The genie could take on a tangible form? Paxton wasn’t sure why he was surprised by this, but now that he thought about it, it made sense that Mirajane would be able to use her magic on herself as well as on the master of her lamp. He offhandedly wondered if there was anything else she could do that she hadn’t mentioned to him yet.

“Um, I think you should stay up here,” Paxton answered her question. “And… try not to make any noise.” It would be bad news if one of his parents or his younger sister overheard Mirajane. Naturally, they would jump to the wrong conclusion if they discovered a girl in his bedroom, and he wouldn’t be able to explain her presence to them without sounding like a liar or a complete nutcase. It wasn’t like he could just say: ‘This is my new genie. She’s here to grant my every wish.’

[i]Wow… That sounded like a creepy fetish,[/i] Paxton winced at the thought. Yeah, that settled it. Mirajane definitely had to stay hidden in his room. “I’ll be right back.” He headed for the door, closing it securely behind him, and walked down the stairs, making his way to the kitchen. Once there, he raided the fridge for the leftovers from last night’s dinner: cold fish with rice. He piled the food onto two plates. It wasn’t a five-star meal, by any means. He hoped Mirajane wasn’t picky.

“Come on, Pax,” he heard the sarcastic voice of his sister, Jaelyn, behind him. The girl stood with her arms crossed, “Save some for the rest of us, you pig.”

“I’m bigger than you, Jay,” Paxton rolled his eyes and slammed the fridge door closed with his shoulder. “I have a bigger appetite, too.” He picked up the plates of food and headed back for the stairs. “Don’t worry. There’s still enough left for you if you’re hungry.”

“Don’t blame me when you get fat,” Jaelyn called irritably after him. Thankfully, she didn’t press the matter, and Paxton was able to escape back to his bedroom without further interruption.

“Room service,” he said as he opened the door and stepped inside.