“Scared and stupid, just like you. And I didn’t always have being young for an excuse, either. But then a day came when I realized I was either going to have to stand up for what I believed in, or really be the useless piece of crap everybody thought I was—even if it meant getting hurt or worse. Let me tell you, I’ve never looked back since. I can still get scared, but doing what I know is the right thing always gives me enough courage to get through it.”

Rabedy had a look of astonishment on his face. Beside him, even Cassie looked surprised. But Jack only nodded and answered their unspoken question when Joe wouldn’t.

“You try being a half-breed,” he said, “trying to fit in with all the true-bloods. Some clans aren’t so open-minded as we are, and they can be hard on a mongrel kid.”

Joe gave the bogan a feral grin that made the light in his eyes seem crazier than it normally did.

“Everybody’s got teeth,” he said. “You just need to be willing to use them.”

“I . . . I wish I’d stopped them, sir,” Rabedy said. “I should have.”

Joe nodded. “Yeah. You should have. And now you have to carry the weight of not stepping up. But the memory of what you didn’t do can be the strength that lets you do the right thing, the next time you see somebody about to get hurt.”

“I’ll try. But I don’t know that I’m brave enough.”

“What you’re really saying is that you don’t think you’re strong enough. You don’t have confidence.”

“I guess . . .”

“Well, I’ve got a friend who’s going to teach you to believe in yourself. She’s got the biggest and truest heart of pretty much anybody I know, but the thing is, you’re going to have to do all of this in that dog shape of yours. She doesn’t have much fondness for five-fingered beings.”

“I really do prefer the dog shape, sir.”

“Joe.”

Rabedy blinked with confusion. “Sir?”

“Just call me Joe. When you say ‘sir’ I don’t know who you’re talking to.”

“Yes, suh . . . Joe.”

Joe smiled. He turned to Cassie.

“You want to see where Honey lives?” he asked.

“Even when she doesn’t like ‘five-fingered beings’?”

“You’re cool. Don’t worry about it.”

“Then, sure,” Cassie said. “But we’re not completely finished here.” She turned to Jack and asked, “Can you make us a cigarette?”

Jack nodded. When he pulled tobacco and papers from his pocket and started to build the cigarette, Cassie returned her attention to Rabedy.

“Do you know what this means?” she asked him. “Our sharing the sacred smoke?”

The little bogan shook his head.