I skirted this waste of space and approached the tank. Eight feet tall, it was cubical in shape. Its glass walls contained an opaque greenish liquid and I could make out dim contours of a human shape hanging motionless in the green water.

I knocked on the glass. The body moved and Curran surfaced with a splash. He took the oxygen mask from his mouth and held on to the edge of the tank for support, which resulted in the rest of him pressing against the glass. Just what I needed. Pasty Beast Lord in all his nude glory against the backdrop of swamp water.

His new skin was very pale. The thick blond hair of his scalp and eyebrows was now barely longer than morning stubble.

“Thank you,” I said, keeping my gaze fixed on his face.

“You’re welcome.”

Feeling awkward, I fought an urge to shift from foot to foot. “I’m leaving.”

“When?”

“After I talk to you.”

“Doolittle’s released you?”

The memory of the aging doctor glaring at me in outrage popped into my head. “He didn’t have much choice.”

“You can stay if you need to.” Curran wiped the moisture dripping from his chin.

“No thanks. I appreciate it and all, but it’s time to go.”

“Places to go, people to meet?”

“Something like that.”

“Sure you don’t want to join me in the tank? The water is fine.”

I blinked, at a loss for words. Curran laughed, clearly enjoying every second.

“Ahh, no,” I managed.

“You don’t know what you’re missing.”

Was he coming on to me or just messing with me? Probably the latter. Well, then, two could play that game. I looked pointedly at his midsection. “No thanks,” I said. “I know exactly what I’m missing.”

He grinned.

I said, “I’ve come to talk about Derek.”

Curran managed to shrug while still holding on to the wall. “I’ve released him from his blood oath.”

“I know. He insists on tagging along and I don’t want him to. I tried to explain that I do dangerous work for little money and that being in my vicinity is bad for his health.”

“What did he say?”

“He said, ‘Yeah, but will I get chicks? In truckloads?’ ”

Curran laughed, submerging like a dolphin, and surfaced again. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Could you do it sooner rather than later? He thinks he’s going to drive me home.”

“Alright. Tell Mila at the door to send him to me.”

“Thanks.”

I turned.

“How did you get through the fire?” he asked.

Oh crap. “It wasn’t fully up,” I said. “Dumb luck. Couldn’t get out of it though. I guess she was hell bent on bringing that ceiling down on my head.”

“I see,” Curran said. I couldn’t tell if he believed me or not.