What followed basically looked like a good old-fashioned stare-down contest, only with a hell of a lot more tension. When Johnny looked away and dropped the shotgun, the tension broke, or at least most of it. By the looks of them and the creeping sensation against my skin, a few of the more undisciplined ghouls like Al were still ravening, but Stefan’s control of them held. I guess there were some advantages to this whole hierarchical thing after all.

“It seems after all this time there are things I have yet to learn about judging a man’s character,” Stefan said in a deadly tone.

Johnny shrugged. “I saw a chance and I took it. You’re a warrior. I reckoned you’d understand.”

Stefan gestured around the room with his sword. “This was not a worthy battle.”

“I’d have made it right once I won,” Johnny said stubbornly. “I would have!”

“No.” Stefan shook his head. “It would already have been too late. Such thinking is why you are, and remain, Outcast.”

On the floor, Jerry Dunham gave a short bark of laughter that turned to a coughing fit. “Like you’re any better than the rest of them, Lord High and Mighty?” he said in contempt when he regained his voice.

“No.” Stefan spared him a single disdainful glance. “But I aspire to it.” He turned back to Johnny. “Take your people and go. When the ravening has passed, depart from my territory and never return. Is that understood?”

Johnny gritted his teeth, but he bowed his head. “Yeah.”

“Good.”

A cold rill ran through dauda-dagr’s hilt into the palm of my hand, reminding me of my duties. “Ah, Stefan? It’s not that simple. What about the ones who got away? Ray and Mary? Hel’s pronounced them under a death sentence.”

“The runners?” Cody cocked his head, listening to the sound of yipping drawing nearer. “Unless they’re in a mood to get mauled, my kin ought to have them rounded up soon.”

“Those are Fairfaxes out there?” I was touched.

He gave me a faint smile. “I invoked clan loyalty. You’re sort of my partner, Pixy Stix. I wasn’t taking any chances.”

Outside the shattered front door, the thick coils of an iridescent tail flicked. Ray D’s body sailed through the entrance and landed on the floor, looking slightly . . . squashed. Apparently he hadn’t gotten far.

Lurine slithered through after him, bracing her spectacularly naked torso on her hands and arms before drawing herself up to her full height, the rec room suddenly seeming a lot smaller. Her worried gaze sought mine. “Hey, Daisy, girl! You okay, cupcake?”

I nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”

She poked Ray’s squashed-looking body with the tip of her tail. His sunken chest rose and fell feebly, breath wheezing in his lungs. “I hope you don’t mind. I took the liberty of—” Her gaze fell on the mermaid’s tank, turning thunderous.