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found me. I really hope they stay where they
are safe; my life is complicated enough without having a dozen imps
trying to wreak havoc whenever they can.”
    “That servant said he let them loose. You
should fire him.”
    “Sergei isn’t a servant. He’s a domovoi, and
domovois help out because they want to, not because they’re being
paid anything. Well, anything other than oats and the occasional
package of Pop Rocks.”
    She shot me an inquisitive glance, clearly
struggling with the need to appear aloof and a natural curiosity
about her new—if temporary—home. “Why do you have a Russian ghost?
And the little thing in the refrigerator?”
    “Sergei is there because he needed a home.
The same applies to the dada; I found him in a restaurant. He’s
harmless, and very sensitive to noises, so if you could keep from
screaming at the top of your lungs when you see him, I’d be
grateful.”
    “He scared me!” she said, bristling
with indignation. “I wasn’t expecting to find living things in the veggie bin!”
    “You have yet to meet Cardea. She’s very
shy, but if you’re gentle with her, she’ll prove to be an
entertaining companion.”
    “That’s the goddess who lives in
closets?”
    I nodded.
    “You’re really weird,” was her verdict upon
consideration of the other members of the household. “No wonder
your husband left you.”
    “Ouch. You’re big on judgments, aren’t you?
My husband isn’t important, and won’t be around to be a part of
home life.”
    “Whatever. So, how many spirits and things
have you killed?”
    I wondered if she’d overheard anything from
the League home people.
    “Technically, you can’t kill something that
is already dead, but I have banished to the Akasha only two
spirits, and they certainly had it coming. The rest I’ve taken in,
and they will stay with me for as long as they like.” The sight of
the dog crate in the rearview mirror caught my eye. “Well, other
than the imps, that is.”
    She mouthed another “ew.”
    Silence reigned for ten minutes before she
broke it with “Margo said you were working off wergeld, and you had
to foster me or else you’d get in trouble. What’s wergeld?”
    I jerked convulsively, causing the car to
veer onto the shoulder. With a mental scold at the overreaction, I
tried to calm my wildly beating heart. “Who is Margo?”
    “The woman who brought me to your house,”
she said in a tone that dripped disbelief that I could be so
clueless.
    “Ah. I didn’t catch her name. As it happens,
Margo is correct about the wergeld, although no one forced me to
take you in.” A little white lie wouldn’t hurt and might make her
feel wanted. I had a hunch that particular emotion was a stranger
to Pixie. “My situation is a bit complex, and I’m not sure if I can
explain it quickly. Wergeld is a payment someone makes when they
have inadvertently caused the death of someone else.”
    She gave me a long, thoughtful perusal. “You
killed someone? Really killed them? Someone mortal?”
    “No. And to be perfectly honest, this isn’t
a subject I’m comfortable discussing. Since we’re allowing limits
in conversational topics, I’d like to move on to something
else.”
    “Afraid to talk about it?”
    What an annoying girl. No wonder the League
home was having difficulty finding her a foster home. “I’m not
afraid, no. I just don’t wish to discuss the situation with you,
just as you don’t wish to discuss your parents with me. It really
has nothing to do with you and me, so I think we can let it
drop.”
    “Maybe,” she said with a cryptic look, then
continued her silent examination of the passing scenery.
    I bit my lip, trying to think of the best
way to deal with my unexpected charge with regard to the evening’s
activities. “As long as we’re dealing with unpleasant subjects,
there is something I have to do tonight, a job I’ve promised to do
for my husband.”
    “A job? A killing-ghosts sort of job?”
    I refused