The Cambion's Hoard
Chapter 1-Rose

St Phillips’s Church and School for the Wayward. It was purchased by a local businessman and converted first into his home. Then when his money began to run dry, he turned it into apartments and personal residences. Ultimately it was purchased by a local Infernal—Benny, a great guy.

I submitted my application for the apartments. He said he had a more affordable room, which was great because I was on a tight budget. Benny said there was one caveat; there was a house gremlin. Wallace, an angry thing, wasn’t fond of people. He may try to take personal items.

I let out a sigh. The front door was wide open. That had been the other thing. The current borders were real party animals: twin brothers and their boyfriend. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know how that dynamic functioned healthily. So before entering the house, I stepped onto the front porch and knocked on the door.

A moan came from the left. Two men were groping each other on the couch while a third watched from a chair.

I cleared my throat. “Excuse me?”

The couch couple didn’t acknowledge I’d spoken, but the man in the chair got up. He hurried over to the entryway and blocked my view.

“Can I help you?” His incredulous tone caught me off guard.

They’d been the ones to leave the front door open. “My name is Rose. I’m the new border.”

He snorted. “Nice try, not the new tenant’s name. You had your look now get lost.”

“Did Benny give you my last name instead? Cormorant.”

He inhaled, and thin whips of smoke leaked from his nose. Dragon. “Yeah, guess he didn’t want to tell us you were...”

“Human?” Most Others’ boarding houses didn’t like humans.

“No, a girl.”

“Is that going to be a problem? I go to school most days and work in the evenings. So I won’t be here often.”

He sucked and chewed on his tongue. “Shouldn’t be.” He leaned his head back a little. “Biggs, Henson, knock it off. The new roomie is here. Don’t think the couch is the best place for fucking now.”

He looked back down at me. “Let’s not ruin the surprise.”

I gripped my trunk handle and bag. He leads the way into the house. It needs some profound love. The wood paneling had smears across its dingy surface and smelled like stale beer and grease. As we moved across the floor, my shoes would stick.

The Dragon stepped aside. The other two’s eyes widened.

“Hello, I’m Rose Cormorant. I’ll be living it in the bedroom above the kitchen.”

“Thatcher. You could have told us it was a girl.” Smoke poured from his nose and mouth—the brother.

“Ah, Biggs, you would have tried to scare her off.”

That left the ogre-pretty-boy as Henson. He gave substantial surfer vibes. “Did you see us a few minutes ago?”

“I assure you, not the worst thing I’ve witnessed.” I looked around the rest of the house. The staircase was to my immediate right, and a large eat-in kitchen was to my upper right. There was another dining room to my immediate left and the living room on the upper left. I could see into the back of the house. The large sunroom was converted into an indoor pool, and a larger pool was in the backyard.

“Does it meet your approval, sweetheart?” Thatcher cooed.

“Where is Wallace?”

“That stupid gremlin? Who cares.” Biggs huffed.

“Well, I like them. I had one at my parents’. She came with the farmhouse. I know the home’s well-being and protection come down to how well you treat your house gremlin.”

They all burst into laughter. Biggs grabbed Henson and held on to him.

“Good luck getting that little asshole to do anything for you. He’s nasty, steals shit, bites, and he reaks.” Thatcher shook his head.

“I’ll make you a bet.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

They stopped laughing.

Henson wiggled out of Biggs’s arms. “What would that be, tiny?”

“I can get on Wallace’s good side by six tonight.” I could be here within the first hour, but I didn’t want to sound cocky.

Bigss sat down on the couch. “What do we get if we win?”

I gestured around the house. “I’ll clean the entire house before your next party.”

Thatcher shrugged. “If you win.”

“You clean the house before your next party.”

“Deal.” Henson held out his hand. I took it in and kind and shook it.