loose and ready, and every nerve awake.

“You’re bristling,” she said finally. A wide, sunny smile stretched her candy-gloss lips, but it didn’t

reach her eyes. “You look like your mother.”

From anyone else, it would have been a compliment. She said it like a curse.

The dream turned over uneasily inside my head. This time I didn’t fight remembering it. “That just

burns you up, doesn’t it?” My mouth bolted, the way it was beginning to do. I was sucking at the

keeping-my-head-down thing. But having people try to kill you over and over again kind of robs

you of a lot of tact. Not that I ever had much to begin with. I hadn’t needed it with Gran, and Dad

didn’t care what I said as long as I didn’t cuss around him. “Why did you hate her so much?”

Anna actually rocked back, her weight on her heels as if I’d pushed her. Her eyes narrowed, her

face contorting and smoothing in under a second. The grimace was so quick I almost doubted I’d

seen it.

But that flash of hate in the very back of her pupils stayed longer. This time I was sure. And I’d just

guessed, yeah. But it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that in Anna’s personal hate sweepstakes, Christophe and my mother were about neck and neck. Score one for me guessing someone

else’s dirty little feelings. I didn’t even need the touch to do it.

So why did I feel guilty?

The svetocha took a gliding step to the side and I tracked the movement, the way Dad had taught

me to. When it’s just one person you keep your feet down and your eyes on ’em, honey. Don’t let

’em move you around much, but don’t back down neither.

God, if I could just stop hearing his voice in my head, maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much.

“I didn’t hate her.” The sound of the lie was a sweet, tinkling bell. She had such a pretty voice. Candy over venom. “I just thought she should leave certain things alone. Certain things she wasn’t cut

out for.”

“What kind of things?” My pulse picked up, running just under the surface of my skin. I’ve been in

enough schoolyard fights to know the difference between them and deadly serious business. This

one could go either way, and it all depended on the next few minutes.

Anna kept just out of range. Another few gliding steps and the doors were behind me. At least I had

room to back up.

This is crazy. She’s another svetocha; she’s supposed to be on your side.

But I didn’t believe it. Not the way she was looking at me. Over Christophe? Because she hated my