"Erika..." Leo said in a warning tone.
"Shut up, Leo," she snapped.
Nick hissed at her, "You don't talk to a Theti like that."
"Why not?"
The look on Nick's face would have made anyone with half a brain shudder. Erika, on the other hand, appeared to be missing the part of her brain where her self-preservation should be located.
"You need to learn to respect your elders," he growled dangerously.
"Oh, yeah?" she challenged him. "Like you would have?"
"As a Squire, I always followed orders."
Cocking her head, she folded her arms over her chest and glared at him. "Yeah, right. If you followed orders, then how did you get to be a Dark-Hunter, huh? Last time I checked, we weren't supposed to be doing that, now were we?"
"Erika!"
"What?" she snapped at Leo.
He gave her a harsh stare. "We have more important things to discuss and we're running out of time."
She held her hands up. "Fine. Talk. I'm going to get a sandwich." As she crossed the room, she mumbled to herself. "Like he's going to save us with his sage bullshit-the man don't know shite about shit. He couldn't even save New Orleans and he lived there."
Those words went through the room like a pall as everyone sucked their breath in sharply.
Erika tried to open the door only to find it locked.
His face contorted by rage, Nick shot to his feet. "What did you say?"
Erika ignored him while she tried to get the door to open. "Why won't this door open?"
"What. Did. You. Say?"
"Leave her alone, Nick," Otto said, rising.
Nick threw his hand out and Otto went crashing into the far wall. "What happened in New Orleans?" Nick demanded of Erika.
Finally her survival sense kicked in. Erika turned around, eyes wide as Nick approached her. Gulping, she pressed herself against the door and made a tiny squeak noise.
Nick was only two feet away from her when he went flying across the room to land not far from Otto.
"Two can play that game, boy," Ravyn said in a feral growl as he stood up. "And I've had a lot more practice with my powers than you have. Don't you ever threaten her."
The door opened a crack.
"Erika." Ravyn's tone was eerily calm and pleasant. "Go get your sandwich."
She hurried from the room as Nick pushed himself up from the floor.
Nick glared at Kyl and Otto. "I want the truth about New Orleans."
It was Otto who answered as he straightened his clothes with a tug. "New Orleans was hit dead-on with a category three hurricane about nine months ago."
Susan's breath caught at the horror she saw on Nick's face.
"What happened?" he asked, his voice thin and breathy.