Лорел Гамильтон - Dead Ice

I got all flustered again. All my new resolutions to not blame my fellow survivor for the evil machinations of the Mother of All Darkness fled, and left me panicking again. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. In fact, I’m sure it’s not.”

He touched my face again, which made me stop talking, probably for the best. “I know you have issues with me being a senior in high school, and the age difference, but I’m nineteen, legally an adult. We live together, we’re lovers; if that doesn’t make you at least my girlfriend, I don’t know what does.”

“I don’t know what to say to that.”

He smiled, a little less happy, but still a smile. “Say you’ll be there wearing some fabulous dress so that all the other guys will be insanely envious that I have you in my life.”

“I don’t know.”

“Anita.” He said it the way Micah said it sometimes, or Nathaniel, like You can do better than this . Since when had Cynric been able to do that tone?

“What time today?” I asked finally. It didn’t hurt to get the time.

He told me.

“I have to go back to work with the FBI.”

His eyes got that cautious look that I’d taught him as I pulled away again and again. I grabbed his hand. “Don’t look like that; I don’t mean to be a pain in the ass.”

“Then stop being one,” he said, and he sounded so reasonable.

“It’s not that simple,” I said.

“Anita, I’ve been a good sport about not being the tiger that you put a ring on for the commitment ceremony, haven’t I?”

He had; he really had. “I’m sorry,” I said.

“Don’t apologize, just bring us home a cute girl tiger to share and all is forgiven.” He grinned at me and waggled his eyebrows.

It made me smile. “I can’t promise a girl, but I can promise to look for one.”

“That’s all we’re asking.”

I looked up at him and said what I was thinking. “When did you grow up and how did I not notice?”

“You’ve been too busy trying to shove me in the kid box to let me grow out of it,” he said, voice soft.

“That’s fair,” I said.

“I don’t care if you’re fair, Anita, just say you’ll let Nathaniel help you dress and you’ll be with me today.”

“I’ll try.”

“Try to get away from the FBI in time for it, or try to be comfortable enough to take my hand in front of everyone at school?”

I thought about it, and tried to tell the sinking feeling in my gut to stop it. “How about both?”

He smiled. “Both is good.” He leaned down and I went up on careful tiptoes, balancing with my hands on his chest so I didn’t fall against him and ruin his shirt. We couldn’t touch like normal, but this kiss wasn’t awkward. He whispered, voice low and deep, “I wish I could stay and help you clean up in the shower.”

It tightened things low in my body and made me stumble back to stand flat-footed. The fact that he could have that effect on me still bothered me, but not as much. I mumbled, “Me, too,” but couldn’t quite look at him as I said it.

He laughed, and it was a very masculine laugh. “Later tonight, I’ll help you get all messy again; Nathaniel and I have been working on something.”

“Working on what?” I asked, suddenly suspicious.

“You’ll see, and you’ll like it, I promise; I mean I think you’ll like it.” He looked like he was thinking too hard, then laughed more at himself than me, I think. “I’ve got to run or I’m going to be late for class.” He gave me one more quick kiss and headed for his car. It was a brand-new Corvette Stingray, a deep, rich blue that was somewhere between the color of his eyes and Jean-Claude’s. It had been an early graduation present from Jean-Claude. He slipped into the car like he’d been built to match it, sleek, pretty, and purringly muscular. It was a pretty car, and he looked great in it, and drove it well after a few lessons at using a stick. I still thought it was a ridiculous present for high school graduation and set the bar too high. I mean, what the hell were the rest of us going to get him for graduation? Technically, the car was from a bunch of us, but Cynric wasn’t stupid. The sleek sports car had Jean-Claude’s taste written all over it. Micah and I would both have picked something far more practical. Nathaniel loved the car.

Nicky came to stand beside me. “First, I’m glad that you’re working your issues with Sin.”

I turned and looked at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean,” he said, and gave me a look out of his one blue eye that said, clearly, I did know what he meant, and I did.

I shrugged and looked away.

“Second, I’m sorry about Domino. I didn’t mean to kill him.”

“You didn’t,” I said, looking at him.

“I almost did, and it would have been an accident; if I kill people, it should be on purpose.”

I studied his profile, because he was the one looking away now. “So, you’re not apologizing for almost killing him, really; you’re apologizing for accidentally almost killing him.”

“Yes.”

“Because if you kill anyone it should be on purpose, is that it?”

“Yes,” he said.

I laughed, started to hug him, and settled for patting his arm. “That is one of the weirdest apologies I’ve ever had, but I’ll take it; thank you.”

He nodded. “You’re welcome.”

My phone gave Micah’s text tone, which was how I knew to look at it. The little word balloon read, “Can you meet me down in Rafael’s room in medical?”

I texted back with one finger, much slower than Nicky, Nathaniel, or Cynric. “Is Rafael all right? Is he worse? Not healing?” I sent the message and realized it was awkward as hell, but hey, at least I texted instead of just calling back. It was a start.

“He’s healing, but not healed. Won’t be healed by tonight’s meeting.”

I started to text back and finally just called. “Micah, I tried texting, I did, but I’d still rather hear your voice.”

He laughed. “I don’t mind, I’d rather hear your voice, too.”

I smiled and said, “Good, now what’s up, short, dark, and handsome?”

He gave another chuckle, and then said, “Well short, pale, and beautiful, I’d rather discuss it in person.”

“Okay, that sounds serious.”

“It is, but not in the way you think.”

“Okay, mysterious then.”

“Oh, hell,” he said.

“Now I am worried, you almost never curse.”

“Rafael is healing, but not as fast as we’d hoped when we scheduled the big meeting for tonight.”

“Everyone here in St. Louis is friendly, so it shouldn’t be a big deal,” I said.

“We’re including people via Skype that aren’t so friendly, including the rat group that was behind the assassination attempt.”

“He needs to appear strong in front of them, not weak,” I said.

“Exactly.”

“Okay.”

“Rafael needs a little help to make that happen tonight.”

“To appear strong, you mean?”

“Yes.”

“We’re here to help him.”

“It’s more your help he needs right now, Anita.”

“Define help .”

“He needs to be healed more by tonight, if possible.”

“Agreed.”

“Will you help me heal him?”

“Sure, how do I help you do that?”

“I can call flesh like I did for you the first time we met, and you’ve healed using more than one method.”

“I thought calling flesh only worked on wereleopards for you.”

“I’ve managed to use it on werelions out of town.”

“You never mentioned that.” I could feel that first spurt of resentment, or anger. His reaction to Dev’s power-up with us had let me know just how much danger he’d been putting himself in to help out-of-town animal groups, or consolidate our power base with them.