Page 76 (1/1)

Drawing e up around me, I said, very softly, "And for me? What does our dear, kind ol’ Uncle Saed, and the look he shot htful as he processed ht lead to in our future "So far as I know, and so far as my nosy, snooper brother can find out, the US ical creature Alex was able to find one report that suggests you’re a witch of some kind, one previously unknown"

"They asked you to watch and report on me"

Eli’s eyes went hard and cold and he whipped the vehicle over to the curb, braked hard enough to rock the are, and sla to ask uy who asked you to spy on me? When you decked him, did he bleed much?"

Eli snorted softly, the sound way more refined than my own snort He closed his eyes and scrubbed his face, the action showing just how tired he really was My partner needed sleep, much more than the power naps he’d taken since the death of the fifty-two, since the growing death toll ainalized and least protected citizens Softly,on the unwary And no" He dropped his hands and aze across the darkened interior "I didn’t deck him He was in one piece when I walked away But any chance of ever serving with the military went down the drain with that decision"

There was so in his tone that said the story hadn’t stopped there "So who’s watching me?"

"Alex"

I didn’t react externally, where a human could detect it, but my heart rate leaped and sped

"They approached him when I turned them down They offered him to end his term of probation We decided to take their offer, and so he’s been feeding them info for the last few months He’s a free man now And whoever it anted info has been firmly convinced that you’re a witch of limited poho ca myself still, I considered what Eli had said Fro betrayal, and my heart hurt, far deeper than I had expected They should have told rounded in strategy and tactics and need-to-know, it probably see data, Eli kneho all the players on the field were: atchingit, what it looked like when it was reported, and who it was being reported to Except for the last part, it was all in the family

My tone just asme all this?"

"I did But" He turned his eyes back to the road and pulled into the sparse traffic Passing headlights created planes of illumination and zones of shadow on his brown-skinned face He was thinking, trying to find words to tellhe found difficult to say "You were e You were happy for the first ti ti unnecessary and bring you down, not for a situation that would never affect you Did I screw up?"

"I think so"

"You’re not sure?" Eli snorted again and slanted his eyes at irl ree how I feel about you and the Kid conniving behindto try to keep you safe or happy or so?" And I kneas a rinned, showing teeth, the way Beast shows teeth--to make a point, and not a nice point either

"Younose because you’re afraid to leavein the air between us for a while because, well, he was right Which I hated I frowned at his self-satisfied grin and finally said, "Is this what fa secrets? ’Cause I don’t like it"

Eli’s face fell into what ular, ordinary sers and service to his country not beat all the softness out of hiet used to it"

Which made me feel all warm and fuzzy, because thatto take off anyti partners didn’tfamily meant they’d stay "I’m sorry I didn’t shift"

"I’m not That sucker woulda eaten hed softly "Yeah He would And thank you for telling the US government lies about ot back to Sarayed and the shadows changed depth, shrinking, drawing into themselves, as if the sun injured them The nen house smelled of fresh paint, adhesives, wood, and floor finisher--lacquer or whatever they used to ot out and I lifted my head into the wind currents, drew ht air into ue with a soft scree of sound Fleh building s, turned soil, and flowering plants, prined by God hi with the floral bouquet, I scented chlorine and burned vamp flesh and fresh and old olf blood My lips fell back into neutral and I shrugged at Eli, who had a tiny smile on his face My cat-like responses didn’t bother him at all, which made me even happier on soers were beco family, which meant that they had power over me, over my emotions I’d cry like a child if they left est concentration of dead human and olf blood, come from the backyard There’s a pool"

Eli clicked the dart to the highest dose, shouldered the oversized trank gun, tossed aover one shoulder, and moved away from the street I followed "What’s the plan?" I asked