I hear wulfen are really big into hoops. Hadn’t seen a game yet, though. Djamphir are supposed to

play polo or lacrosse. I mean, what the hell? I’d rather watch werwulf basketball any day.

Arcus straightened. He cast me an unreadable glance, and I was vaguely gratified to see he was

sweating a little too. I must’ve given him a run for his money.

The head gym teacher, a djamphir with short feathery platinum hair, appeared to my left. “Milady. A

moment?”

I still didn’t look away from Arcus. Never take your eyes off’n ’em, Dad always said, and it was

good advice. I swallowed hard against the stone in my throat, pushed the thought of Dad away, and

kept my stance loose and easy.

“Milady?” The teacher sounded nervous. I backed up another two steps. Arcus did, too, and I could

swear the wulfen looked pleased. He dropped fully into human form, the extra bulk sliding away

and a brief flash of orange lighting in the center of his pupils.

“What’s up?” I finally swung my gaze around and discovered the teacher was pale.

“I’m to clear the room. You’re to wait here.” He paused, his blue eyes darting nervously. “Milady.”

His eyebrows rose significantly.

I wished they wouldn’t call me that, but then I cottoned on. My stomach twisted up into a high hard

knot. “Oh. I . . . okay, I get it.” And I couldn’t help myself—I looked around for Benjamin. Didn’t

see him. I did see Shanks across the room, idly leaning against the wall near the double door heading out to the east hall. The emo-boy swoop across his forehead, fringing his dark eyes, was shaken

down even more emphatically than usual. “I just wait here?”

The teacher—I remembered his name, Frederick—lifted his eyebrows, and a little of his color came

back. “Yes, ma’am.” He turned on his heel, and the news had traveled by jungle telegraph. Boys

looked curiously or gratefully at me and left, heading for the locker room. When I glanced back,

Shanks was gone.

Crap. Here it comes. I should have backed up to the wall. But I just stood there. Whatever happened

now I’d ride out; then I’d get Graves somehow, and we’d go.

I couldn’t say I was sorry.

The gym emptied out. Dust motes danced in the air under falls of fluorescent light.

I felt curiously naked. It was the first time I’d been really truly alone in forever, and the gym was a

huge empty space. The boys’ locker rooms were huge as well, with at least twenty communal tubs

full of the weird waxy bubbling stuff that soothed hurts and made everything heal up like crazy.

But the girls’ locker rooms were tiny in comparison, though big enough to do a complete Yang long