“Fancya cup of tea?” he called to her and drew a strainer out of the kettle.“It’s not precisely tea, mind you. But there are patches of mint andlavender growing over on the east side of the island. It can be verysoothing, if you’d like to try?”
Shesat hard on the grass outside her cave. Of all the laughable,unbearable things Brandon could have offered . . . The funny thing was,her mouth watered. She did want tea. Wanted nothing more than to sitwith a hot steaming cup in her hands, breathing in the smell of it. Shedidn’t dare.
Theyboth looked down the hill when a new scent came to them. Sergeant Cox,approaching, carrying his own offering. She squinted, not sure shecould trust her eyes. But her nose told her: he carried a bundle ofscruffy-looking wildflowers.
“What’reyou doing here?” Cox said in greeting and stopped on the hill somedozen paces from Brandon.
“Exactlywhat it looks like. Don’t be cross just because I thought of it first.And what did you bring?” Cox held out the bouquet, and Brandon snorted.“Very traditional. Well done.”
Exceptthat he let the flowers fall away, and hidden within the bundle was adagger. The kind of thing a soldier might use to cut a rope or slice athroat on the battlefield. He walked a little ways up the hill, set iton the grass, and retreated.
“Isee that you’ve been putting together weapons. Or trying to, rather.This one’s not got any silver in it, but it’ll do some damage. If youthink it’ll help.”
Brandonscowled as if he wished he’d thought of it himself. Cox gave him a smugsmile and hooked both thumbs in his belt.
Itwas a valuable gift. Couldn’t be that many knives or blades of any sorton the island. He was right, it might not kill, but she could dodamage. She could defend herself a little better. She didn’t dare takeit. She didn’t dare choose.
“Oh,I almost forgot. The second half of my gift,” Brandon said then, andreached behind him to a small hooded lantern with a candle burninginside. He put it on the grass next to Cox’s knife.
Fire.He offered her fire. Warmth, cooked food. And hot tea. She’d only beena few days in the wet and cold, and what they both offered seemed likeheaven. Seemed worth whatever price. Her shoulders slumped. Shescrubbed her hands across her eyes because she didn’t dare let them seeher cry. Never mind that they would know, that they would smell thetears on her.
“You’retrying to buy me. Both of you,” she called to them.
“Let’ssay bribe, rather,” Brandon said, with a wry wink. “So? Whatsay you?”
Shecouldn’t. She simply couldn’t. Silently, not sure of her voice, sheshook her head and looked at the damp, oppressive sky.
Theywatched her silently. They didn’t cajole, they didn’t mock her. Theysimply waited, their gifts sitting in the grass.
“Willyou take a cup, Cox?” the gentleman asked his rival.
“That’sveryupstanding of you, Brandon. I think I will.”
SoBrandon poured out two cups of a pungent, acrid liquid that was in factnot very much like tea, and they sipped companionably.
Shecalled to them, “How is it you two are even here and not tearing eachother’s throats out?”
Brandonchuckled. “Turns out there’s nothing on this island worth fightingover. Might as well get along, eh?”
“Except. . . now there’s you.” Cox grinned.
“Iwon’t let you fight over me. I will not be a prize.”
“She’sa regular Anne Bonny,” Brandon said to Cox. “A Boudica.”
“Fierce,”Cox agreed. “Can see why the Lord exiled her.”
“It’sEdgerton himself dumped me out of the boat. You know ’im?”
Theyboth did. Their lips curled, their bodies braced. The fur of theirother selves would have been standing on end.
Coxsaid, “Edgerton is a sniveling, toadying, cowardly piece of shit. I’msorry he ever laid a hand on you.” He settled with a growl burring theback of his throat.
“Justso,” Brandon added softly.
Sheglared. “The Lord and Edgerton and the rest are all right bastards.Why’d they exile any of us? We’re none of us a threat. They could havejust killed us, executed us for standing up to them. Heads lopped off,no coming back from that. But no, they dump us here. Why? Why gothrough the trouble? I still don’t understand.”
Coxstared into the murky water in his cup. “They keep us here in case theyneed us. An army of chaos. We are here to cultivate our wildness, sothat they might come back, capture us, cage us, and let us loose uponthe world when they have need of beasts. If Napoleon makes for England,they will send us into his camp at night. Can’t say I wouldn’t enjoy itmyself. But. They could have just asked.” He spat the last word.
“Soyou see,” Brandon said. “We resist by being civilized. As much as wecan, with no bloody tea to be found.” He shrugged and finished off therest of his cup. Pursed his face and hissed at the taste of it. “Ahwell.”
“Thencan’t you be civilized and leave me alone?”she pleaded.
“Whywould you even want to be alone? It isn’t natural,”Brandon saidwith an offended, gentlemanly sniff.
“Thereare twenty-three wolf men on this island,” Cox said. “Our command ofthe others is vague at best. Some of them won’t ask. In the end, we’reall beasts, and the full moon is coming. Let one of us look after you.”
Theywould save her from damage, and keep her for their own use.
“Letme look after you,” Brandon said pointedly.
“You’rea fop,” Cox spat. “You hardly know which way you’re pointed.”
Thegentleman laughed. “We settled this once before, we can do it again. Itwon’t come to a draw next time, I’ll warrant—”
“That’sright, it won’t—”
“Stopit!” she shouted. “I’ll look after myself!”
Thetwo wolves stepped a pace or two apart and had the grace to lookabashed.
Brandongave a quick nod. “My dear, at least tell us your name.”
Rightnow, her name felt like a weapon they would use against her. To civilize her. “No,” she said, and the growl camethrough. Her wolf had fought before, she would do again.
“Wecould just carry her off,” Cox said to Brandon.
“Theentire point of the exercise was to have the lady’s cooperation.” Thegentleman called back up the hill, “What
