She could also wield bureaucracy like a finely honed blade.

Lainey cooed at Dammit, causing the little bird to fluff his feathers at her. A spark went up. She expertly moved her half-empty coffee mug to catch it. “I will bring paperwork down on her so fast, she won’t know what hit her.” Her voice was sweet as she said it. “I will make it rain. If she ever decides she wants a familiar, she won’t get one. Dumping that poor baby bird like that.”

She fussed over Dammit some more, making him perk up further. He ruffled his feathers, shifting some of them to flames, casting colored light against Lainey’s warm brown skin. She laughed in delight. “How about you duck out and get us both a coffee—give Dr. Larsen some time to cool down before she tears a strip into you.”

Dr. Larsen and her husband owned Family Familiar, and you’d think that I, as their somewhat adopted daughter, would get some leeway in these situations. You would be wrong. As far as Mama Ami was concerned, I was just as much her child as the ones she’d actually given birth to, and as such I would represent the family to the best of my ability. Which did not, to my knowledge, include me yelling at a customer about her vagina.

Lainey saved Ms. Davis’s file with a few clicks. “Your treat, of course.”

“I can’t help but notice that I buy you a lot more coffee than you buy me.”

She hummed. “Then you also can’t help but notice that out of the two of us, you step in it more often.”

I wanted to argue, but she was right. I sighed. “I will bring you things. Delicious things. I will shower pastry gifts down upon you. Thank you for having my back.”

She nodded, taking her due. “Always.”

I quickly pushed my way through the swinging doors that led back to the exam area, keeping an eye out for my boss. I set Dammit down briefly on one of the empty exam tables while I snagged the phoenix carrier off its rung. It was a lot like one you’d see for human children but made for babies who occasionally caught fire.

We had a crate that would work, but Dammit was already feeling vulnerable. He’d fare better if he was closer to me. Once he was safely clipped in, I stroked his head with my finger. It’s going to be okay, little fella.

He chirped up at me, but it sounded forced. It probably made me a terrible person, but I suddenly wished that Ms. Davis not only had blisters the size of quarters, but that they got infected. I had no problem with someone handing over a creature they couldn’t handle. We encouraged it. There’s no shame in acknowledging that you weren’t the best person to care for another creature. It was obvious that Ms. Davis wasn’t a good fit for Dammit, but that didn’t mean she had to be cruel.