hardwood floors when I heard a sound at the front door. I tossed aside the broom and rushed to it, just in time to run into Hugh’s enormous chest entering the room.
“Eep!” I staggered backward, automatically putting a hand up to push him away before he could get too close. “Hugh! Where have you been? What’s going on? Why couldn’t I open the door?”
Hugh stepped inside and shut the front door behind him, blocking me from the outside. He was holding a large fast-food bag and a coffee, and he looked down at me with one raised eyebrow. “Which of your questions do you wish for me to answer?”
“All of them!”
He brushed past me, his strange tunic sliding against my skin as he moved by, and the smell of burgers wafted into the condo. “I hunted for food. Finian was clear that I am to provide for you if possible, to ensure that you receive the best care until he is to retrieve you.”
Perplexed at this answer, I glanced at the front door, then watched as Hugh strode to the couch with his food. “How come the door’s working now?” I went to it and tested the doorknob. Sure enough, it opened easily. “I don’t understand.”
“I sealed it,” Hugh said. “Come and eat what I have provided. You are a small female and need to fatten up.”
Well, that was something a girl didn’t hear every day. “I am a perfect size four, thank you. And I wish to stay that way.” I sat on the couch next to him and blinked at the mountain of wrapped sandwiches he pulled out of the bag. There had to be at least twenty burgers of all kinds on my table. “Goodness. Did you get enough food?”
He considered the burger mountain and then eyed me, quite serious. “Do you eat much? Shall I get more?”
“I was joking,” I told him and picked up the closest sandwich. “Thank you, I suppose. How did you get these? Did Finian give you money?” Hugh didn’t seem like the type to carry a wallet.
“I took them.”
I stopped unwrapping my burger and looked over at Hugh. “You . . . took them?”
“Yes. I walked up to the window like you showed me last night and demanded their food.” He shook his head, began to unwrap the first burger, and took an enormous bite out of it. “They were most disagreeable until I snarled at them.”
My eyes widened. I stared down at the burger in horror. “Hugh, you have to pay for sandwiches. You can’t just go to a drive-thru and growl at people until they give you things. You pay for them!”
“I do not understand this word pay, ” he said between bites. “Your land is strange.” To my surprise, he reached over the mountain of burgers and handed me the cup of coffee. “I acquired the beverage you like.”
“Oh. Thank you.” I took it from him and gave him a smile. “I’m surprised you remembered.”
“I did not forget it. The smell is most foul.”
I giggled at the way his nostrils flared. “Not to me.” I gave it a deep sniff. “Mmmmm, coffee.”
“I prefer the smell of these,” he said and lifted a burger to his nose. “Mmmm, animal flesh.”
And just like that, I lost my appetite for my burger. “We call it meat here,” I said, wrinkling my nose.
He shrugged and took another bite. “I like it better cold.”
I remembered the packages he’d pulled out of my fridge and shuddered. “You mean raw? That’s unsanitary.”
Hugh simply grinned at me, flashing those big canines as he took another bite.
I sipped the coffee—lukewarm, but it was the thought that counted—and glanced back at the front door. “So how did you seal the door shut?”
“Portal magic.” He devoured the burger in his hand in two quick, enormous bites.
“And that is . . . ?”
This time, he gave me a brows-furrowed expression. “Do you not have portal magic here?”
“Um, we don’t have magic anything.”
“You have changelings,” he pointed out. “And shifters.”
Good point. “We don’t have magic that I am aware of,” I amended. “How does this portal
“Eep!” I staggered backward, automatically putting a hand up to push him away before he could get too close. “Hugh! Where have you been? What’s going on? Why couldn’t I open the door?”
Hugh stepped inside and shut the front door behind him, blocking me from the outside. He was holding a large fast-food bag and a coffee, and he looked down at me with one raised eyebrow. “Which of your questions do you wish for me to answer?”
“All of them!”
He brushed past me, his strange tunic sliding against my skin as he moved by, and the smell of burgers wafted into the condo. “I hunted for food. Finian was clear that I am to provide for you if possible, to ensure that you receive the best care until he is to retrieve you.”
Perplexed at this answer, I glanced at the front door, then watched as Hugh strode to the couch with his food. “How come the door’s working now?” I went to it and tested the doorknob. Sure enough, it opened easily. “I don’t understand.”
“I sealed it,” Hugh said. “Come and eat what I have provided. You are a small female and need to fatten up.”
Well, that was something a girl didn’t hear every day. “I am a perfect size four, thank you. And I wish to stay that way.” I sat on the couch next to him and blinked at the mountain of wrapped sandwiches he pulled out of the bag. There had to be at least twenty burgers of all kinds on my table. “Goodness. Did you get enough food?”
He considered the burger mountain and then eyed me, quite serious. “Do you eat much? Shall I get more?”
“I was joking,” I told him and picked up the closest sandwich. “Thank you, I suppose. How did you get these? Did Finian give you money?” Hugh didn’t seem like the type to carry a wallet.
“I took them.”
I stopped unwrapping my burger and looked over at Hugh. “You . . . took them?”
“Yes. I walked up to the window like you showed me last night and demanded their food.” He shook his head, began to unwrap the first burger, and took an enormous bite out of it. “They were most disagreeable until I snarled at them.”
My eyes widened. I stared down at the burger in horror. “Hugh, you have to pay for sandwiches. You can’t just go to a drive-thru and growl at people until they give you things. You pay for them!”
“I do not understand this word pay, ” he said between bites. “Your land is strange.” To my surprise, he reached over the mountain of burgers and handed me the cup of coffee. “I acquired the beverage you like.”
“Oh. Thank you.” I took it from him and gave him a smile. “I’m surprised you remembered.”
“I did not forget it. The smell is most foul.”
I giggled at the way his nostrils flared. “Not to me.” I gave it a deep sniff. “Mmmmm, coffee.”
“I prefer the smell of these,” he said and lifted a burger to his nose. “Mmmm, animal flesh.”
And just like that, I lost my appetite for my burger. “We call it meat here,” I said, wrinkling my nose.
He shrugged and took another bite. “I like it better cold.”
I remembered the packages he’d pulled out of my fridge and shuddered. “You mean raw? That’s unsanitary.”
Hugh simply grinned at me, flashing those big canines as he took another bite.
I sipped the coffee—lukewarm, but it was the thought that counted—and glanced back at the front door. “So how did you seal the door shut?”
“Portal magic.” He devoured the burger in his hand in two quick, enormous bites.
“And that is . . . ?”
This time, he gave me a brows-furrowed expression. “Do you not have portal magic here?”
“Um, we don’t have magic anything.”
“You have changelings,” he pointed out. “And shifters.”
Good point. “We don’t have magic that I am aware of,” I amended. “How does this portal
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