crouch."
"Baba Yaga?" Mac asked as he sat up and pulled on the rest of his clothes.
"Yep. The one and only BabaYopaininmybutt."
"That's terribly rude, darling," Hildy chided. "If Baba hears you say that, she'll zap you bald."
"Then I propose we don't tell her," I said as I quickly made up the bed and tidied the room.
"Aren't you going to change?" Fabio demanded loudly.
"Nope, I'll just button my wildly expensive cape that my questionably rich, ball-obsessed, girly-dressed dad bought me."
"She called me Dad!" Fabio shouted joyously and high-fived the air looking for his sister.
"Oh my Goddess." I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Did you not hear the rest of the sentence?"
"Nope, just heard Dad ," he informed me with a huge grin. "Music to my ears."
"He's nuts," I said as I pulled my wild red curls free from the elastics.
"Runs in the family, dear," Hildy volunteered cheerfully.
"Clearly," I mumbled. "Good to know I come by it honestly."
"I love your crazy," Mac whispered in my ear then seated himself in the armchair and waited for the show to commence.
My insides tingled and I had to hold myself back from flinging my body at him. How many guys would have stayed after what we'd just witnessed? He really did love my crazy. That was so freakin' hot.
"I heard that," Naked Dude ground out to Mac. "You're very quick with the compliments, young man."
I had to bite down on my lip to stifle my groan. Only my dysfunctional family would think being told that our crazy wasn't offensive amounted to a compliment.
"Zelda," Naked Dude reminded. "I do have to give you a message."
"Hold that thought, Dudio. We have incoming in about five seconds."
The atmosphere in the room changed dramatically. A strong breeze mixed with flecks of sliver and peach glitter blew in short, sharp gusts. The lights flickered and a large mirror ball straight out of a 1980's high school prom appeared on the ceiling. I gasped in dismay. That had better not be permanent. Baba Yaga was eternally trapped in 80's fashion mode. It was funnier to talk about than to witness. Occasionally it gave me hives. The mirror ball worked overtime and we all looked like we were in a disco tech from hell. However, my red cape did look pretty awesome under the lights.
"What a fabulous entrance!" Hildy shouted above the wind whipping violently around and destroying my room. "How I have missed my BFF!"
I held onto the headboard of my bed so I wouldn't get blown out the window and into the front yard. I rolled my eyes and sighed. Of course my nutty dead aunt was best-friends-forever with the certifiable, style-impaired leader of all witches.
Baba Yaga appeared in a blast of colorful smoke, choking and swatting at the idiots who had landed on top of her. Her entrance was usually far more polished than this one. Baba was in fine form on this visit. She rarely travelled without her posse of older than dirt warlocks and today was no exception. However, this time there was a distinct difference. The ten little bobble-headed bastards were chained together and on a leash. Baba Yaga gripped the end of the leash in annoyance and jerked them to attention.
If this was some sick-o sexual thing, I was leaving.
"Surprise!" Baba Yaga trilled as she got to her feet and took a bow.
She looked like a reject from a Duran Duran music video. Baba Yaga was sporting enough hairspray to rip a thousand holes into the ozone layer. For such an exquisitely beautiful woman, her taste was appalling.
"Wonderful!" Hildy squealed. "However, it still can't beat the time you flew in on a fire breathing dragon wearing sequined booty shorts and feathers."
Baba paused and considered.
I held my breath. No one back talked the Yaga. No one.
"Oh my Goddess," Baba Yaga remembered with glee. "I'd forgotten. That was at least a hundred and seventy-five years ago. I was
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