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“He’s another weretiger.”

“Why did you need two?” Richard asked.

“Crispin is a white tiger, but this one is red and black. I remember enough to know that it was like the tiger inside me needed a variety. One tiger didn’t fix what was wrong.”

We couldn’t talk in front of Crispin because he belonged to Max of Las Vegas. We couldn’t afford for another Master of the City to find out that something was wrong with our power structure. But I was afraid to have Crispin leave, too.

I finally said, “Okay, we can’t talk in front of Crispin freely, but tell me this, is Jean-Claude all right?” I had to know at least that.

“He’s fine,” Richard said, “honest, he’s fine.”

I must have looked like I didn’t believe him, because he repeated it. A tightness in my stomach loosened, and I felt tears press at the back of my eyes. God, why was I about to cry?

There was a sound from the bed. We all turned to it. Jason moved just his head enough to see us all. “God, what happened?” His voice sounded choked, and thick with either old screams or long disuse. It occurred to me to ask what time it was.

“There’s a better question,” Richard said, softly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

“What day is it?” His voice was gentle.

I stared at him. “No, no way.”

“It’s not the next morning, Anita. It’s the day after.”

“Jesus,” Crispin said, “my boss is going to be pissed.”

“Jean-Claude has been in contact with Max in Vegas.”

I started to go to the bed and sit down, but there was a naked stranger by the bed. “Shit, Richard, what happened? What the hell happened?”

“What we’ve told Max is that you seem to carry a variety of beasts inside you. That you’re a panwere. But being Jean-Claude’s human servant prevents the beasts from manifesting completely.”

I almost said out loud, Is that really the truth? but I let it go. Richard had very carefully said, This is what we’re telling Max, the Master of the City of Las Vegas. The ultimate master of the weretiger I’d borrowed for two days.

“A panwere,” Crispin said, “that’s like not possible. I mean it’s legend, but…”

“I’ve seen it for real,” I said, softly. “He was one of the most frightening…he was evil, and I don’t use the E-word lightly.”

Jason’s voice, still thick with sleep, or whatever, said, “Little queen isn’t a pet name, Ulfric. It’s what the tigers call dominant females that could be powerful enough to break off and form their own group, if the main queen allows it.”

I nodded. “I remember part of that conversation before everything went dark.”

“We need to talk, Anita, and we can’t talk freely in front of him.” Richard pointed at Crispin.

“I don’t know if I have a room to go to,” Crispin said. He frowned. “Why didn’t Lucian come and find me?”

“Lucian is the vampire who came to strip with him at the party,” I explained.

“Truthfully, I half-expected to find him here with you,” Richard said.

I gave him the look the comment deserved. “Thanks, Richard, you always know just what to say.”

He sighed. “Yeah, to piss you off.”

I nodded. “Don’t knock it, Richard, you have a real gift for it.”

“Wouldn’t it be good to know who this one belongs to?” Jamil said. He was standing over the last unconscious man.

“Check his wallet,” Crispin said, “it’s got to be on the floor somewhere.”

It was a good idea. It made me think better of him. I don’t know about Richard. It would take a lot more than one good suggestion for him to like a strange man who had had sex with me for two days in a hotel room. Then I had a thought, a really bad thought.

I went for the bathroom and my travel kit. The one that had things in it like toothbrushes, razors, birth-control pills. I knew what I’d find. Knew it. But I had to look, had to make sure.

I put the gun on the back of the toilet while I got out the little round of pills. There was an extra pill. Well, fuck.

Richard was in the doorway. “What’s wrong?”

I just held up the pills. “Guess.”

He looked stricken, like someone had hit him in the gut. “Mother of God.”

I nodded.