Nameless

Maybe I just belong to her. She shivered, staring at her coffee cup. “I d-d-don’t know. T-t-tor s-s-said—”

“Oh, yeah. The garden boy. I’m with Nico on this one. Shame, too. He had nice shoulders.” Ruby crunched at bacon with her strong white teeth, so like her grandmother’s. You could see other similarities, their high cheekbones and long eyelashes.

What would it be like, to look at someone and see her own face reflected? Or even just a piece of it? It nagged at her. Something familiar; if she could just sit and think she could tease it out.

Why bother? You know what you have to do.

But oh, she didn’t want to.

“Seriously, though,” Ruby had her stride now. “Why doesn’t Nico just deal with this?”

He can’t. Besides, he . . . She ran up against the memory of his teeth snapping close to her throat, his arms stiff as he held her down and away, struggling with himself and the bloodrage. The screams as Stevens locked his blood-maddened Vultusino in a safe room, until the hunting insanity wore off. But there was a simpler reason.

She found out she could say it, after all. “I’m n-n-not F-f-f-family.” I wasn’t ever supposed to be here.

Ruby actually stopped chewing and stared. After a full ten seconds of silence, Cami began to wonder if she had, in fact, struck her speechless. It would be the first time ever.

She’d dreamed of such an occasion for years, but it didn’t seem quite worth it now.

Ruby took a giant mouthful of hot coffee, winced, and swallowed. “He said that?” Very quietly, and her dark eyes narrowed.

“N-n-no. B-b-but—”

“But nothing. You’re his family, dammit, and if he’s not gonna step up it’s his loss. You’re my family too, Cami, and if these child-beating weirdos want you, they’re going to have to come through me.” She nodded, coppery curls falling in her face. That’s that, the motion said, now don’t be silly, Cami. I know best, I always do.

Except this time Ruby didn’t. What if the dogs came while she was here? Or something worse? Gran’s house was seriously charmed, but so was the house on Haven Hill. The White Queen had reached through the mirror with . . . something. If she could do that, break into the Vultusino’s fortress, what else could she do?

What could she do to Ruby? Or to anyone Cami turned to?

I shouldn’t have come here. But where else was there to go, for God’s sake?

Only one place. You know where.

“Now.” Ruby crunched on a fresh piece of bacon. “Drink your milk. We’ll do the dishes and set up the guest room for you. I’ll see if I can call Ellie. I might be able to sneak her out, or talk the Strep into—”

“No.” It burst out so hard and clear Cami didn’t have a chance to stutter. “D-d-dangerous. It’s t-t-too d-d- dangerous, R-rube.”

“So’s her stuck in that house with the Strep, dammit. I’ve been planning a jailbreak for a while, this is as good a time as any. And she’ll have ideas. She’s all practical and shit. Drink your milk.”

Cami just sat and stared at it. White milk in clear glass, and a sudden sweat broke out all over her. She probably smelled unwashed and desperate, too.

Was Nico still screaming, locked up and crazed by her mere-human blood?

Or was she mere-human? So far, nobody had told her exactly what the Biel’y were, except a cult. Maggots, Stevens had said.

Well, wasn’t that a lovely thought.

The man in the tan trench coat definitely wasn’t just-human, though. At least, not completely. Wood and sap and sawdust, and his blue, blue eyes.

Huntsmen, Tor had said. Okhotniki. Gripping the arms of his chair, shaking. Giving her poisonous presents, scars all over him.

Scars like hers.

The boys are Okhotniki.

Ruby kept up a running commentary. Cami just put her head down and did as she was told, washing dishes while Ruby dried and put them away. She was thinking so hard she even let Ruby bully her upstairs into the blue guest room, and the mirror at the vanity with its frame of enameled water lilies gave her a chill all the way down to her bones.

TWENTY-NINE

RUBY SWITCHED HER BABBAGE OFF WITH A PRACTICED flick. “Ell’s sneaking out a window, the Strep is on a charmweed bender and won’t notice until tomorrow. Now’s the best chance I have to spring her, and then we’ll fix this right up. All of it.” She shrugged into her black woolen school-coat, pulling her hair free of the collar with a quick habitual yank. “Don’t open the door to anyone.”

Cami nodded.

“I mean it. Don’t answer the doorbell or the phone. Just hang tight.”

Cami nodded again, following her down the stairs. Her scalp itched. She wished she’d had time to take a bath, at least. But the idea of water dripping from the tap made her cold all over.

“It’s iced over bad out there, so it might take some time to get her out and back here. Take a nap, paint your nails. You can wear anything in my closet.”

You must really be worried. Cami assayed a bright smile, picked a piece of invisible lint off her friend’s shoulder.

Ruby bit her lip. “Stop trying to look so brave.” She picked up her schoolbag, swung it once or twice to gauge its weight. Supplies, she’d said grimly, shoving various odds and ends into it. I don’t care if I have to break a window or two, I’m getting Ellie. I’ve had enough.

“S-sorry.”

“We’ll figure something out.” But she was pale, and she only had one gold hoop earring in. The asymmetry bugged Cami—it was Ruby’s version of a nervous breakdown. “You know where the liquor cabinet is. I’ll be back soon.”

“I kn-kn-know. G-go on. I’ll b-b-b-be f-f-fine.” Go, so I can think. I need to figure out what to do. Coming here was fine temporarily, but . . . The inside of her head tangled, and she traitorously wished Ruby was gone already.

Gone, and safe. The more Cami thought about it, the more she realized bringing all her trouble here wasn’t a good idea.

“You’d better be. Look, don’t drink everything, all right? Save some for Ell. She’s gonna need it.” And with that, Ruby was gone through the utility room. The garage door opened and the Semprena slid out, its chains and grabcharms rasping against churned-up, broken ice and packed snow. Cami made it to the living room window to watch, and was just in time to catch a flash of the sleek black car disappearing around the corner at a reasonable speed.

Never thought I’d see that. But there she goes, to rescue the fair maiden.

Was this what it was like to be a ghost? To watch everything arrange itself neatly without you, like a puzzle