and Analie both caught that one.
“Scruffy?” Christoph muttered. “I headbutted my way into a building and tousled with an ancient vampire. No wonder I’m scruffy.”
“They can hear you,” Analie said, standing by his side. He leaned heavily on her, taking weight off his right leg.
Analie watched the shadows file out of the room. There was schoolwork to be done, but she didn’t want to move back to the table until all the onlookers were gone.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” she said, shuddering. “Jeez, I thought they would just chalk it up as an annoyance.”
One of the vampires with long, curly black hair and bright green eyes hung back after the others left, waiting until they were gone to poke her head back in and speak. She talked to Mouse, her Irish accent thick but understandable. “If ye cannae rest here, ye can come stay with me for the day.”
Isabelle looked like she was going to choke on her disgust.
Mouse shot Isabelle a dirty look, then proceeded to sign in a short bout to the other lady. She started back to her room, but the other woman called out again. “Nae, Mouse, running off willnae handle your problems.”
Mouse made a sharp slashing motion with one hand, a gesture to tell the second vampire to be quiet. She stalked off and slammed her bedroom door. The other vampire stood there, frowning in consternation. She wasn’t much taller than Mouse, a diminutive woman, with a scattering of freckles and eyes the bright green of Easter basket grass. She looked about as threatening as Shirley Temple, but she was older than Mouse, with a legendary temper.
Analie almost laughed at the Irish vampire. It was odd seeing a faint outline that suddenly spoke up with a thick accent. She choked it back, in case this one had no sense of humor and would grind her to a thin putty against the wall if offended.
Christoph hobbled back to the couch. Way too much excitement for one day—for the whole year. He closed his eyes and rubbed his face. Stubble. God, no wonder they were commenting on his appearance. He felt scruffy, and needed a shower.
Analie followed him, crouching next to the couch. She wasn’t sure if lessons were going to continue today. Hell, they might not ever continue—not with Isabelle, anyway. Analie wasn’t about to approach her and ask how she was supposed to find the center of a line using a compass right then. Better to let her cool off or leave. It was generally a terrible idea to approach a keyed-up Were.
Clearly someone else would have to take her to Le Petite Boisson for her lessons with Jacques tonight.
Isabelle stood stiffly by the bookshelf for quite a long moment.
“Analie, do the lessons I assigned. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
With that, Analie’s tutor practically ran out of the room, ducking past the vampire, who stood there awkwardly for a second before saying anything.
“Bit of a twist in ‘er knickers, eh?” Shaking her head, the lady walked in, frowning down at the paperwork on the table, then looking back and forth between Analie and Christoph. “I have nae met ye before, but I’m Clarisse. I’ve heard of ye, lass, but have nae had the chance to introduce m’self.” She looked at Christoph, her frown deepening a bit as she noted how stiffly he was moving and ragged his clothes were. “I have nae heard of ye. Are ye Mouse’s new pet?”
That last question would probably have been more offensive if she hadn’t asked it so offhandedly. Christoph hooked his thumb under the collar and gave it a tug, his expression going glum again. Analie hoped he’d come up through the violent stage quickly.
“That’s Christoph,” Analie told Clarisse. “He’s part of my pack. He arrived last night. Unexpectedly.”
“It wasn’t my idea,” Christoph muttered.
“He came with Ashi. I dunno where he is now. I guess he’s up on the second floor or something.” Analie shrugged. “It’s nice to meet you, by the way.”
“Aye, ye as well,” she said, smiling brightly and offering her hand. “Ashi, is it? Do ye want me tae check on the lad? I have nae heard of anyone else in the house making a claim on anyone, but if ye are here, I would assume Mouse took ye. She’s a wee bit on the quiet side about that sort of thing. The other lad may not be faring so well, if ye ken what I’m saying.”
Clarisse wasn’t too sure that Analie or Christoph would have a