Defiance

I nodded. Turned, splashing even more in the tide of spilled coffee. That was going to be a bitch to get cleaned up, and it might stain the hardwood. Not my problem right now, though. “Christophe.”

He didn’t look calm. Blue eyes fixed on Hiro, pale and cold and glowing, his fangs out and Augustine straining to hold him back. Augie’s foot slid a little in the coffee, and Christophe half-lunged forward. August shoved him back, but his hold was slipping.

I did the only thing I could think of. It wasn’t the best thing, mind you, but I think he deserved it.

I slapped Christophe.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

It was a good hard crack, too, unwinding from my hip. The sound bounced off the walls, and Bruce let out a curse that would have made Dad proud.

The blow actually knocked Christophe’s chin to the side. Some sense came back into those mad blue eyes, and now he was looking at me instead of Hiro. Anger and readiness leaked slowly out of his body, but Augustine didn’t relax. If anything, he tensed more, like he was afraid Christophe was going to go postal on me.

Of all the things I was worried about right at the second, that wasn’t one of them. Which was oddly comforting.

A queer little smile touched Christophe’s lips. “Go ahead,” he whispered, as if it was just the two of us in the room. “Go ahead, kochana. Hit me again. I’ll let you.”

A chill walked down my back. He’d said something like that to my mother, a long time ago. I’d dreamed it, or seen it, or something.

Who did he think he was talking to now?

“Settle down.” Now I sounded more like myself. The earring dug into my palm. “I like Hiro. Leave him alone.”

Christophe’s shoulders dropped. His fangs retreated slowly, and it was so quiet I heard the crackle of his jaw structure shifting. His hair, slicked down under the aspect, ruffled a little like he’d run his fingers back through it. “My apologies.”

“Yeah, well, I won’t make you apologize to him. Even though you should.” I nodded at August. “He’s okay now. Aren’t you, Christophe? I can belt you again if you need it.”

The mark of my hand flushed briefly on his cheek, already fading. Blond streaks threaded back through his hair. A small movement went though him, like an animal settling into itself. “Save it for sparring practice.”

“Yeah.” I slid the earring, carefully, into the little coin pocket on my hip. “Sounds good. Now will you guys sit down and behave? It’s been a hideous day—or night, or whatever—and I’m tired.”

August slowly let go of Christophe, a finger at a time. The air was tight and hurtful, tense and nervous. The touch throbbed inside my head like a bad tooth, soaking up all the rage and hurt. It felt the way a house does right after a huge vicious fight but before someone starts cleaning up the broken stuff—thick, a little lonely, and a whole lot unsettled.

I waited until Christophe straightened. He tugged on his sweater sleeves, as if he was used to wearing a suit. I had a mad Technicolor flash of him pulling down snow-white cuffs, adjusting the fit of a black jacket with tails, and had to blink to clear it. Behind me, Hiro and Bruce were silent, but I could feel their readiness. It was just like those bars Dad used to take me into, the ones I’d find on instinct that would lead us to the Real World. I’d sit and sip my Coke, and he’d take care of business. A couple of times things had gotten hazy, and it had felt like this. Like a thunderstorm just about to let loose.

Once, and only once, Dad had drawn a gun and we’d left without what we came for.

I pushed the memory away. “Will you simmer on down? Both of you?” There. That was just the right tone. Polite but firm.

Christophe inclined his head. The blond was back in his hair, thick streaks and highlights. “Of course.”

I turned back to Hiro. Who was already stepping back, shaking off Bruce’s steadying hand. The blood on his chin had disappeared, but I could still smell it. The inside of my mouth was dry, and my throat ached. The bloodhunger turned over uneasily inside my bones and, thankfully, retreated.

Hiro bowed slightly, inclining from the waist. I couldn’t help myself—every time he did that, I bowed back. He always looked pleased when I did, and you know, when in Rome, right? If it kept him happy, okay. I felt like an idiot doing it, but I’d feel like an idiot for not doing it, too. Might as well be polite.

“Forgive me.” Hiro stepped back, mincingly. Headed for his seat, with stiff shoulders and his usual graceful glide. “I thought he meant you harm.”

Oh, great. That’s really smoothing the waters there, Hiro. I didn’t blame him . . . but still. The urge to say Christophe would never hurt me rose to my lips, but I swallowed it. “Well, um. Never mind about that. Let’s just sit down and discuss this.”

“What is there to discuss?” Christophe stalked away behind me. Now he was going to pace like a caged tiger. “You are not to even think of risking yourself anywhere near that location. We should send teams to look it over and pick up any traces. Two combat units and two sweep teams, as well as a tracker.”

“Steady on, Reynard.” Bruce let out a heavy sigh. “It’s a trap for whoever goes near it.”

Christophe rounded on him. “This could be her first mistake. And better we send Kuoroi than my kochana gets it in her head to take a look. Anna wants her dead. I will not let—”

“Christophe!” I actually yelled, grabbing the back of my chair like I was going to pick it up and swing it. He was working himself up but good, and once he did that, good luck calming him down.

He stopped dead, staring at me. And chalk one up for the surprise-o-meter, because he actually looked haunted. Shoulders hunched, spots of fevered color high up on his cheekbones, and his hair messed up. Had he been running his hands back through it? That was really unlike him. Or maybe it was the aspect, but that was weird, too.

“Sit. Down.” I pointed at the chair to the left of mine. “Now.”

It was kind of gratifying, the way he immediately stalked around the end of the table. Hiro stiffened as Christophe drew near, but Chris just kept going, pulled out the chair, and dropped down. Laid his hands flat on the table, palms down and slightly cupped, fingers held close together. Like he wanted to curl them into fists, but didn’t dare.

Bruce coughed slightly. The sound fell dead into tense, thick air.

“Now. Let’s get this straight.” I folded my arms. It felt good to be standing. Like I was in charge. I don’t get that feeling very often. “If I’m not going near this place, then nobody else is either.”

Ezra’s jaw dropped. Cigar smoke threaded out from his nose. Augustine muttered something I was sure was a gutter-Polish curse word. Hiro actually slumped down into his chair, sagging.

“That’s a very bad—” Bruce began carefully.

I ran right over the top of him. “So that’s decided. I’ll take Ash, and Shanks. And Hiro. Christophe will get teams together to cover us, and he’ll monitor from outside.”

There was a faint skritching sound. Christophe’s fingers flexed, and his claws dug into the glossy tabletop. “No.” Just the single word, his jaw set stubbornly. His eyes half–lidded, burning blue. Bruce slowly rose from his chair again, like a tired jack-in-the-box.

My knees felt mooshy, but I kept right on going. “She didn’t kill me last time, when she had the advantage of surprise.” I congratulated myself for saying it so calmly. “This time we’re forewarned and forearmed. With both Hiro and Christophe there, not to mention Shanks and Ash, nothing’s going to get to me. Not even suckers.” Not even Anna.

“Milady.” Hiro had lost a great deal of his color under his caramel tone. He looked pretty ghastly. “Please, reconsider.”