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When she finally calmed down she felt lighter, but not in a good way. The angry emotions had filled her out, given her contours and weight. Now, because her skin was nothing more than a sieve, she was leaching out, becoming air…becoming nothing.

She didn’t want to disappear.

She inhaled and broke free of Phury’s embrace. Blinking rapidly, she tried to focus her eyes, but the blurriness from the ointment persisted. God, what had that lesser done to her? She had a feeling it had been bad….

She reached up to her eyelids. “What did he do to me?”

Phury just shook his head.

“Was it that ugly?”

“It’s over. You’re safe. That’s all that matters.”

None of it feels over to me, she thought.

But then Phury smiled, his yellow stare impossibly tender, a balm that soothed her. “Would it be easier if you were at home? Because if you want, we can find a way to get you there, even though the dawn’s coming very soon.”

Bella pictured her mother and couldn’t imagine being in the same house with that female. Not right now. And even more to the point, there was Rehvenge. If her brother saw her with any kind of injury he’d go crazy, and the last thing she needed was him on the warpath against the lessers. She wanted the violence to stop. As far as she was concerned, David could go to hell right this minute; she just didn’t want anyone she loved risking their lives to send him there.

“No, I don’t want to go home. Not until I’m completely healed. And I’m so very tired….” Her voice drifted off asshe glanced at the pillows.

After a moment Phury got up. “I’m right next door if you need me.”

“Would you like your coat back?”

“Oh, yeah…let me see if there’s a robe in here.” He disappeared into a closet and came back with black satin draped over his forearm. “Fritz stocks these guest rooms for males, so this is probably going to be too big.”

She took the robe and he turned away. When she shrugged out of his heavy leather coat the air chilled her, so she quickly wrapped the satin around herself.

“Okay,” she said, grateful for his discretion.

As he pivoted back to her, she put the leather into his hands.

“I’m always saying thank-you to you, aren’t I?” she murmured.

He looked at her for a long time. Then in slow motion, he lifted his coat to his face and breathed in deeply.

“You’re…” His voice trailed off. Then he dropped the leather to his side and an odd expression hit his face.

Actually, no, that wasn’t an expression. It was a mask. He’d gone into hiding.

“Phury?”

“I’m glad you’re with us. Try to get some sleep. And eat some of what I brought you, if you can.”

The door shut behind him without a sound.

The drive back to Tohr’s house was awkward, and John spent the time staring out the side window. Tohr’s cell phone rang twice. Both conversations were in the Old Language, and the name Zsadist kept reappearing.

When they pulled into the driveway there was an unfamiliar car parked in it. A red Volkswagen Jetta. Yet Tohr didn’t seem surprised as he eased past the thing and went into the garage.

He killed the Range Rover’s engine and opened his door. “By the way, classes start the day after tomorrow.”

John looked up from undoing his seat belt. So soon? he signed.

“We had the last trainee sign up tonight. We’re good to go.”

The two of them walked in silence through the garage. Tohr was in front, his big shoulders moving with the long steps he took. The man’s head was down, as if he were looking for cracks in the concrete floor.

John stopped and whistled.

Tohr slowed, then halted. “Yeah?” he said quietly.

John took out his pad, scribbled something, and held it out.

Tohr’s brows came down as he read. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. Whatever makes you feel comfortable.”

John reached out and squeezed the man’s biceps. Tohr shook his head.

“It’s all right. Come on, I don’t want you to catch cold out here.” The man glanced over when John didn’t move. “Ah, hell…I’m just…I’m there for you. That’s all.”

John put his pen to the paper. I don’t doubt that for a moment. Ever.

“Good. You shouldn’t. Straight up,