“Don’t tell them that,” Spruce said. “I’m well enough for whatever needs doing. I can keep things calm, resolve disputes. When you say mention your names, I should say, hm, ‘Love Lost wouldn’t want this’?”

Love Lost nodded, a firm motion. Her heels clicked and scraped on the floor as she took something one of the henchmen had brought from upstairs. A belt that sat askew on her hips. A rigging of claw-work and thin metal bars that formed a half-circle around her upper arm, reaching almost to the shoulder. It took a second of work to get the rigging to attach to the existing work that reached her elbow.

She made a motion with her arm. The claw that was attached to her hand swept in a half-circle, slapping into place at the upper arm, while the configuration of bars and blades at her bicep slapped into place over waiting forearm, hand, and fingers. She made a backhand motion, and the new, smaller set of claws uncoiled like five slinkies, with a sound like a hundred tiny swords being drawn from their sheaths, then sheathed again as they returned to their normal claw shape.

Cool. Scary but cool.

Or was it scary—cool but scary? Colt wasn’t sure. She wasn’t in Love Lost’s graces and that was a problem. Love Lost disposed of problems.

“Only the one?” Nailbiter asked.

Love Lost tapped her wrist, claw-blade striking metal bars there.

“What’s she mean?” the mercenary in orange asked.

“No time to get the second one done,” Nailbiter told him, keeping her eyes on Love Lost. No disagreement there, Colt noted.

But Love Lost did tap her wrist again.

“And we should go,” Nailbiter said. Love Lost nodded, firm once again. “Those of you who aren’t at the Lyme center, keep an eye on our place. Cradle thinks they’ll come for us. If they do, we want them to find you instead. Protect our headquarters. Don’t mess around there. It’s trapped.”

“We can guard it,” the giant shell of a man said.

“I could add my own traps,” Nursery said. “If they get close I’ll know where they are. If they get too close, my baby can pacify them.”

Love Lost gave the go-ahead to Nailbiter.

“The stairwell,” Nailbiter said.

“Enclosed spaces. Anything I can seal shut, without the power leaking out. I was thinking of the refrigerator.”

“It’s a pantry under the stairs. I’ll show you,” Nailbiter said.

Love Lost held the door open for Nursery, then followed her in.

“Or she will. She knows where all of the traps are,” Nailbiter said.