I hadn’t, of course, anticipated another forgotten problem showing up. It showed up in the form of an upset Clara.
Her arm had healed, but she would always carry the scar. I wished I could do something about it, but by miracle or magic or dumb luck she hadn’t lost any use of it. “Jane. Thank the gods.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Abdul’s back.”
It took me a moment to remember. The efreet. “Oh dear, and the last time he saw you…”
She blushed scarlet. “Lust imps. And…uh…”
I didn’t ask. I didn’t want to know if she’d slept with him or not. Especially as that went past cradle robbing… But then, Thror and Mike did too. It was none of my business.
“You need a wingman?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”
I thought about it and then headed towards the nearest mall. “He’s still a guy. Let’s go the one place guys won’t go.”
She laughed. “Victoria’s Secret?”
I grinned. “Guys love women’s underwear when it’s on a woman. When it isn’t…”
She laughed again as we ducked into the store. “I do feel safer now.”
I made a show of looking at lacy bras. “I won’t ask what happened between you.”
“It’s not important. It’s over…” She paused and blushed again. “And there’s Seb. We have to wait, but…we can wait.”
I nodded. “I thought I saw it. You’re good for each other.”
“And we make a good hunting team, too.”
I could see that. “So, just tell Abdul that.”
“I tried. He brought red roses.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Let me guess. You don’t really have the heart to turn him down cold, but if you don’t he probably won’t leave you alone.”
“I don’t want to friendzone him.”
My eyes rolled. “Clara, there’s no such thing. Tell him, outright, that you aren’t interested in him. He’s an efreet, they apparently get bored with people easily. Maybe I can even find somebody else who’d distract him.”
I wasn’t sure who. I couldn’t ask Monica this time and I wasn’t doing it myself, but maybe Kara or one of the other valkyries could keep him occupied until he lost interest in them.
“Come on. You need to talk to him.”
Finally, she nodded, and followed me out.