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Kevin closed his eyes for a second, rubbed theain Relief spread across his face, and he shook his head "Nothing," he said "Jesus, I’ I’m okay"

Cherise stepped forward and put her hand against his cheek, one of those loving gestures that I findto David so often Kevin relaxed and bent toward her, covering her hand with his "Well," I said to David, "they’ve gotten cozy Not really sure how I feel about that"

He acknowledged it with a nod, but I could tell his mind was elsewhere Shadows in his eyes, weariness in his face For the first time, it struck me that every minute he spent in a hurowing older, just as I was I tried to iine how it felt for him to have lost so much, to be so alone I kne I felt Surely for him it was millions times worse

"David" I put a hand on his arot his full focus "Are you okay? Do you need Lewis to--"

Nodependent on anyone, but he’d have to face facts--he couldn’t draw enough power from me to fuel his life well, and Leas the best bet But David didn’t like being beholden to the first man I’d ever loved At all "I’ly soft and even "If I have to see him for help, I will"

I didn’t believe hime not to push it David wasn’t the kind to be reasonable about his lioing to crash into hu to hurt

It wasn’t the kind of thing he’d thank ," I said, bringing us back to the dark center of things around which our lives revolved now "He really wanted to stick us with coordinating at headquarters"

That got a s to suit you if we have to do it"

"Speak for yourself, Master of"--I was about to say Djinn but caughtup yet We’ll find a way to get our mojo back See if we don’t"

David drained the rest of his glass and dangled it fro waves "You sure you want it back?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"No," he said, and his voice had that odd, flat, soft inflection again, as if he were pressing all the ereat care "Jo, think about it We both want to be together, but we’ve always been of torlds I tried to make you part of mine, but that didn’t work This--this is a chance to ot all about the drink in hter of Cherise and Kevin standing a few feet away, and fixed hi "

"Everyone’s dying," he said "Mortal life is short to someone like me even in the best case

If I don’t--resu a human life"

His eyes finallyyou human children"

We didn’t talk about Imara very often; our Djinn child was a beautiful, coift, but she had never been a baby, never rested ininstinct in me craved more, and he knew that I’d never said it, but of course he knew

"David--"

"It’s not a good tih we no longer shared that deep supernatural bond that had made it so easy for him to read ood about all this, Jo We should take e can, e can, for as long as we can"

"I’ children just to watch theed not to add, again

Imara’s death, before she’d beenthat would haunt me forever "We’re in trouble Don’t think I haven’t noticed"

"You knohat I’ve learned fro humanity? It’s always a bad time" He put his arms around me and held me, and the simple warmth of it made et all girly and soft on him now "But all the bad ti view"

"Dude?"

"Sorry, it wasback to haunt me"

He kissed me, as if he couldn’t think of any ot the point across just fine

It was very strange to be on the outskirts of the whirl-wind of activity inside the Wardens--a bystander, like Cherise Sos, out of courtesy, but being outside of the direct flow of crisis infor down a chair at the table It was, in fact, a literal table, the biggest one on the ship, and it seated about twenty; I supposed they used it for swank corporate e fae checkbooks Lewis sat at one end, looking down the long expanse of wood; around it, every chair was filled with some powerful Warden or other

Exceptthe cushions war, and what had started out as a griotten worse

"Reports co in frohandsome by the narrow set of his eyes "Earthquakes and lava flows in Venezuela We’ve got teaot reports of odd animal attacks in Panama, some kind of disease outbreak in GuatemalaIt’s a lot for the Earth team to handle at once"

"I can send four Wardens out of Texas," said the head of the Southwest US region, and ot Weather Wardens I need"

"I’ll send as round transportation"

I held up my hand "I’ll take it I can still make phone calls"

They looked up, and I saw the frank confusion in their faces for a second before ht up Then they both just looked uncolessly kind The US Warden--Jerry so?--didn’t bother He just went back to hison Lower- ranked Wardens caes to their bosses, and with each note, the deployments ended up revised Thankfully, Cherise had coenuine co travel authorizations and setting up rental cars at the speed of--well, not light, but at the speed of whatever satellite I was bouncinguseful to do, at least

I was glad, because listening to the trouble was so about it at all

Lewis looked at his watch and said, "Hour update," which was the trigger for us to go around the table, one by one, and list off the e handled, and estimated numbers of casualties I tallied it up in a spreadsheet Nice and clean and neat

By the ti, I was shaking The pause was deep and profound I stared at the list of things I’d recorded

"Jo?" Lewis’s voice was gentle He already knew