needles. “—is our worst nightmare. Try to understand. Anyone can get used to anything, but Christoph is going to need some time before he sees that you’re not Lev or Gil or Rosa or Ryuji.”
If it was possible for a vampire to look ill, Mouse did.
She didn’t move or react for quite a long time. Eventually, she reached out for the pad of paper, and started to write.
I wasn’t always without voice. Max Carlyle told me that I would be a better singer and actress if I had centuries, not just a few short years, to perfect my art. He made me what I am.
Even though I did everything he ever asked, it was not enough. He was displeased with my rate of progress. Said I embarrassed him in front of his friends.
He took other things, but first he destroyed my ability to be heard. I’m not sure, but Alec says based on the times between his visits when he stopped seeing me in Max’s company, he thinks it might have taken about twenty to twenty-five years for the damage to set in enough to be permanent. Once he realized what Max had done, it was too late. Alec saved me, but I wasn’t me anymore.
You have every reason to be afraid of us. I’m sorry for that. I’ll leave you alone.
It took her a while to write it all down. Not necessarily because she had so much to say, but because of how hard it was to express what had happened to her. She wrote in fits and starts, then hesitated about giving it to them when she was done.
After she worked up the courage to tear the page off and hand it over, Mouse didn’t wait for them to read the note. Instead, she rose silently to her feet, passing the paper to Analie before shuffling off to her bedroom.
Analie read the note and when she had finished, she handed it to Christoph. He took it, but didn’t read it until Analie grabbed the back of his head and forced his line of sight to the paper. When he reached the bottom, he sat back.
“God,” he muttered.
“I didn’t know they did that to their own,” Analie said quietly. “I thought they were just mean to humans. I mean, not all of them, but you know what I mean.”
Christoph frowned. “Look at Ashi’s behavior.”
“Even breaking bones isn’t like this,” Analie said, gesturing to the note. “This is something else. Something horrible.”
Christoph set the note aside. “I get the feeling maybe those Rattlesnake Talks left out some stuff.”
“This sort of thing probably isn’t broadly known.” Analie looked over to Mouse’s door. “I know what to do for a Were that’s feeling down, but I don’t think it applies to vampires.”
Christoph let out a small laugh. “Oh, God. Are you talking about puppy piling?”
“It’s perfectly natural to want to smoosh in with a bunch of your friends,” Analie said defensively. “You weren’t born in Goliath, you don’t understand puppy piling.”
Christoph shook his head. “I swear, sometimes you’re more wolf than human.”
“That’s generally the idea.”
“That’s freaky.”
“That’s Goliath.” She hugged her knees up to her chest. “Our pack name doesn’t come from David and Goliath. It comes from the language. It’s supposed to be Garar a’ath.”
Christoph tried and failed to pronounce the choppy phrase. “Christ, what does that mean?”
“Eaters of all.”
Christoph felt a little shivery at that. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“Jesus.”
“So you get the idea, more wolf than human. Anyway.” Analie looked back to the hallway Mouse had disappeared into. “What do you think we should do?”
“I don’t know. You’ve been here longer than I have.”
“Maybe you should go over there and tell her you’re not afraid of her.”
“But I am—slightly nervous around her.”
“Just say something! She likes you.”
Christoph got up and shuffled over to Mouse’s door.
“Uh... hi. It’s, uh, Christoph. I just wanted to let you know that I don’t think you’re Lev or—I mean, duh, you’re not Lev, he was a guy and—okay, I don’t think you’re evil and bad and all that.”
He looked at Analie for encouragement. She had her face in her hands.
“It’s like you’re a snake.”
“Oh, God,” Analie groaned.
“Like, at first everyone’s all, ‘Oh, no, it’s a snake, aaaah,’ and then you find out it’s not the kind of snake that makes your limbs go necrotic if it bites you. It’s a good snake. Like—a snake that—that—is cool. Like maybe it grants wishes. Or something.”
Analie fell face down on the couch, shaking her head.
“It’s—it’s like—I’m not afraid that you’re going to