Etched in Bone

CHAPTER 7

Thaisday, Messis 9

Watched by the ponies, Meg stood at the sorting room’s side door and flipped through the envelopes going to the Sanguinati. Smiling self-consciously, she removed a letter that belonged in the Hawkgard mail, then put the rest in Thunder’s baskets.

Thunder circled to the end of the line since Meg didn’t hand out the day’s treat until she’d dealt with all the mail. Lightning stepped up to receive the letters he would deliver.

Hawkgard Complex. Wolfgard Complex. Crowgard and Owlgard. Pony Barn. Utilities Complex. Even the Green Complex, which meant someone from the Business Association had to return to the complex, empty the baskets, and put the mail in the slots in the mail room. It would have been easier to take that mail with her when she went home, but most days all the ponies living in the Courtyard showed up to receive mail, and they all expected to be able to deliver something somewhere despite there being more ponies than mail drops. That was the reason she now had a pony deliver mail to the Market Square shops, and why she had the ponies making other kinds of deliveries if she didn’t have any mail to put in the basket. The girls at the lake didn’t receive mail or catalogs, so Meg now split the books requested from the library. A pony took a couple of books in the morning and she took the rest when she made her afternoon deliveries. Ever since the Elders came through Lakeside and the Courtyard last month, dispensing their primal form of justice, it had been made clear to Meg that the girls expected to see her when she made her afternoon rounds, even if she had nothing to deliver. Same with Mr. Erebus. Whether she had anything for him or not, she stopped at his home in the Chambers, stood on one side of the gate in the black, wrought-iron fence, and chatted with the old Sanguinati for a few minutes.

With the Elementals and Mr. Erebus, her stopping wasn’t about physical deliveries. It was about letting them see she was all right—and about sharing news that wasn’t written down.

When she gave the last pony, Whirlpool, the books Summer and Earth had requested, and everyone had received their treat of carrot chunks, Meg went into the bathroom to wash her hands. Mail all sorted. No packages to shelve for the afternoon deliveries. Just that box of books from Jesse Walker. Unless a delivery arrived, she didn’t have anything she had to do until the midday break. She could select one of the books and read a chapter or two.

Why was she holding her left elbow up to the mirror?

Frowning, Meg gingerly rubbed the skin, then looked closer. No cut or injury of any kind. Not that she could see anyway. The skin didn’t hurt when she rubbed it. But the elbow hurt, faintly. And the skin prickled, faintly.

Leaving the bathroom, she went through the sorting room, glanced at the box, and almost shrugged off the odd feeling in her elbow. If she said something, she might cause who knew how much upset? But if she said nothing and the odd feeling was a forewarning of trouble . . .

She opened the drawer that contained the wooden box of prophecy cards. She put the box on the counter, opened the lid, and placed her fingertips on the cards. Probably wouldn’t get an accurate answer if she didn’t spread the cards out on the table. If she left them in the box, it would be harder to find the correct one. It was time to look at all of them and start discarding the ones with images that could be represented by a single card when the Trailblazer deck was created.

And how many times was she going to say she should do it before she actually started doing it?

Hadn’t she seen an article in a magazine recently about how to stop procrastinating? Maybe she should find that article and read it again.

For now, she would ask a question and select a card as the answer.

Why is my elbow hurting? Why is my elbow hurting? Why . . .

Her left hand tingled. The fingers buzzed. Didn’t have to search far to find the card. She held it up, turned it over.

Explosion. She’d drawn that card when she had asked about her friends in the Courtyard—and when Lieutenant Montgomery asked about his brother, Cyrus, aka Jimmy.

Meg put the cards away, then pressed her hand against the pocket of her capris, feeling the shape of the silver razor. But the buzzing, prickling, tingling feeling was gone, giving her no indication of where she should cut to find this particular prophecy.

Her elbow hurt again, but not in a way that indicated prophecy.

Disturbed, Meg stepped up to the counter in the front room. “Nathan? Could you look at something for me?”

No leisurely stretch and yawn. He was across the room and had his forelegs on the counter before she had time to blink.

She held up her elbow. “Can you see anything wrong with my elbow? It feels . . . odd . . . but I don’t see a scrape.”

He sniffed her arm from wrist to shoulder, then gave the outside of her elbow a more thorough sniff. He licked the skin. They both waited to see if he would react to a trace of blood so small it couldn’t be found any other way. He gave the skin a dismissive “you’re fine” lick and started to turn away. Then he growled, startling her. Was he reacting to something on her skin after all?

She didn’t know what to think when he rushed to the front door and shifted a front paw enough to have fingers that could turn the simple lock. Frightened by his inexplicable behavior, Meg backed away from the counter, bumping her shoulder against the doorframe.

Returning to the counter, Nathan shifted to human form. “Let me see that arm again.”

Not her friend. Not the office’s watch Wolf. This was Nathan as a Courtyard enforcer.

“Meg.”

The snarled word was a warning. If Nathan was this angry about what she’d thought was a small question, she didn’t want to consider how Blair would react.

I’m not a bunny. I’m not a bunny. I’m not . . .

She kept repeating that as she eased forward and held up her elbow.

His hands gently closed on either side of her elbow. He bent his head and studied the skin, sniffed it, gave it another lick before releasing her.

“Nothing.” He sounded calmer but also puzzled.

The counter hid him below the waist, so she refused to consider what anyone pulling up for a delivery could see through the glass door.

Meg blinked. Thought. Nothing about her had upset him—but something had. “What happened?”

“Uninvited male visitor. Tess said to lock the door and stand guard until Simon decides what to do about that male.”

That sounded bad. The image of the bunny’s backbone popped into her head, making her queasy.

Nathan twisted around and focused on one of the front windows. Nyx looked back at them, nodded, then glided across the delivery area to the consulate.

Jake Crowgard landed on his favorite spot on the brick wall and cawed, letting everyone know that he, too, was watching.

“You’re safe, Meg,” Nathan said. “Nothing will hurt you.”

Her heart pounded so fast she felt dizzy. “Someone is here looking for me?”

“No.” He cocked his head, as if listening to something—or someone. “No, not looking for you.” He studied her elbow. “But if that keeps hurting, you let Simon know. Or Henry.”

Explosion. A physical explosion or an emotional one? Considering how many times she’d drawn that card lately, it could be either—or both.

She didn’t know why her elbow hurt, but she knew it would be pointless to make a cut now. The events she’d seen prophesied in the cards had already begun.

Something had changed in the Courtyard. Air carried the scent of anger. Earth reported that the Wolves were in motion, moving to guard the vulnerable in their pack. All because of the male who had just arrived with his mate and young. The Wolfgard and human packs hadn’t reacted like this to the swarms of humans who had come and gone—the humans who were migrating to other parts of Thaisia. Why was this one male considered a threat to so many when he could be killed so easily? What made him different from the rest of the humans?

This was the reason they had come to Lakeside. This was the kind of human they needed to observe before the migrating humans returned to the places Namid’s teeth and claws had reclaimed for the terra indigene. And they needed to make sure that male remained within reach of the Courtyard.

Mostly hidden behind Henry’s large human form, Simon studied the human herd that had gathered in A Little Bite. Strange how the addition of one human could change his way of looking at them, change them from a pack back to a herd. Back to prey.

Maybe that wasn’t so strange. Meg’s arrival in the Courtyard had changed all kinds of things, including changing female employees from nonedible prey to a female pack that was approached with some degree of caution. And with the female pack came the connection to the police pack. So a single person could create a lot of changes.

Nicholas Scratch, the spokesman for the Humans First and Last movement, was another example of a human who had set many things in motion. But the ripples Scratch created had ended with many Wolves and humans dying and Thaisia being broken into pieces to keep the humans more isolated.

Now he was looking at another human he instinctively knew had the potential to cause trouble for the terra indigene. But how? This male was related to Miss Twyla and Lieutenant Montgomery, who were good humans, but both had been concerned about what might happen if this member of their family pack arrived in Lakeside. And Meg had seen trouble when she’d drawn cards to reveal prophecy. Not just trouble; an explosion, which was not a small thing.

And yet, he couldn’t see the threat, couldn’t explain why he wanted to drive this male away from Meg and Sam and everyone else in the Courtyard. So he watched as Miss Twyla and the Sierra entered the coffee shop, followed by Kowalski and Debany, who were in uniform. Miss Twyla looked stern, ready to snap at a misbehaving pup. The Sierra, on the other hand, looked ready to roll over and offer her belly in submission.

Was this a fight for dominance of the Montgomery pack between Lieutenant Montgomery and this newcomer, Cyrus Jimmy? Leaving the pups out of it for the moment, Simon considered the two sides. He was sure Miss Twyla sided with the lieutenant, but the newcomer had a mate. That left the Sierra. Lieutenant Montgomery would be the better leader, but Simon had a feeling the Sierra wanted the petting and approval of that Cyrus.

Would other humans here want his approval?

Simon looked at Nadine Fallacaro. She wouldn’t. She was indicating clearly that she wanted to drive that Cyrus out of her territory. Good. And Kowalski and Debany weren’t pretending they had come in for food or coffee. They were watching, waiting for orders. Pack enforcers. That, too, was good.

Henry asked.

Vlad, in smoke form, drifted to the other side of the Grizzly.

Vlad shifted to human form.

He’d been expecting this summons ever since Blair told him that they had returned, but Simon still flinched at the sound of that voice.

Vlad said, studying him intently.

he told Vlad.

Going to HGR’s stock room, he stripped off his clothes and hung them on the row of pegs installed near the back door. Then he stepped outside, shifted to Wolf, and ran toward the odd silence near the Market Square.

It didn’t take him long to find the two Elders. Their presence made him uneasy, but it didn’t surprise him that they had returned. After all, their curiosity about his relationship with Meg was the biggest reason they had not already exterminated all the humans living in Thaisia. Was it that curiosity that had drawn them back to the Courtyard so soon? Or something else?

They shifted from their true form and took on the shapes of other predators. The male stood upright, his furred body vaguely human. But he was huge, with powerful limbs and big claws that could score glass and tear through flesh, and he had a head that belonged to some ancient predator. Perhaps being upright wasn’t an attempt to look human. Perhaps it was simply one of the ancient forms no one remembered. The female was some kind of feline, but she was much bigger than Henry in his Grizzly form.

Were these the Elders who had been here during the storm that ripped through Lakeside? Were they the ones who had consumed the Wolf cookies Meg kept at the office for Nathan and Skippy?

the male said.

Simon asked. Elders preferred to have little or no contact with anything connected with the human species. And when they did have contact, their intentions usually were not benevolent.

A light wind ruffled his fur.

Air replied.

Simon couldn’t see her—she hadn’t chosen to take a visible form—but he could hear her just fine. And he wondered what it meant that the girls at the lake had been aware of the job fair. Under the best circumstances, humans drawing the attention of the Elders or the Elementals was a bad idea. Or a good idea, since the humans rarely survived.

the male said.

Simon bared his teeth.

the female said.

Simon tensed.

There was something wrong with Lieutenant Montgomery’s sibling. He knew it. Vlad knew it. Henry and Tess knew it. But could any of them explain it?

terra indigene?> the male growled.

Simon replied reluctantly.

terra indigene in other places,> the female said.

Simon asked, feeling a trap close around him.

the male replied. all the humans who try to migrate through the wild country. We will do this to protect the land and the earth natives who survived the human attacks.>

Simon whined softly. The first group of humans from the job fair were already on their way to Bennett. If the Elders stopped all migrations, the train with the Simple Life humans aboard wouldn’t survive to reach Bennett. And the professionals who were supposed to take the train tomorrow would never leave Lakeside.

He wasn’t supposed to be responsible for more than the Courtyard in Lakeside, but the Elders were going to decide about every human place in Thaisia based on what they learned here.

How much human would the terra indigene keep? He knew it was risky to let that Cyrus stay so close to his Meg. But if Simon told her what was at stake, Meg would insist on taking the risk. She wouldn’t want to be the one who stopped a human like the Jana Paniccia from having a choice about the work she could do and where she could live. He couldn’t ask Meg to carry that weight, not when she was the Trailblazer who was looking for ways to help the rest of the cassandra sangue survive.

But he was still the leader of this Courtyard. If he was going to do this for the Elders, it would be on his terms. He wasn’t going to take unnecessary risks with Meg or Sam or the rest of his pack. His whole pack.

Simon pointed a front paw at the stone apartment buildings.

He felt the Elders swell with anger. They were Namid’s teeth and claws. They were not used to having anything but the world telling them what to do.

Then Air said,

Earth joined her sister, took on human form, and smiled at Simon.

the female said.

Simon replied.

Air added, referring to the song Charlie Crowgard had written about Meg and Merri Lee protecting Skippy from a bad human named Phineas Jones.

the male said.

Were they a little too interested in watching Meg? He’d have to warn Nathan to check for the Elders’ scent around the Liaison’s Office.

Simon said.

He felt a terrible silence surround him, but he held his ground. He was leader here; they were guests. Not that such things mattered to Namid’s teeth and claws.

Air said again.

the male snarled. <We decide.>

Earth smiled.

Wake up Winter during the last month of Summer’s reign? Wake up Winter and tell her the Elders wanted something that might pose a threat to Meg? Even the thought of how that Elemental would respond made Simon shiver.

Apparently the threat impressed the Elders too.

the female said.

Having reached that much of an agreement, Simon hurried back to Howling Good Reads and whatever drama was taking place between Montgomery and that Cyrus. He wasn’t happy about this arrangement with Namid’s teeth and claws, but if the survival of the humans migrating to other parts of Thaisia depended on what the Elders learned over the next few days, he’d rather have them watch the female and police packs here than humans elsewhere.

“What are you doing here, Jimmy?” Monty asked. Gods, this was the worst possible place to have a family reunion. Bad enough to have his men witnessing this contretemps, but he didn’t want to speculate about what Burke was thinking. And he didn’t want to consider what the terra indigene thought about Jimmy showing up here with Sandee and the kids, Clarence and Fanny.

Jimmy had never done an honest day’s work in his life, preferring shady deals and manipulating people, but had managed to stay out of jail for the most part. Communication with Toland was spotty at best, and he didn’t think any cop from Lakeside would get much help from the Toland police force. Despite that, Monty didn’t think it would take Burke more than a day to pull enough strings to have a copy of Jimmy’s rap sheet. And if Burke couldn’t pull those strings, ITF Agent Greg O’Sullivan, nephew of Governor Hannigan, certainly could.

“Came to see family, like I said.” Jimmy’s smile widened as Twyla approached the table. “Mama. As pretty as ever.” He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a smacking kiss on the cheek. “Stand up, boy. Let your grandma have that seat.”

“I want a cookie,” Clarence said, eyeing the baked goods in the display case.

“I want a cookie too,” Fanny said.

“We should all have something,” Sandee said when Nadine approached the table. “I’ll have a diet soda and a piece of pie. What kind of pie you got today?”

“Sit down, Mama.” Jimmy resumed his seat. “CJ’s a big shot now, so he can treat.”

Monty watched the way Nadine looked at Jimmy and Sandee. Members of the HFL movement had burned her business and home to the ground and had intended to kill her in that fire. She should have received counseling. Instead she’d thrown herself into working with Tess, and there had been too many other crises to deal with since the fire, so he hadn’t thought about how well she had handled the trauma. Seeing the look in her eyes now, he braced to block an attack.

And then there was Tess. After that wave of dizziness, he didn’t dare look at her face, but looking toward her shoulder, he could see the red hair coiling.

“Sure,” Monty told Nadine. “My treat.”

“This time,” Tess said, her voice strangely harsh.

“No pie today,” Nadine said. “Have some cherry fruit tarts—and one raspberry tart left. No soda of any kind. No diet foods of any kind.”

“Well,” Sandee huffed. “What kind of place is this that you don’t sell diet?”

Tess laughed, a terrible sound. “You whine about not having a diet drink but you want to eat pie?”

“How about a cookie and a serving of milk for the children?” Monty suggested.

“I want—,” Clarence began.

“If you don’t want what is offered, you don’t have to eat it,” Twyla said. “But you don’t get anything else.”

“House rules, Mama?” Jimmy didn’t raise his voice, but his anger came through loud and clear. “You don’t have a say about my kids.”

“Cookie and milk or cookie and water,” Tess said, threads of black appearing in her hair. “This is my shop, and those are the choices I’m offering.”

She walked away. After a moment, Nadine went with her.

“Hey, you didn’t take my order,” Jimmy protested.

“If you value your life, don’t push her,” Monty whispered.

Sierra moved closer to the table but didn’t join them.

“Why are you here, Jimmy?” Monty asked again.

“You don’t care, so why are you asking? You warned Mama and Sissy to get out of Toland, even paid their way. But not a fucking word to me, CJ.”

“I was told there was no way to reach you,” Monty replied quietly, not looking at his sister. “No one had a working phone number.”

“You could have found me if you’d wanted to.”

“You would have wanted me to locate you through the Toland police?”

No answer.

“Got out of Toland before everything shut down,” Jimmy said conversationally, turning toward Twyla. “Thought we could stay in Hubbney, but too many people were scrambling for a place there.” Now he looked at Monty. “Heard you could put us up while I figure out what to do.”

When Monty didn’t say anything, Jimmy looked at their sister, and that look accused her of lying to him. Had Sissy lied or just misrepresented the living arrangements because she hadn’t understood the situation?

“Jimmy could stay with me,” Sissy said.

Twyla turned to look at her. “Child, you’ve got two single beds for the girls and a single bed for yourself. You’ve got a kitchen table and four chairs. So I guess Cyrus, Sandee, and the children could sleep on your living room floor, but that’s about all you have to offer right now.”

The look in Jimmy’s eyes was so ugly, Monty wondered if he’d escalated to physical abuse once Sissy had left home. Elayne hadn’t wanted to spend time with his family, so his time with Sissy had been limited to an occasional lunch or times when Lizzy had visited Grandma Twyla and Sissy was there with her girls. When she was with Mama or with him, Sissy was the strong, bright girl he remembered. But her response to Jimmy’s presence wasn’t healthy.

“What about you, Mama?” Jimmy turned to Twyla.

“I have an efficiency apartment. One room with a single bed.”

Now Jimmy turned to Monty, rage in his eyes.

No pretense now of coming to see family. Most likely, the storm that had struck Toland wasn’t the only reason Jimmy needed to leave that city. But he’d come to Lakeside expecting free room and board. He hadn’t considered how little help Sissy would be able to give him.

No one else within hearing of this little drama had said a thing until Captain Burke broke the silence.

“Lieutenant. Your brother—”

“Will stay here.” Simon Wolfgard walked into A Little Bite, flanked by Vlad and Henry.

Seeing Jimmy’s eyes widen, Monty turned in his seat. Wolfgard looked human but couldn’t pass for human. This was a leader staring down an enemy, and there was no doubt in Monty’s mind that a wrong move now would start a slaughter.

“Mr. Wolfgard.” Monty kept his voice quiet and courteous. “This is my brother, Cyrus James Montgomery. Jimmy.”

“I know who he is,” Simon growled.

Since Simon continued to stare at Jimmy, Monty glanced at Burke, who met his eyes. The message in those fierce blue eyes was clear: keep it smooth, Lieutenant.

Never easy to do when Jimmy was tangled up in something.

Simon dropped a single key on the table. He handed a second key to Monty, his amber eyes never leaving Jimmy’s face. “You can use the apartment above Lieutenant Montgomery’s during your visit. We have rules. There are consequences if you break them. The apartments belong to the Courtyard. You do not let other humans into the building without our permission. We do not permit drugs on our land. If we find them in your den or smell them on your body or clothes, you, your mate, and your pups will be driven out of our territory—and our territory where you’re concerned is the city of Lakeside. Lieutenant Montgomery, as police, has a key to your apartment. So do I. We will check the apartment whenever we choose.”

“The key to the outer door?” Monty asked quietly.

“Not necessary. The door will be open during the day. It will be locked at dusk. The guard has a key and will open the outside door for anyone who has permission to enter the building. Anyone else is a trespasser.”

Remembering the Trespassers Will Be Eaten signs posted on the Courtyard roads, Monty shivered.

“You will be allowed to purchase food and merchandise from the stores in the Market Square but no more than we allow for a family pack,” Simon continued.

“This is like a fucking house arrest,” Jimmy said.

“Yes. Except you’re not confined to the den.”

“And if I don’t agree?”

“We will drive you to the train station now and purchase four tickets to whatever human town you choose within the Northeast Region. You either stay where we can watch you, or you leave.”

“And if I decide to stay somewhere else in Lakeside?”

Gods, Jimmy, stop arguing with him. He’s not a human you can bully.

“We’ll hunt you down and kill you. And then we’ll allow your mate to leave with her pups.”

Jimmy looked sick and, finally, truly scared. Monty doubted the fear would last more than a minute after Simon walked away—with Jimmy it never did—but for the moment, Cyrus James Montgomery appreciated that he’d put himself in a situation that was dangerous, even potentially deadly.

Simon leaned down, bared his teeth to reveal fangs that weren’t even close to human, and said, “If you go near Meg, I will snap your bones, tear open your belly, and eat your liver while you’re still alive.”

Wolfgard left the coffee shop, followed by Henry, Vlad, and Tess.

Stunned silence. Even Burke seemed frozen by the threat.

Nadine walked over to the table and set down glasses of water. “You still want the food?”

Monty forced a smile. “Not right now. Thank you.”

Burke stepped forward. “If you want to leave, I’ll check the train schedule to find out if there’s a train this afternoon and where it’s heading. If you don’t want to spend the night on a train after it stops for the travel curfew, you’ll have to choose a town that’s no more than four or five hours away. Otherwise you’ll have to stay overnight and head out at first light.”

Jimmy ignored Burke and focused on Sissy. “What the fuck did you pull me into?”

“Sierra didn’t pull you into anything, Cyrus,” Twyla said. “Maybe she didn’t understand as well as she should have that we were going to be surrounded by police officers and terra indigene, but coming here was your choice.” She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “This place is all right for me, and for Sierra and her girls. But it’s not a good place for you, Cyrus. You chose long ago the kind of life you wanted, and nothing I ever said could change that. But you’re my son, so I want you to hear me. This isn’t a good place for you. Pick another town. Make a new start for yourself and your family. There’s always room for a man willing to do an honest day’s work.”

“Honest day’s work,” Jimmy sneered. “The only thing an honest day’s work ever got Daddy was a heart attack.”

“That’s not true.”

“Well, thanks to Sissy, I hauled my wife and children here, passing up better opportunities. Now I’m stuck, so I guess I’ll have to stay until I can sort things out.”

Since there were no human-controlled towns between Hubbney and Lakeside, Jimmy hadn’t passed up anything. But Monty was sure his brother, being Jimmy, now believed he had passed up something better by coming to Lakeside.

Monty rose. “In that case, let’s go across the street and get you settled. Where’s your luggage?”

Jimmy waved a hand toward the archway. “Left it in that other store.”

“We’ll carry it over, Lieutenant,” Kowalski said.

Kowalski and Debany stiffened in response to the look Jimmy gave them. “You going to search through our things while you’re being helpful?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Burke replied, giving Jimmy his fiercest smile. “I’m sure the Wolves have already gone through your luggage and removed anything that doesn’t meet with their approval.” He walked to the front door of A Little Bite and pushed it open. “Shall we?”

Monty led the way, feeling Jimmy’s fury like claws scratching his back. Things had gone wrong between them while they were still children—long before he’d chosen a career with the police and Jimmy had chosen . . . other pursuits. There was more at stake now than a family rift. If Jimmy screwed up the relationship the humans here had been building with the Others . . .

Monty looked at Burke as he walked out of the coffee shop and wondered if it was Simon Wolfgard or his captain who posed the biggest threat to his brother.

“I’m not sure what’s going on, but the children are safer where they are. No, it’s better if you keep an eye on things over there.”

Vlad glanced toward the checkout counter as he followed Simon, Henry, and Tess toward the stairs leading to HGR’s office. Merri Lee froze, the store phone pressed to one ear and her mobile phone pressed to the other. Must be talking to Ruthie and Eve Denby.

“Good advice,” he said quietly, then hurried up the stairs. He hadn’t realized how angry he was until he closed the door. Then he strode up to Simon and gave the Wolf a shove.

“Are you sure about this?” Vlad demanded.

Simon snarled at him. “No, I’m not sure. I do know there’s a fight for dominance going on, but I don’t think Montgomery understands that.”

“That Cyrus knows it,” Henry rumbled.

“He wants control of that pack, wants to drive Montgomery out,” Simon said. “His mate will go with him. So will the Sierra. And Miss Twyla might go to try to protect the Sierra and her pups.”

“Families do split sometimes during a fight for dominance,” Vlad said. “But when that happens, they don’t both stay in the same territory.”

“Montgomery and the Lizzy will be the ones who stay,” Henry said. “If Montgomery is driven away from that family pack, the rest of them will be banned from the Courtyard.”

“Not Miss Twyla,” Simon said. “Elliot almost likes her.”

Vlad studied Simon. “That Cyrus will bring trouble here. He’ll be close to the vulnerable among us.” What would Grandfather Erebus say about a hostile male being that close to Meg? “Why should we let him stay? Why are you giving in?”

Simon growled. “Two of the Elders returned to the Courtyard when we were all distracted by the job fair. They’ve decided that Cyrus needs to stay where they can watch him.”

“Blessed Thaisia,” Henry rumbled. “Why?”

Simon kept his eyes on Vlad. “Unless the Elders can understand why one human like that Cyrus can be a threat to a whole pack of humans—or us—they won’t allow any humans to migrate through the wild country to reach other towns.”

“So we risk the humans we trust for the Elders’ benefit?” Tess said.

No answer. Finally Simon said, “They agreed to help protect the female pack. And they agreed to let the humans from the job fair travel through the wild country unharmed.”

Human cities were ideal hunting grounds for the Sanguinati, so they rarely brushed up against the Elders. But he understood now the choice Simon had made about letting that Cyrus stay—save the Lakeside Courtyard from what would hopefully be nothing more than an annoying inconvenience or let Tolya and the town of Bennett fall along with Prairie Gold, the Intuit village that depended on the train station for its supplies. And how many other places, other people, could have fallen if Simon hadn’t made that choice?

“Well,” Vlad said. “If that Cyrus draws out others like himself, he may be of some use to us.”

The coils in Tess’s hair relaxed a little. “Bait? For who?”

“For that Jack Fillmore, the male who hurt Theral MacDonald and is still hunting her,” Vlad replied.

They let the words settle and grow weight.

“That Cyrus lived in Toland. Would Stavros know about him?” Simon asked.

“Since he’s still alive, my guess is he wasn’t important enough to draw the problem solver’s attention,” Vlad replied. “But I can ask.”

“Ask.”

“Nyx is willing to work around the consulate, freeing Elliot to deal with the mayor and other government officials. She’ll make sure no one enters the consulate who shouldn’t.” And he would talk to Grandfather Erebus about assigning more Sanguinati to spend time around the Market Square.

“Good,” Simon said. “Tell her that includes the Sierra and that Cyrus’s mate.”

“I’d like the upstairs offices here to be off-limits as well.”

Simon nodded. “I don’t want that Cyrus or his mate working in any of our stores. And they’re to be watched whenever they’re in the Market Square.”

“Are you hoping that Cyrus will do something so that you can justify killing him without causing trouble with the police or the Elders?” Tess asked.

“Aren’t you?” Vlad looked at her shoulder, relieved to see green streaks in her hair. Their resident Harvester was calming down.

“We’ll do our best to protect our friends and deal with our enemies,” Simon said.

“I’d like the Sierra to put in her work hours at A Little Bite,” Tess said. “I can watch her there.”

“Divide the time with library work,” Henry said. “I think it’s a place that holds little interest for that Cyrus.”

Simon agreed and Vlad had no objections, so they all returned to their work. But the enemy was among them now, and so were the Elders, so none of them let down their guard.

Exhausted from the emotional bomb of Jimmy’s arrival, Monty stopped at Captain Burke’s office before clocking out and going home. He wanted to spend time with Lizzy, maybe take a walk while he listened to her chatter about her day—which was more entertaining now that there were fewer complaints about her having to spend the mornings in school despite its being summer. She and Sarah Denby were teaching some of the terra indigene how to play human games such as hopscotch, and it wasn’t just the youngsters who wanted to learn. Apparently, Jenni and Starr Crowgard were fascinated by the game and played with the children whenever they could.

Crows were nimble and had excellent balance.

Monty knocked on the doorframe of Burke’s office and walked in.

“Busy day,” Burke said. “Your brother and his family get settled in?”

“I’m not sure what my sister told him, but the accommodations were a shock.”

“I’m sure they were.” Burke folded his hands on his desk. “You know I’m going to make some calls about him, find out whether he’s just a nuisance or a potential threat.”

“Yes, sir. Given the restrictions on the living arrangements, I don’t expect Jimmy to stay long. He was looking for a free ride and easy pickings. He won’t find either of those things here.”

“He’ll go too far one day, and it will cost him more than a few days in jail.”

“I know.”

“Is he going to take your sister down with him?”

Monty rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the sore, tense muscles. “Gods, I hope not. She’s a different person when she’s away from him, but I think there’s a lot Mama didn’t tell me when it comes to Sissy.”

“Families are complicated, and family loyalty can push a person into making difficult, even imprudent, choices.” Burke paused. “My men are a kind of family, and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect them. And that includes you. You’re a good man, Monty, and you’re doing good work here—important work that has an impact on every person living in Lakeside. I’ll keep out of it as long as your brother remains nothing more than a nuisance, but I won’t let him become a threat.”

“Sir?” Monty said, alarmed.

“Are you worried that I’ll take Cyrus for a long ride?”

A long ride meant taking someone deep into the wild country and leaving him there without food, without water, without shoes. Technically it wasn’t a death sentence because there was the slimmest chance of reaching a human settlement and being given the opportunity to start over. In reality it was a form of execution.

“No, sir, I’m not worried.”

Burke gave him a chilling smile. “Well, you should be.”