was keeping track of me in his peripheral vision.

Maybe it’s me he wants to stick a fork in. My mouth started working again. When in doubt, say

something flip. “I got in a couple days ago. It was fun.”

“Fun?” She raised one exquisitely arched eyebrow, the open door yawning behind her. The fire in

the study room popped once. She looked like a storybook illustration, and I wished I could sink

back into the chair. My face felt greasy and I could still taste bacon.

It was official. I disliked her. She probably felt the same way. But she was older, right? She

wouldn’t act like a teenager, would she?

But I couldn’t stop myself.

“Yeah, fun. A real blast.” My right hand rested on my knee under the table. I stopped it from creeping up to touch the reassuring bulge of the switchblade with an effort of will that threatened to make

me sweat. “I almost got burned alive. There was a car chase, too. If it wasn’t for Christophe I’d’ve

been dead.”

“Christophe? Reynard?” Her candy-pink-glossed mouth turned down a little. To give her credit, she

didn’t look in the least surprised. “Really.”

“Really.” Flat and unapologetic, as if she’d just insulted me.

“I’ll expect your debriefing, then.” A sparkle in those narrowed baby blues. Like a cheerleader

taunting a nerd.

Even if she was older, she was cut from the same cloth. There’s only one reason someone like that

is even civil to someone like me.

It’s either because they’re setting you up for something, or they want something.

A nasty supposition rose like bad gas in a mine shaft, up from the very bottom of my mind. I stared

at her, wishing I could shut out all the tension and awkwardness in the room and just think for a bit.

But one thing was for damn sure—I wasn’t going to tell the whole story again. Not to this lacquered, pretty cheerleader. “I’ve already given it.” I made my hands come up and flatten on the

tabletop. It was hard, with the muffled wingbeats in my ears trying to drown everything out. I hoped

Gran’s owl wasn’t about to make an appearance. That was the last thing I needed right now.

Of course, if nobody else could see the owl, I was worrying about nothing. They probably wouldn’t

think I was crazy. But I wasn’t gonna take any chances.

Not anymore. I figured I’d better stop taking chances, starting yesterday.

I pushed myself up slowly. My eyes refused to move away from Anna’s face. I stared at her liked

she was a rattler I wanted to keep in view while I reached for the shovel to behead it. It made me

think of Gran, actually. Which was a painful comfort. Move nice an’ slow, and don’t you give that