Downworld

Chapter 32

Elspeth was an issue, though not in the way I'd thought she'd be. After I stole their two elder children, Tinder and Kean were adamant I wasn't getting their youngest. And frankly, I was going to bow to their wishes as a kind of peace offering. But Elspeth, being Elspeth -- by which I mean being a spoilt brat who knew she could get away with murder and didn't appreciate being told what she could and could not do -- was determined to be stolen.

The real issue was; Elspeth wasn't into studying. That's not to say she wasn't smart, she just didn't care to sit still and I very much doubted that she'd be offered a place at a university. She wouldn't exactly be happy waiting tables either, even if it did turn her parents red.

I found my answer by accident when I walked in on Elspeth in one of the private study rooms, recording herself singing a song that I was certain came from above.

'Uncle Jay,' she protested, tossing her curly black hair in annoyance. 'At least knock.'

'You can sing,' I said. That was a stupid revelation on my part, because of course she could sing. Unlike her succubus and incubus siblings, Elspeth took after her father. She was a kelpie, so she literally had a voice that people would die for. But underneath that, she genuinely could sing. And being a singer was exactly the kind of trouble -- I mean job -- that Elspeth would revel in.

'What's up, Uncle Jay? You look like you're scheming something.'

'We are going to make your parents so mad,' I said, and grinned back at her when she smiled. 'Have you got other songs recorded?'

Really, I didn't do too much at all. Elspeth knew way more about which recoding labels she'd likely have a shot with. Though I did throw some money around to make sure she got considered, she wouldn't have been signed if she couldn't sing well. And it was mostly the singing, because her kelpie magic didn't translate well to digital format. That she could be both cute and sexy probably helped as well.

So, yeah, Tinder and Kean were pissed. I think Tinder was about ready to kick my ass out of downworld. Fiona wasn't really happy with me either. She thought Elspeth would get into trouble being exposed to celebrities and such. Stephan was quietly not surprised with the whole situation.

Elspeth though was over the moon.

And I thought that if she was successful, then she'd be a great help to the cause. Because having as many downworlders as possible becoming normal aboveworlders was one thing, having our own celebrity was another.