his head in a gesture that looked formal. “At your convenience, Master.”
“Indeed,” said Grayson. He looked thoughtfully around the room, frowning. His heavy, powerful gaze felt like a physical pressure when he turned his attention to Justin. “Now. Our guest.” Leaning forward, he set his elbows on the desk, clasped his hands together, and stared at Justin, who stared back, feeling somewhat like a rabbit under the stern regard of a wolf. Grayson said at length, “A Pure young man is . . . unexpected. One presumes your mother was Pure. What was your father?”
Justin decided he had preferred being ignored. Now everyone was staring at him. Ezekiel, of course, looked amused. Ethan folded his arms over his chest and glowered, as disapproving as he had been right at first. Natividad took a step closer to Justin, looking anxious, her silvery aura following her. She said quickly in a low voice, “It’s fine, you know!” Her brother Miguel grinned and shook his head. Her other brother, Alejandro, the black dog, scowled and looked, for some reason, at the Middle-Eastern girl. That girl, Keziah, tipped one shoulder up in a minimal shrug, her lip curling in a supercilious expression.
“Well?” said Grayson, ignoring them all.
Justin said tightly, not daring to defy him, “My mother was a math teacher. She died two weeks ago in a stupid accident. My father was an IT guy, but he died when I was ten. Of a heart attack, dammit, not a werewolf attack!”
Grayson Lanning began to speak. Justin, suddenly furious, raised his voice and kept going. “I’m good at math , do you get that?” He didn’t say anything about sometimes seeing geometrical impressions superimposed on the world, about razor-edged shadows or curving silvery auras. He said loudly, “I’m good at math and I play chess and I don’t know anything about werewolves except some of you attack random people and some of you kidnap random people and none of you have any right! So I think it’s wonderful that you have this great law to stop werewolves killing people, it’s great you’re ‘cleaning up’ Denver and Boston and everything, good luck with that, but count me out!”
“Natividad,” said Grayson.
The Hispanic girl said cheerfully, exactly as though Justin hadn’t just been shouting, “You want me to show him around and get him settled? I can do that. I can maybe show him some magic, right? And explain about black dogs and manners and everything! Right?”
Grayson made a little gesture concurring with all this, including, evidently, the show him some magic, which had Justin blinking. The werewolf boss only said, “If you would be so kind. Miguel may assist you. Justin will no doubt wish to rest. He may have any suitable room. He is not to leave the house or touch a phone without my explicit permission, however.”
Nodding, the Hispanic boy gave Justin an assessing look. “Yes, sir.”
Natividad gave Justin a bright smile. “You must be starving, at least long trips always leave me famished. And exhausted! I’ll show you the kitchen—I bet there are some cinnamon rolls left. And then you can pick a room, maybe the one across the hall from mine, wouldn’t it be fun to be neighbors?”
Justin stared at her. Natividad smiled back, bouncing lightly, surrounded by her silvery aura. She was plainly happy to show him around. A happy kidnapper. Though it was actually impossible to imagine this girl kidnapping people—impossible to imagine her as a bad guy, even if she lived here in the middle of nowhere with a crowd of werewolves. He ought to be furious with her. It was stupid to let her be all sweetness and charm and just forget that he was furious. That he had a right to be furious. But somehow he just wasn’t. Not at her.
Ezekiel glanced from one of them to the other and frowned. “I’ll—”
“I will—” began Alejandro at the same moment.
“Natividad doesn’t need your help,” Grayson cut them both off flatly.
“Indeed,” said Grayson. He looked thoughtfully around the room, frowning. His heavy, powerful gaze felt like a physical pressure when he turned his attention to Justin. “Now. Our guest.” Leaning forward, he set his elbows on the desk, clasped his hands together, and stared at Justin, who stared back, feeling somewhat like a rabbit under the stern regard of a wolf. Grayson said at length, “A Pure young man is . . . unexpected. One presumes your mother was Pure. What was your father?”
Justin decided he had preferred being ignored. Now everyone was staring at him. Ezekiel, of course, looked amused. Ethan folded his arms over his chest and glowered, as disapproving as he had been right at first. Natividad took a step closer to Justin, looking anxious, her silvery aura following her. She said quickly in a low voice, “It’s fine, you know!” Her brother Miguel grinned and shook his head. Her other brother, Alejandro, the black dog, scowled and looked, for some reason, at the Middle-Eastern girl. That girl, Keziah, tipped one shoulder up in a minimal shrug, her lip curling in a supercilious expression.
“Well?” said Grayson, ignoring them all.
Justin said tightly, not daring to defy him, “My mother was a math teacher. She died two weeks ago in a stupid accident. My father was an IT guy, but he died when I was ten. Of a heart attack, dammit, not a werewolf attack!”
Grayson Lanning began to speak. Justin, suddenly furious, raised his voice and kept going. “I’m good at math , do you get that?” He didn’t say anything about sometimes seeing geometrical impressions superimposed on the world, about razor-edged shadows or curving silvery auras. He said loudly, “I’m good at math and I play chess and I don’t know anything about werewolves except some of you attack random people and some of you kidnap random people and none of you have any right! So I think it’s wonderful that you have this great law to stop werewolves killing people, it’s great you’re ‘cleaning up’ Denver and Boston and everything, good luck with that, but count me out!”
“Natividad,” said Grayson.
The Hispanic girl said cheerfully, exactly as though Justin hadn’t just been shouting, “You want me to show him around and get him settled? I can do that. I can maybe show him some magic, right? And explain about black dogs and manners and everything! Right?”
Grayson made a little gesture concurring with all this, including, evidently, the show him some magic, which had Justin blinking. The werewolf boss only said, “If you would be so kind. Miguel may assist you. Justin will no doubt wish to rest. He may have any suitable room. He is not to leave the house or touch a phone without my explicit permission, however.”
Nodding, the Hispanic boy gave Justin an assessing look. “Yes, sir.”
Natividad gave Justin a bright smile. “You must be starving, at least long trips always leave me famished. And exhausted! I’ll show you the kitchen—I bet there are some cinnamon rolls left. And then you can pick a room, maybe the one across the hall from mine, wouldn’t it be fun to be neighbors?”
Justin stared at her. Natividad smiled back, bouncing lightly, surrounded by her silvery aura. She was plainly happy to show him around. A happy kidnapper. Though it was actually impossible to imagine this girl kidnapping people—impossible to imagine her as a bad guy, even if she lived here in the middle of nowhere with a crowd of werewolves. He ought to be furious with her. It was stupid to let her be all sweetness and charm and just forget that he was furious. That he had a right to be furious. But somehow he just wasn’t. Not at her.
Ezekiel glanced from one of them to the other and frowned. “I’ll—”
“I will—” began Alejandro at the same moment.
“Natividad doesn’t need your help,” Grayson cut them both off flatly.
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