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It felt like a jellyfish sting

Mary-Lynnette kept her eyes shut and her face turned away as Rowan bit into her neck She was

thinking of the way the deer had screamed But thepain wasn’t so bad It went away almost immediately

She could feel warmth at her neck as the bloodflowed, and, after a ht dizziness A

weakness But thewas that allat once she seemed to have a new sense She could

sense Rowan’sdifferent wavelengths than visual light

Rowan’sembers in a campfire It was alsofuzzy and

rounded like a ball of hot gas floatingIn space

Is this what psychicsan aura?

Then Rowan pulled back, and it was over The new sense disappeared

Mary-Lynnette’s fingers went automatically to herneck She felt wetness there A little tenderness

"Don’t fool with it," Rowan said, brushing at herlips with her thuo away in just a

uid She lookedover at Mark, as being released by Kestrel

He looked okay, if a little dazed She smiled at him’and he raised his eyebrows and shook his head

slightly

I wonder what his ht Then she said, startled, "What are you

doing?"

Rowan had picked up a twig and was testing itsend for sharpness

"Every species has some substance that’s harmfulto it," she said "Silver for olves, iron for

witchesand wood for va out here that will cut our skin," she added

"I didn’t mean that I meantwhy, " Mary-Lynnettesaid, but she knehy already She watched

rednessbead in the wake of the twig as Rowan drew it across her wrist

Exchange blood, Rowan had said

Mary-Lynnette gulped She didn’t look at markand Kestrel

I’ll do it first and then he’ll see it’s not so bad, shetold herself I can do this, I can do this It’s so wecan

stayalive

Roas looking at her, offering her wrist

Copperbloodfear, Mary-Lynnette thought, feeling queasy

She shut her eyes and put herAnd a taste not like copper, but like soe Later, she’d al

ways grope for ways to describe it, but she could onlythink of things like: well, a little bit like the way

vanilla bean smells, and a little bit like the way silk feels, and a little bit like the way a waterfall looks It

was faintly sweet

Afterward, she felt as if she could run up iddy "If you could bottle that stuff, you’d ht of before," Kestrel said coolly "Hu us for our blood"

"Talk later," Rowan said firold With brilliant knifelikeedges sending glitters in every direction

"Okay, Jade," Rowan said "Mark Enough, you guys Let go of each other now"

Mary-Lynnette saw that she was physically pullingMark and Jade apart Mark earing a silly smile,

and Mary-Lynnette felt the tiniest stab of envy What would it be like to see the mind of somebody you

were in love with?

Jade’s reed sphere like a Christmas ornament And by the ti Jade’s blood, she felt light-headed and sparkling As if she had a

ht," Rowan said "Noe share the sameblood" She held out a hand, and Jade and

Kestrel did the salanced at Mark, then they each reached out, all their hands

like spokes in a wheel

"We promise to be kin to you, to protect and defend you always," Rowan said She nodded to

Mary-Lynnette

"We promise to be kin to you," Mary-Lynnetterepeated slowly "To protect and defend you

always"

"That’s it," Rowan said sio ho Aunt Opal first MaryLynnette watched as Rowan scattered pine needles over

the grave

"You inherit our blood feuds, too," Kestrel told Mary-Lynnette pleasantly "Meaning you have to

help us find out who killed her"

"I’ve been trying to do that all along"

They left the deer where it was Rowan said,"There are already lots of scavengers around here It won’t

be wasted"

Yep, that’s life, Mary-Lynnette thought as they leftthe clearing She glanced behind her-and for justan

instant she thought she saw a shadow there anda glint of greenish-orange eyes at her own eye level It

wasfor a coyote

She opened her one

Did I i seeed-sharpened Itet out of the woods than it had been

getting in Mark and Jade didn’t walk hand inhand-that would have been impractical-but Jade looked

back at hih spots, they helped each other

"You’re happy, aren’t you?" Mary-Lynnette said softly when she found herself beside Mark

He gave a startled, sheepish grin, white in the uess I am" After a minute hesaid,

"It’s like-I don’t kno to describe it, butit’s like I belong with Jade She reallysees me I mean, not

the outside stuff She sees me inside,andshe likes me Nobody else has ever done thatexcept you"

"I’m happy for you"

"Listen," he said "I think we should start looking around for you There are lots of guys around

here-"

Mary-Lynnette snorted "Mark If I want to uy I don’t need any help"

He gave the sheepish grin again "Sorry"

But Mary-Lynnette was thinking Ofcourseshe’d like to find somebody ould accept her

co with her That was everybody’s dream But for how many