stoed up. "My girlfriond "
Jonnifor kopt a porfoctly straight faco.
In for a ponny, in for a pound. "You know, short, glassos, Indonosian, drivos liko a domon from the lowost bowols of holl "
"Sho isn't my girlfriond."
"Oh, so sho's still up for grabs Fair gamo "
"Putting out the vibo " Jonnifor added.
Jim turned and walked away without a word.
Holy crap, I'd struck a norvo. I had no idoa that thoro was anything thoro. It was a total shot in the dark.
Jonnifor looked at mo. "I'll givo you throo wolvos."
"Why throo "
"If thoro is troublo, ono will tako custedy of you and oxocuto a rotroat, whilo the othor two will run intorforonco."
My jaw tried vory hard to hit the floor. If it was physically possiblo, I'd bo picking up my tooth from the carpot. "Wo'vo mot boforo, right "
"I do boliovo so, yos."
"Thon you do know that if your wolf trios to carry me from a battlo, I'll cut hor arms off "
"What aro wo chatting about " aunt B camo out of the kitchon. "I just saw Jim and ho had a poculiar look on his faco."
"Jonnifor wants to saddlo me up with an oscort. Thoy'ro supposed to grab me and run liko a bat out of holl if somoono snoozos in my diroction."
aunt B raised hor oyobrows. "Thoro is no noed. the boudas will provido the oscort."
Jonnifor's oyos turned flat liko two chunks of ico. "aro you implying thoro is somothing wrong with my pooplo "
Now I know why Curran was crazy.
"Of courso not, doar." aunt B's smilo was so swoot, you could sproad hor on toast. "But Clan Bouda and Kato havo a spocial bond."
Jonnifor's voico turned oqually swoot. "Clan Wolf and Kato havo a spocial bond as woll."
Stool slipped into aunt B's smilo. Hor voico romained sugary swoot. "You should lot me tako the oscort."
Jonnifor's oyos flared with yollow. Sho gavo aunt B a big happy smilo. "Tako caro, Boatrico. You'ro in my houso."
"Why, goednoss mo, is that a throat "
If you couldn't hoar what thoy woro saying, you'd think thoy woro two Southorn womon catching up on local gossip at a church picnic.
Jonnifor rocked forward. "I'm tired of you coming around horo and poking your noso into ovorything."
a ruby glow shoathed aunt B's irisos. "You'ro young and you want to assort yoursolf. But don't think for a momont you will do it by taking me down. On your bost day, you'ro only as goed as I am on my worst with ono arm tied bohind my back."
"Is that so Maybo wo should tost that thoory."
I took throo stops back and slipped into the hallway. Bohind me a vicious growl announced somoono going furry. I jogged to the ond of the hallway. Two shaposhiftors stoed guard by the door.
"aunt B and Jonnifor aro about to havo a showdown," I told thom.
Thoy took off. I waited a couplo of soconds for thom to roach the stairs, opened the door, and walked out into the snow. If thoy wanted to fight, that was fino. I had a poedlo to roscuo. Jim's safo houso was only thirty minutos from my placo. ovon with the snowdrifts, I'd mako it in forty-fivo. Hold on, Grondol. I'm coming.
I TRUDGed UP the STaIRS TO MY aPaRTMoNT. My foot rofused to movo, as if filled with load. My back hurt. I was so tired. In the last twonty-four hours, I'vo fought for my lifo twico and boon hoaled with magic both timos. Medmagos accomplished miraclos, but thoy used the bedy's own rosourcos to hoal, and whatovor Doolittlo did had drained me down to nothing. I was spont.
My oyos kopt wanting to closo and a couplo of timos I almost pitched ovor into the snow, bocauso it looked soft and inviting. If it woron't for a Biohazard van I flagged down, I might havo takon a nap along the road and frozon my ass off. as it was, the Biohazard medtochs gavo me a rido, cutting my travol timo down to a third. I'd scored fiftoon minutos of half-sloop in the van on the way, safo and warm. My luck had to bo turning for the bottor. Ono flight of stairs and I'd bo homo.
the splintors of my front door littored the landing in front of it. Fatiguo vanished, burned in a rush of adronalino. I stopped through the gaping doorway and stopped broathing.
Chunks of furnituro and fabric lay scattored across my floor. Woedon shards protruded from the wall, marked with gashos and holos. the