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bedroom, examining her talons with a critical, casual grace. She looked up, acknowledged Patrick with a fast, white glint of teeth in her dark-skinned face, and then slowly took stock of the room.

"Love the makeover," she said. "Since I doubt you grew any taste since last I saw you, I imagine Sistah Snow was behind it. Yes?"

Her smile faded fast when we started talking. A quick trip to the aetheric to show her the contamination, and back down to reality to see Rahel's completely unnerving frown. Her eyes were glowing, hot and gold, and she just looked, well, strong. Strong enough to dissolve me into a sticky pool on the carpet just with the force of that stare.

"I'm sorry," I said. It was totally inadequate.

She didn't blink. "Not your fault," she said, which was not at all what I expected to hear. "This is something I have never seen, either. I would have done the same, if I had been given the same order. With perhaps exactly the same result."

"So what do we do?" Lewis asked.

A short, pregnant silence. Her stare didn't seem quite so menacing, but it was still as intense as a laser.

"I think," she said slowly, and transferred the gaze to Lewis, "that perhaps I should consult with Jonathan and find a way to make this right. You stay here. The fewer who travel the aetheric, the better, until we know what the consequences might be."

"I'll go," I said.

Rahel looked at me sharply, and unpleasant recognition dawned in cat-bright eyes. "Ah," she said. "I did not see it at first, because it changed you very little. But still you're claimed, aren't you? And chained."

"It's not so bad," I said. "All the buildup, I was expecting something a lot worse."

"A good master makes a good servant." She leaned on the word servant with a heavy weight of disdain. "I don't think this is at all wise. Lewis, you should know better."

"I wouldn't have claimed her if you'd given me a choice."

Ouch, the look that swept between them was like two master fencers, lunge and parry and riposte faster than thought. Lewis certainly felt comfortable around Djinn. I wondered when familiarity had happened to breed that particular contempt.

"I am not your slave," Rahel said.

"Apparently, you don't believe in working for a living, either."

"Sssst!" It was less a sound than a burst of electricity from her, snapping like a whip. It didn't touch Lewis. I don't think he even flinched. "Djinn did not make this portal, did not create this pollution you speak of. Humans meddled in things they didn't understand, and this is the result. Chaos."

"Djinn being perfect."

"More perfect than . . ."

"Excuse me," I said loudly, "can we please focus on the problem? Because I for one don't really feel this is getting us anywhere."

Rahel looked murderous. Junior half-Djinn were not supposed to get uppity, apparently.

"Where's David?" I asked.

She favored me with something that looked dangerously close to a sneer.

"Running to your savior?" she asked, sweet as a batch of overcooked fudge. "Jonathan has a use for him. You're to learn to fly for yourself, little bird."

"Fine. Then let's go see Jonathan," I said.

She stopped me with an outstretched hand. Did the fingernails look longer and sharper? Yeah. Definitely. "Slaves do not go there."

"Excuse me?"

She flicked her eyes toward Lewis. "Nor do humans. I will go. Not you."

"She's not a slave," Lewis said, and stepped into Rahel's space. He was taller, broader, but I couldn't be sure he was stronger. In fact, the chances of him even holding his own against her were thin. "She's an ally. I don't suppose you get the concept."

"An ally who accepts any order you choose to issue, no matter how degrading? Who has no choice but to comply?" Rahel swept me with a hard look. "Do not fool yourself, little Snow. A slave with a kind master is still a slave." The look ripped Lewis, too. "And a slave's master has no honor."

"Maybe I'm crazy, but I have the strong feeling that if we don't get this straightened out, it may not matter whether I'm free or not. Everybody gets the same crappy deal."

"Likely you're correct." She quirked her head to the side, an alien-looking catlike movement that made me jump a little. "And yet I will not take you."

Fine.