He lunged forward, grabbed me by the elbows, and stood as smoothly as if I weighed nothing. “Where. Is. The. Knife?”

“Put me down,” I said.

“WHERE IS IT?” He roared the words and a feeling washed over me that had no place in our present situation. Calm. I was totally calm.

“When you’re done with your little tantrum, we can discuss it.” I kept my eyes on his, so I caught the flicker there. Just the slightest crack in his armor. “Seriously, I know you’re strong, we all do, but I still have to find Eric, and you’re slowing me down. I won’t allow it. And you aren’t getting the knife back. Just so that we’re clear on that point.”

His fingers tightened to the point that I knew I was going to have bruises, but I didn’t flinch. If anything, I channeled a little of my gran and tipped my chin upward so I could look down my nose at him. “Grow. Up.”

Eammon let out a strangled noise that might have been a laugh, or maybe a groan. I wasn’t sure which. “You made a knife for some bad people. I took it. Get over it.”

Crash lowered me to the ground. “You are a thief.”

“Why, because I stole your heart?” I said it with all the flippancy I could muster. “The truth is, you’re the criminal here, not me. Right?”

His eyes narrowed. “I am not a criminal.”

“Tell that to the council.” I turned and he grabbed the bag from my shoulder, slick as could be. “HEY!”

He reached into it and pulled out the knife, spun it once and then it just kind of disappeared. “That’s mine.”

“Son of a bitch! If Eric dies on that blade, I will never forgive you!” I glared at him as if my glare would mean anything to him. He tossed my bag back to me which I caught in mid-air, still as light as if there were nothing in it.

His eyes were hard. “You cost me a sale.”

Was that how it was going to go then? “You are about to cost me a bounty if Eric dies. Which is rather beneficial to you, if you recall?”

He put both hands on his hips, mimicking me. “Is that so? The few hundred dollars that you were going to hand me over because of this cheap ass?” He pointed at Eammon who bristled but couldn’t deny that Crash was wrong. That was exactly what Eammon had planned.