Dion’s eyes took on a slow glow. “Robert’s pretty beat-up,” he agreed. “He was drunk last night and he did things he shouldn’t have. We need to talk to Drake, or Robert’s goin’ to be in real trouble, Saria. He’s a screwup sometimes, but he has a good heart. I’m askin’ you, as our friend, to help us out.”

Saria glanced at Bijou. “Remy beat him up? Was it a terrible battle? You must have been horribly frightened.”

“I was terrified,” Bijou admitted frankly. “I’d never seen anythin’ like that in my life. Or even imagined it.”

“Bijou was already marked,” Saria said. “No other had a claim on her but Remy. You know the rules as well as Robert. Remy was within his rights to kill Robert last night, but he didn’t. If you’re comin’ here to complain . . .”

Dion shook his head. “Can I get a cup of coffee?”

“If you make that fool of a brother come in like a normal person,” Saria said. “Bijou won’t bite him, if that’s what he’s afraid of.”

Dion raised his voice. “Robert come in here, right now. If we’re goin’ to keep your sorry ass out of jail, you’d better try to get Saria on your side.” He dragged a chair from the table and dropped into it, pressing the heel of his hand against his head.

“Remy isn’t goin’ to throw Robert in jail because he dared to challenge him for Bijou last night. The fight was between leopards, not humans,” Saria pointed out, going to the cupboard and pulling out two more mugs. She handed them to Bijou, who was closest to the coffeepot.

The kitchen door pushed inward slowly and Robert slunk in, walking carefully, hunched over, his face swollen and black and blue. He kept his arms in close to his sides as if protecting broken ribs. He didn’t look at either woman, but gratefully took the chair his brother toed around for him.

“Milk? Sugar?” Bijou asked, feeling a little more solicitous now that she could see Robert wasn’t a real threat. Remy’s leopard had really done injury to him.

Both men shook their heads. Even when she set the coffee in front of him, Robert still didn’t look up, but appeared more miserable than ever.

“We really need Drake, Saria. He’s the only one who can prevent Remy from arrestin’ Robert,” Dion said. “We can ask for him to be the judge.”

“He’s on his way back home,” Saria said, “but it’s goin’ to take some time. So if you want help, you’ve got me and that’s it. Have some brunch and stop being so melodramatic. Tell me what happened and let’s see what we can do. I can call Drake and let him know there’s a problem, and he can figure it out on his way home.”