appraised and insured when he was staying here.”
“I didn’t know the director stayed with you.” Rick slipped the record back into place and changed the subject. “How long did that last?”
“I am sure you’re quite tired. I can answer any questions you have later.” Dante offered his arm again. “Can I show you to your room?”
So it was because Gracie was there. Rick took Dante’s arm and leaned in closer, this time for privacy as much as support. “We could tell her. It might make life easier in the long run. I still hope to marry her eventually.”
“In my experience, it rarely makes it easier in the long run,” Dante said stiffly as they rounded the landing. “And if you truly wish to marry her eventually, you might be better off leaving it be.”
They reached the second floor before Rick could ask him what he meant. And crossed to a large, well furnished room. It was decorated in a blue and silver color scheme, with dark blue walls above silver painted wainscoting, and silver threaded blue curtains covering the dormer window across from the door. It had a bedroom set that included a full bed, two bedside tables, two dressers and a high backed chair. A mirror was mounted to the wall over the tall dresser to the left and what looked to be a large silver engraving over the headboard to the right. The adventure novel Rick had been reading at the hotel already sat on the bedside table next to a silver alarm clock.
“I took care to unpack your things so that you could use them as you recovered.” Dante opened the closet to reveal Rick’s clothes carefully hung. “You are of course welcome to reorganize them as you like. The decor may be changed to suit you better if you like, I only ask for the engraving to be relocated within the house if you do not wish it to stay here.”
“No, no, it’s fine.” Rick looked at it more closely. It seemed to be some mythical scene he couldn’t quite place.
Until Gracie squealed, “Oh, it looks like a fairy turning a peacock into a man. I don’t know the story here, but the detailing is absolutely beautiful.”
Rick saw it now. The fairy, the man rising from a fire, and three large birds near the man in the forest. He gave Dante a startled look.
“There is a legend in parts of Europe that there was once a very vain and beautiful phoenix who was bragging about his beauty to his fellows.” Dante’s voice grew soft and grave, and his accent even thicker. “The fairy, equally vain, demanded that the phoenix confess that she was more beautiful than he. The phoenix spread his wings and preened his brightly colored feathers. He foolishly told the fae that he had his beautiful feathers, but without her fine clothes she was nothing. Furious, the fae cursed him to an eternity as a featherless human. Satisfied that they were now on an equal standing, the fae repeated her demand, offering to give him back his natural form if he praised her beauty above his own. Humiliated, and furious, the phoenix refused. Legend says that he still walks the earth, and still refuses to give honor to the fae that cursed him.”
“Aww, so phoenixes are basically mythological peacocks.” Gracie reached up and touched the frame of the engraving.
“Basically.” Dante laughed.
“But why didn’t the phoenix just give in. It’s not like he hasn’t had enough time to get over his pride.” Rick winced. That came out harsher than he had planned. It was Dante’s pride they were discussing, not just some mythological character’s.
“At first it was just pride, as the phoenix believed he could replace his lost feathers with fine clothes. Then it became a matter of principle, as the phoenix came to resent the fae’s manipulation.” Dante met Rick’s eye with a fierce look. “Then it became a matter of purpose, as the phoenix found a life of his own as a human.”
“It’s a lovely house, Dante, thank you so much for taking care of Rick for me.” Grace kissed Rick on the cheek. “I’m going to leave you to rest. I’ll check in on you before I head home tomorrow.”
“Thank you for coming, Gracie.” Rick took both her hands in his and kissed her quickly on the lips. While he wished she didn’t have to leave, he was getting very tired. “I’ll look forward to tomorrow.”
She blushed and left the room, laying a hand on Dante’s arm as she passed.
Dante started to follow her out. “I will leave you to rest also. You are welcome to use the kitchen if you wish once you are well, but I will bring you dinner in the meantime.” Dante looked past Rick at the engraving. “I may be expecting company tonight, so do not be alarmed if you hear voices.”
Rick’s eyes widened. “The fae? In the story? She’s coming here?”
“She visits at least once a year to repeat her offer.” Dante frowned at the picture as if remembering the events depicted in the engraving. “She will not harm you, but may make a general nuisance of herself, especially when I reject her again. That is why I risked telling the story. It is only fair you be warned.”
“Why do you keep rejecting her? Five hundred years, and all you had to do to break the curse was tell her she’s prettier than you?” Rick gave his proud partner an appraising look. “Surely even you aren’t that vain.”
“I nearly did a couple times.” Dante shrugged. “But after the phoenixes went extinct and I found my place as an investigator for the humans, that temptation became less and less.” He flashed Rick a reckless grin. “Besides, she really is not that beautiful. To lie to her would violate my dignity and my pride, no?”
A cold wind filled the room and Dante’s smile froze and his eyes hardened defiantly. He lifted his head proudly and clenched a gloved fist beside him. Rick eased himself down onto the bed.
A beautiful woman with a spiteful face and glittering wings floated into the room.
“You know I can hear you, Dante Darling.” She glared at him maliciously. “There’s no reason to be nasty.”
“Ravinia, I have better things to do with my night than to wait for you.” Dante sniffed and folded his arms over his chest. “Let us get on with this so that Agent McCoy can get some rest.”
“Your new partner? So soon? And you broke this one already as well?” The fae Dante had called Ravinia crossed the room to where Rick sat, cupped Rick’s chin in her hand, and clicked her tongue. “I don’t understand why you do this to yourself, Dante. This one is not more durable than the last. Why don’t you ever pick a werewolf or vampire for a partner? Or even a fae?”
“You made me human, I have cast my lot in with them.” Dante moved between her and Rick. “Your business is with me, he is my guest and of no concern to you.”
“Oh, Dante, he can be very helpful.” She floated close to Dante and purred in his ear. “Maybe he can help settle our centuries old dispute once and for all.”
Alarm settled on Dante’s face, and he grabbed the fae by the arm. “Ravinia, I protest. Do not involve him in this–”
With a flick of her hand, Ravinia threw Dante back against the dresser. “You will keep your hands to yourself, foolish bird.”
“Dante?” Rick called worriedly. As weird as this was, he was getting a little immune to weirdness by this point. He was just glad Dante had waited until Gracie had left before he chose to insult a centuries old fairy.
Dante pushed himself to his feet carefully and wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth with his handkerchief. “I am fine, Rick. She causes trouble, but no real harm.”
“But it’s so much fun to cause trouble.” She laughed meanly. “Rick, is it? Rick McCoy? Your partner is a stubborn and prideful fool. You look like a smart man. You think I’m more beautiful than he is, don’t you?”
Rick laughed out loud. “Well, he’s a guy, so, yeah.” Dante gave him a withering look, which just made him laugh harder. He stopped with a gasp of pain and clutched his arm to his side.
“You are a smart man.” Ravinia chuckled. She laid a hand on Rick’s chest. “Now say it. Tell me I’m the most beautiful being in the world.”
“Um... That’s a pretty big leap from ‘prettier than Dante.’” Rick’s mind scrambled desperately for an answer that wouldn’t get him in trouble. Gracie was far prettier than this vain, vindictive witch, and saying otherwise seemed like being disloyal to Gracie. On the other hand, he didn’t really want to end up cursed eternally like Dante either. He gave his partner a panicked look.
“Ravinia, leave my partner alone, or I will turn you to ash right here.” Dante’s glove was off and the ball of fire cupped in his hand was already hot enough to warm the room. It also flickered in his golden eyes and gave an eerie glow to his rage-contorted face. His voice was still soft, but as cold and dark as death itself.
Fear lit Ravinia’s eyes and she jerked her hand off Rick’s chest as if he himself had turned to flame. She turned to Dante with a pout and a note of whine in her voice. “You’re never any fun.”
“Leave us, you vindictive witch.” Dante snapped his fingers and the fire died. He pulled the glove back on as he continued, “I have no desire to return to my original form and will not concede to your manipulation. Nor will I let you manipulate my partner. Torment someone else.”
“Bah. You’ll change your mind. I’ll be here waiting.” She waved her hand and laughed as Dante’s neatly styled hair turned a bright shade of blue. “In the meantime, just so you remember I won’t be trifled with.” With another mocking laugh, she disappeared.
Dante, frozen in rigid defiance when she waved her hand, seemed to melt in horror as soon as she was gone. “Please, by the love of all that’s holy, tell me what she did this time?”
“She turned your hair blue.” Rick, still not recovered from the look of murder on Dante’s face only moments earlier, feared his partner’s reaction to having his appearance messed with, so added quickly, “But hair is easy to dye, and colored hair is in right now anyway.”
“Just my hair, praise the Lord. I can dye it, or it will return to normal the next time I resurrect.” Dante relaxed and gave Rick a weary smile. “Last year she turned me into a circus clown. The clothes I could change, but the makeup and hair would not come out until I resurrected. I went out back and had Charles shoot me then.”
“I’m not doing that, so you’re stuck with the blue hair.”
“No, absolutely not.” Dante rushed to the bathroom in the hall to look in the mirror. “I’ll be making an emergency appointment with my hairdresser the moment they open.”