Sebastian

can remember."
    "And you never offered to fix it for her? She's your auntie."
    Another offense laid at his feet—as if he knew anything about fixing walls. Maybe Aunt Nadia knew how to deal with a woman in a snit. After all, she had a daughter, and, being older and sensible, she'd understand that by not becoming Lynnea's lover, he was just doing what was right for once in his life.
    The kitchen's wood door was open to let in the fresh summer air. So were the windows. It looked dark inside the house compared to the daylight, but through the screen door, he thought he saw two people standing close together.
    And something about the way they were standing…
    "Hey-a!" he called. "Aunt Nadia!"
    The figures jumped apart. One disappeared into another part of the house.
    Sebastian strode up to the kitchen's screen door and grabbed the handle just as Nadia hurried up to the door from the other side.
    "Oh," she said, looking—and sounding—flustered. "Sebastian. What a pleasant surprise."
    A surprise, anyway.
    "You going to let me in?" Sebastian asked.
    "Oh. Yes. Of course."
    As she unlatched the screen door and pushed it open, he kept his eyes on her face. But damn it all, he was an incubus, and she was wearing a summer dress, and it wasn't his fault her nipples were acting perky enough to make little bumps in the thin material—
    and they were both going to get through this visit by pretending he didn't know she wasn't wearing anything under that dress.
    "This is Lynnea," Sebastian said, hauling his little rabbit into the kitchen. Maybe Lynnea, being another woman, could suggest that Nadia put a coat on over that dress.
    "I'm pleased to meet you," Nadia said.
    "It's early to be dropping in so sudden-like…" Lynnea stammered.
    "Nonsense. I was just starting breakfast. Sit down. Be at home."
    "Can I help?"
    "You could—"
    A small blue-and-white bird hit the screen door between the kitchen and the adjoining room and started scolding.
    "—entertain Sparky," Nadia finished, walking over to that door. "Sebastian, make sure that outside door is closed properly."
    "You could always leave him there," Sebastian said as he made sure the kitchen's screen door was secured.
    "He'll just keep scolding if I do that, and then he'll get the rest of them started and we'll have to shout to hear one another."
    "Come on," Sebastian said, cupping Lynnea's elbow in his hand. "It's safer sitting down."
    "What? Why?" Lynnea kept her eyes on the inside screen door while Sebastian guided her to a chair at the kitchen table.
    Dropping into another chair, he watched Nadia open the door just enough to offer a hand for the bird to perch on. The scolding changed to excited chatter.
    Did the chatterhead just stay on Nadia's finger and look cute? Of course not. The moment the bird spotted him, Sparky zipped across the kitchen to land on top of Sebastian's head.
    "Pretty boy," Sparky said, digging his sharp little nails into Sebastian's scalp as he walked back and forth.
    Then he stopped and made kissy noises.
    Sebastian raised his hand slowly, hoping the bird would take the hint and hop on his finger. He liked Sparky. He really did. But he liked the little chatterhead better when he could see what the bird was up to.
    But the moment Sparky saw the hand, he began beating Sebastian's head with his wings and scolding in a volume that made all the humans wince.
    "Fine," Sebastian grumbled, lowering his hand. "Have it your way."
    The scolding stopped; the wings were folded back. Sparky marched to the top of Sebastian's forehead, leaned over, and said, "Behave."
    "Oh," Lynnea said. "He's adorable. Do you think he'd come to me?" She held up a hand.
    With an extra dig of his nails that Sebastian knew was deliberate, Sparky flew over to Lynnea to be properly admired. While woman and bird exchanged "Pretty birds," Sebastian started to ease out of his chair, intending to give Nadia a hand with breakfast.
    Then Sparky said, "Kismrz."
    Settling back in his chair, Sebastian said, "Sparky is a keet. The species originally came from a distant landscape. Isn't that right, Aunt Nadia?"
    "Yes, that's right," Nadia replied as she laid strips of bacon into a skillet.
    "They're bright little birds," Sebastian continued. "And they can talk. Some things they learn because a person teaches them. And sometimes they hear something often enough that they just pick it up. Thing is, if the words aren't enunciated clearly, the bird might not pick up all the sounds."
    Lynnea gave