Текст книги "Gale Force"

Автор книги: Rachel Caine

Соавторы: Rachel Caine
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minutes, with occasional stops at the window to twitch back the blinds and stare out at the city

street. He looked off balance, and it was odd seeing him so out of control. Lewis had always, by

definition, been the guy who held it together in a crisis. ''He's a kid, Jo. You can't send him in

there by himself!''

''I wasn't planning to,'' I said. ''Cherise is going with him.''

He spun and looked at me as if I'd lost what was left of my mind. I didn't blame him; if I'd

meant exactly what I said, he'd have every right to order me a padded jacket in designer fall

colors.

I raised my voice. ''Cherise?'' And sure enough, my cute blond friend poked her head around

the edge of Lewis's office door and gave me a tentative wave. ''Come in. Explain it to Lewis.''

She eased inside, gave Lewis a charming dimpled smile that didn't seem to make him feel any

less unhappy about my idea, and shut the office door behind her. That didn't leave much room.

Typical Lewis: Give him a job as the head of the entire Wardens organization around the world,

and he'll do something goofy like take the smallest office available, even if he has to kick a

junior analyst out to do it. There was a battered desk that still bore scars from the Great Djinn

Rampage that Ashan had led through this place, and a couple of slightly-less-than-new chairs,

and paperwork. And a sleek new computer that I doubted he turned on much.

With the four of us, it was crowded. I say four, even though David was, to all intents and

purposes, a shadow; he hadn't said a word, and he'd taken up a post leaning in the corner, arms

folded, watching us with an expression I could only think of as bemused.

Cherise spread her arms and dimpled even more. ''You rang?'' she asked.

''You have any objection to going with Kevin when he joins the Sentinels? It could be

dangerous, you know.''

''Ooooh, I live for danger! But do you think they'll believe I won't run back to squeal to you

about what's going on?''

''I think just the opposite,'' I said. ''I think they'll keep you as a hostage for Kevin's good

behavior, and that also ensures you don't rat them out to me. It puts you squarely in the hot seat.

It also makes you the one person they won't be thinking of as a threat. What do you think?''

Her blue eyes widened; she seemed lost in thought for a second, then nodded. ''Could work,''

she said. ''Could definitely work.''

Lewis lost his cool. ''What the hell are you talking about, could work? Look, Jo, I'm iffy about

sending a kid in, and I'm damn sure not allowing her to go. She's not even a Warden-''

''Exactly,'' I said. ''She's not even a Warden. If they're going to underestimate anyone, they'll

underestimate Cherise. Not that she really is Cherise.''

I gave Cherise the nod, and her form shifted, growing taller, darker, the sweetly rounded figure

of the beach bunny taking on sharper edges and angles.

Rahel sighed, stretched, and looked down at her clothes as they shifted to her traditional neon-

yellow pantsuit. She flicked an imaginary mite of dust from the cloth, and cocked a sassy

eyebrow at Lewis.

He closed his mouth with a snap, then opened it again to say, ''I didn't know you could do that.''

Rahel smiled. ''I'm sure, my love, there are many things I can do that you haven't even begun to

imagine. '' She winked, to top it off.

''Are you sure you're strong enough?'' Lewis asked. He was trying very hard to ignore the

somewhat intimidating charm she was sending his way.

''Strong enough to impersonate a human?'' Rahel flicked her taloned, glossy fingers impatiently.

''Please. You insult me if you think otherwise. You are nothing like difficult to imitate.''

I thought Lewis found that as profoundly disturbing as I had. I'd known the Djinn could do it, of

course; David had pulled it off with me when we'd met, and there was no doubt that he could,

when he chose, take on other forms. But he'd told me that Rahel was the master of that sort of

disguise, able to perfectly match whatever template she was given-something I hadn't known

any more than Lewis had, evidently. I wondered whose form she'd taken on before, and for what

purposes.

''You're sure you know what to do?'' Lewis asked.

''I will watch out for the boy, and gather information for you. I will deliver it to David as often

as I dare to, without exposing the boy to danger. Is that not what you want from me?'' Rahel

recited it like a laundry list, inspecting her nails for flaws. ''Don't worry, Lewis. It will hardly be

the first time we have hidden among you, discovering your secrets.''

Well, if that didn't make us all paranoid . . . Lewis didn't look happy, but he'd lost some of the

stiff, angry body language. ''You're sure you can do this,'' he said. ''I'm putting Kevin's life in

your hands, Rahel. And in some ways, I'm putting you in more danger than him-these guys

don't like Djinn. In fact, it's safe to say they'd just as soon destroy you as look at you. And I'm

really not so sure they can't, if they try.''

She let a slow, contemplative smile slip across her lips, and even I shivered. ''How would they

then be any different from most of my so-called friends and allies?'' she asked softly. Her eyes

had taken on an unnatural gold glow, and there was no mistaking her for anything but what she

was: Djinn, through and through. ''We have survived the Wardens. We will survive the

Sentinels. You may count on it.''

There was no arguing with the Djinn once they got that look, and Lewis knew it. He put up his

hands in surrender, came around the desk, and stood just a couple of feet away from her. They

were almost of a height; he had an inch on her, maybe. ''Take care,'' Lewis said, and leaned in

to kiss her lightly on the lips. ''Come back safely.''

I felt my eyebrows pull up, but I wasn't really surprised, not deep down. Lewis had a lot of

secrets, but he'd always been intrigued by Rahel, and she was drawn to his power, if nothing

else. Maybe it wasn't the world's great love affair; maybe it was just casual, but it eased some

anxious part of me to see that Lewis wasn't still pining after me.

Okay, it vexed that part of me, too, but that's a personal problem.

Rahel effortlessly folded her shape back into Cherise's cute, compact little body, tossed her

blond hair with a flair so familiar it would have fooled even me, and winked at him. We all

stared after her as she left, Cherise's trademark little gray alien tattoo waving at the small of her

back.

I didn't even notice what she was wearing as Cherise; that was how much she'd thrown me off

stride, and after all, I'd known who she really was.

Lewis turned his attention to David, still standing silently in the corner. David cleared his throat

and pushed his shoulders away from the wall. ''She'll be all right,'' he said. ''No, she's not full

strength, but that could play well, considering what she's doing. There's no danger. Rahel can

always leave if things get too hard.''

He sounded too casual about it. I felt an uneasy lurch; there it was, again, that strange blind spot,

as if the Djinn just couldn't see the threat when it was right in front of them. What was it about

these Sentinels? How could they have that kind of power-or were they just taking advantage of

a weakness I'd never really seen before? I'd always thought the Djinn were invulnerable, except

when they took on each other, or a Demon.

I'd been feeling good about my plan, but the good feeling was going away fast. ''But we're

going to give her backup, right? Just in case?''

''Of course,'' David said. ''What's next?''

As far as he was concerned, it was settled. I exchanged a look with my boss, and Lewis raised

both hands and shrugged. ''It's your show. Go run it.''

''Then it's time for us to do some distracting, to keep them focused on their main targets. You

get to live the dream, my love,'' I said. ''You get to take me shopping.''

David and I began to make sure we were seen, often, in public-usually hand in hand. It was

nice in one way, and nerve-racking in another, as, waiting for trouble, we both kept half our

attention on the world around us.

Ominously, it didn't come. I'd been hoping to lure the Sentinels into more threats or attacks, and

I'd especially wanted to keep their focus extended out toward us, instead of turning toward the

all-too-vulnerable undercover operatives we'd sent to them.

To bring things to a head, and present the Sentinels with even more of a target, Lewis called a

mass meeting of the Wardens. Even on short notice he got about a third of the total

membership-an impressive number. Not quite as robust as the UN General Assembly, but with

nearly as many languages, nations, and attitudes represented. The lecture hall had seen better

days, and still hadn't fully recovered from the devastation of the last Djinn assault, but it was still

impressive, paneled in teak with mahogany trim, opulently chaired, with an illuminated sun

symbol of the Wardens on the ceiling that served as a massive light fixture. I'd always liked the

room.

Today, I kept looking for the exits.

Ostensibly, the program was a half-day presentation from various National Wardens on threat

assessments in their fields of specialty-all of which were true and timely indeed, and much

needed. We'd had far too many changeovers in staff, and too many crises for comfort. A little

training and communication was positive, and desperately needed.

But really, the main point of the meeting was pure theater, and I was the starring act.

It came toward the end of the meeting, as Lewis was making his closing statement. He paused,

glanced over his shoulder toward where I sat behind him, and said, ''I have one last item of

business, and I think you'll all be pleased to know that it's a positive one. Joanne Baldwin has an

announcement.''

My palms were damp, my knees were weak, and my heart raced as if it were trying to use up its

entire quota of lifetime beats in the next ten minutes. I hoped I didn't look as nervous as I felt.

Scratch that; I hoped I didn't look as panicked as I felt.

At least I'd dressed for it. If I couldn't be self-confident wearing a kicky Carmen Marc Valvo

dress and a pair of honest-to-God Manolo Blahniks in matching tangerine, I needed to turn in my

fashion police badge. My hair looked good-wavy and glossy and glamorous. My makeup was

fine, even though I was fairly sure I could use another touch-up on the powder to get rid of the

shiny spots.

All I had to do was sell as good as I looked.

I stepped up to the podium as Lewis gracefully relinquished it, and the spotlight found me, and

all of a sudden it was time. No more thinking, no more nerves. You leap, and hope for the net.

''Hello,'' I said. ''I'd like to thank Lewis for allowing me to make this announcement today,

because I think it's an important one. The Wardens have been through so much over the past few

years; we've lost great colleagues to unavoidable accidents, and worse, to each other. We were

drawn into a conflict with the Djinn that nobody wanted, and we suffered for it. So many lives

were lost, and none of us can ever forget that.''

There was utter silence in the lecture hall-not even a nervous cough. I knew that many people

in the audience-probably most-had lost friends, lovers, family. They'd survived, but many

still held on to the pain, and the bitterness. Those were the prime recruiting ground for the

Sentinels.

The ones who hurt the most.

''That's why this is important,'' I continued. ''You all know me. You all know that I owe my

life to a particular Djinn who's been my friend and my protector through all of this. What you

may not know is that it's more than gratitude; I love David, and he loves me. And we know it's

not easy, and it may not be popular, but I'm here to announce that we're going to do something

no Warden and no Djinn have ever done in history.'' I felt short of breath now, elated, scared,

exhilarated. ''We're going to pledge ourselves to each other in marriage, and I hope that you'll

all join us in the next couple of months for a great celebration of our wedding. We believe that in

making this vow, we'll bring the Wardens and the Djinn together again, in friendship, respect,

and cooperation.'' I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling very exposed. ''Thank you all.''

For a heart-stopping second, there was still nothing-no sound at all. And then a lone pair of

hands clapped, somewhere in the darkness, and then a few more, and then it turned into a round

of applause. Not cheers and champagne, but it seemed positive enough. Lewis reclaimed the

podium and I went back to my chair and sank into it, feeling relieved and a little sick with

adrenaline.

The next bit of theater belonged to Kevin, who was standing at the back of the hall, looking surly

and militant, as only Kevin could do. When a lull came after the applause, Kevin said, clearly

enough to carry throughout the room, ''I thought screwing a Djinn was off-limits. What, you're

special?''

There was an audible intake of breath, and heads turned. Somebody laughed, but it was quickly

smothered. Lewis, who'd been about to speak, seemed thrown off balance. He focused on Kevin

with a baleful stare, and said, ''If you want to offer your congratulations, Warden, do it to her

face. I'm sure Joanne will be glad to take them personally.''

That got general laughter. People knew me all too well. I stood up slowly, making sure that

everybody saw my expression.

Kevin pushed away from the wall. ''Yeah? Well, I'm just saying what everybody in here is

thinking. We just got done burying people who were killed by these bastards, and now she's

going to marry one? Not just a Djinn, but the Big Kahuna? What's the matter, Jo? Blowing off

the Warden rules wasn't enough of a thrill anymore?''

''Shut up, Kevin.'' We'd worked this out, but I was still taken aback by the venom in his voice.

Kevin had a huge backlog of hate stored up, and some of it was meant for me; it was an officially

approved opportunity for him to vent some of it, and I was going to have to be the one to control

my reactions. He's a kid, I reminded myself. He's a kid who's been wounded, over and over. Cut

him some slack.

My slack-cutting hand was getting tired.

''Shut up? In your dreams, bitch.'' He stepped up again, this time addressing the entire hall.

''Look, you can see where this is going, right? You think the Djinn are just going to forgive and

forget all the time we spent sticking them in little bottles, making them do our shit work? You

think they don't hate us for that? Don't kid yourselves. She thinks this is some kind of peace

process. It's not. It's obscene. Believe me, I know all about obscene. Especially when it comes

to people using the Djinn for sex.''

''That's enough,'' I said, and moved to the edge of the stage. ''Enough, Kevin.''

''Don't think so. Bad enough the two of you popped out some kind of mutant kid-''

I saw red, and fury burned up from around the base of my spine and jolted into my head like a

physical shock. Son of a bitch. He'd never said he was going to drag Imara into this, and while I

was prepared to overlook personal insults to myself, my kid wasn't part of the deal. Some of the

audience agreed with me; they were shouting him down. But a significant portion was either

silent or nodding in agreement, shooting me frowns and dark looks.

''We need to move away from the Djinn, not get all cozy all over again,'' Kevin continued.

''She just wants everything to go back to normal. What the hell was so great about that, anyway?

What about the rest of you? You think we should just rip up the blood-stained carpet, remodel,

and get over it? Or should we figure out what the Wardens are supposed to be? Not depending

on Djinn, not letting them into our heads or our homes or our beds-''

''What's the matter, Kevin?'' I asked. ''Some hot Djinn chick turn you down?''

We'd scripted this part. I hadn't wanted to do it-had argued against it, in fact-but now I took

just a tiny bit of satisfaction in seeing him visibly flinch. The pallor that set into his face,

followed by a vivid flush, wasn't acting. I was bringing up old demons, opening old wounds.

''No,'' he said. ''I turned them down. But it didn't matter. They had their orders, and the Djinn

always follow their orders, don't they? My mother made sure of that.''

Rumors had floated around over the past year about Kevin, about his stepmother, Yvette, who

was truly one of the most morally grotesque people I'd ever met. About her illicit use of Djinn

for personal gratification, and for other, even less savory, purposes.

Kevin had suffered at her hands. I didn't know whether or not she'd turned her Djinn on him in a

sexual sense, but I didn't doubt it. It would have been a tragedy for the Djinn as well as Kevin,

but Kevin wouldn't necessarily feel that.

The worst part of it was that for at least some period of time, Yvette had owned David. I'd never

asked him what his history was with Kevin, and neither he nor Kevin had ever really come clean

about it.

I hoped I wasn't hearing the truth of it, right now, but the pain and rage in Kevin couldn't

possibly be mistaken for anything else but honesty.

''I hope you get what's coming to you. Both of you,'' he spat, and turned to leave.

''Wait a minute,'' I said. ''You think you just get to make a dramatic exit?'' I sent a gust of wind

past him and blew the doors shut with a heavy thud. ''Sit your ass down, Kevin.''

''Bite me.'' He whirled back toward me, and there were tears glittering in his eyes, real and

agonizing, and I almost stopped it there, almost went to him and put my arms around him and

told him he didn't have to do this.

Lewis got in my way. ''Sit,'' he said flatly. ''I'm not telling you again, Kevin. If you can't

control yourself, I'll do it for you.''

In answer, Kevin formed a fireball in both hands, glared at both of us through the unholy orange

glow, and then turned and threw the fireball straight at the doors. It hit and detonated with

enough force to blow the doors open and off their hinges.

He walked out.

''No,'' I said, and put out a hand to stop the guards who started after him. ''No, let him go. If he

wants to leave, let him leave. This isn't over, but there's no point in destroying the place.

Again.''

That got a weak wave of nervous chuckles. Some of the Wardens out there looked as if they

were suffering a PTSD moment; I completely sympathized. This was turning out to be less

theatrical and more gut-wrenching than I'd ever intended, but I supposed that was a good thing,

ultimately. It's for his own protection, I reminded myself. If the Sentinels can't buy his defection

after that, it can't be done.

But I was going to have a hell of a lot of fence-mending to do. And I felt filthy inside, as if I'd

dragged my soul through a sewer.

Lewis took my hand, out of sight behind the podium, and squeezed. He knew what I was feeling.

I moved back to let him get to the microphone, and he said something to close the meeting. . . . I

wasn't really listening. I was staring at the smoking, destroyed doorway where Kevin had made

his grand exit.

God, please, watch out for him, I thought. If anything happens to him . . .

Lewis must have finished, because in the next moment people were getting up in the auditorium,

chattering excitedly, making their way toward the exits. And Lewis put his hand at the small of

my back, guiding me off into the shadows at the back of the stage, where he whispered, ''I think

it was all right.''

''Brutal,'' I said. My voice sounded strange. ''I didn't want to put him through that.''

''He signed up, Jo. It's something he wants to do. Let him be a hero for once.''

''Yeah, well, it's hard to just stand by and watch.''

''No kidding,'' he said, and smiled a narrow, bitter smile. ''How the hell do you think the rest of

us feel about watching you?''

I got a lot of ''That was uncalled for!'' supportive comments on the way out, but not quite as

many as I'd expected; the majority of Wardens seemed to want to stay out of the line of fire.

Couldn't really blame them for that; most of them had reason to be gun-shy.

What bothered me was the significant number who seemed to be huddled together whispering in

the halls, who fell silent when I came near. I felt stares on me all the time. A few nodded, but it

didn't feel like support. None of them were my friends, and most of them were people I knew

only by reputation. Were they Sentinels? Potential recruits? No way I could tell, but it made the

back of my neck itch.

Lewis escorted me to the elevators, staying protectively close. We'd agreed that David should

stay away for this part; it would have been harder with him in the room. So Lewis was taking his

bodyguarding duties seriously, even in the relatively secure confines of the Warden's own halls.

''You really think somebody's going to try to take me out here, with all these Wardens around?''

I asked, as we waited for the elevator to arrive. He had his hand on my arm, and he didn't smile.

''Let's just say I'm not counting on anything right now. Where's David meeting you?''

''Downstairs in the parking garage.'' I shook free of Lewis's grip. ''Honestly, back off, would

you? I'm not glass, and I can take care of myself. I'd have thought I'd proven it by now. I'm a

big girl. I can ride the elevator all by myself.''

I could tell he was just itching to go all macho and protective on me again, but he managed to

hold himself back, raising both hands in surrender and stepping away. ''Fine. Just don't come

crying to me if you end up dead. Again.''

The elevator's arrival saved me from having to make a snappy reply. I got in, a few other

Wardens crowded after, and I saw Lewis make a visible effort to stay where he was. I'll be fine, I

mouthed as the door slid closed.

I wished I were as confident as I appeared to be.

Still, nobody tried to kill me on the way down, although a few unfriendly looks were thrown my

way by one or two of my fellow vertical travelers. One made up for it by delivering a cordial

congratulations on the upcoming wedding, although he politely called it a ''celebration,'' as if he

wasn't quite sure of the legality of the whole event. Well, neither was I, actually.

We made a couple of stops, including one at the lobby level, where half the passengers

disembarked.

Next stop was the secured parking area, and as the doors opened, I was relieved to see the

familiar form of David leaning against a support pillar, looking deceptively casual. He was

wearing his full-on normal guy disguise-jeans, checked shirt, slightly mussed hair. Glasses to

distract from his eyes, although at the moment they were solidly unremarkable. And the coat, of

course. He hardly ever showed up without the coat, even in the humidly close heat of late

summer in New York City.

''You know, you're going to have to start learning how to dress for the seasons,'' I said without

preamble, taking his offered arm as we headed for the car. ''No more of this one-outfit-fits-all

thing.''

He smiled. ''Are you threatening to take me shopping again?''

''Threatening? No. It's an absolute certainty. Besides, we're supposed to stay public, aren't we?

Present a distraction?''

''Shopping is a distraction?''

''It is the way I do it,'' I said. ''By the way-what's my new last name?''

''Excuse me?''

''Well, I'd like to know how I'll be signing checks in the future. Mrs. Joanne . . . ?''

''What's wrong with Baldwin?''

''Nothing. In fact, I may hang on to it, but if you're planning to do the normal-life thing, you

need to have an identity other than David, King of All Djinn.''

He shot me one of those amused half smiles. ''Seriously, King of All Djinn? That's funny.''

''Answer the question. What's your last name?''

''Whatever you want it to be.''

I remembered that he'd used a credit card at a hotel early on in our relationship. ''What about

David Prince?''

He sighed. ''If you like.''

''You don't?''

''Jo, I don't care. Even when I was actually built to care about those kinds of things, I didn't

have a family name. It was always David, son of-'' He stopped, and something indefinable

flashed across his expression. I waited. ''Son of Cyrus.''

''Cyrus? Your father's name was Cyrus?''

''It was a very honored name at the time.''

''Then your name ought to be David Cyrus.''

He looked thoughtful. There was something going on behind his eyes, something I couldn't

guess and probably had no context to understand even if I could. He'd never mentioned his

human father, or his human mother, or anything about that period of his life before it had come

to a cataclysmic end on a battlefield, with thousands of men pouring out their life energy. His

best friend, Jonathan, had been like Lewis, a Warden with all three powers, and deeply beloved

of Mother Earth; David hadn't been able to let go when Jonathan had passed over and been

reborn as a Djinn. David had been reborn as well.

I wondered how much real memory he had of those early, fragile years of his human life. Of his

birth parents, before that rebirth. He'd seemed surprised that he'd remembered his father's name

. . . and seemed affected by it, too.

At length, as we passed rows of parked cars, David said, ''Cyrus sounds . . . fine.''

We arrived at the parked, sleek form of the Mustang, which was in perfect, gleaming condition,

for having had its windows blown out less than a day before. David opened the passenger door

and gracefully handed me in, like a princess into a carriage. He shut the door and headed around

to the driver's side, and we didn't speak again until we'd exited the garage and were already on

the road, heading for the bridge.

''You haven't said how it went,'' he said.

''It was harder than I'd thought,'' I confessed. ''Not the we're-getting-married part. The Kevin

part.''

David nodded. ''I was concerned about that. He's . . . fragile, in some ways. And he has good

reason for a lot of his anger. Putting him in this kind of position is a risk, at best.''

''He said-David, he said that his mother used Djinn against him.'' I couldn't even really bring

myself to articulate the implications. ''Did she?''

He was silent for a moment, apparently focused on steering around the traffic and increasing

speed as the road opened up in front of us. The steel structure of the bridge flashed past in a blur,

and I wondered if the speed wasn't more about David channeling anxiety than wanting us to get

back home quickly. ''You know she did,'' he said. His face was smooth, expressionless, and

he'd changed his glasses now, darkened them to hide his eyes. ''In many different ways.''

I couldn't ask. I knew I should; I knew he'd tell me and it would be a relief if he did, maybe for

us both, but I just . . . couldn't. I closed my eyes, rested my head against the window, and tried

not to imagine David as Yvette Prentiss's slave.

As her weapon.

''Sleep,'' he murmured, and whether it was his influence or my own weariness, the steady roar

of the tires and throb of the engine lured me down into the dark.

When I woke up, David was carrying me in his arms. I hadn't been carried like that by him,

except when I was in danger or injured, in a long time, and it felt . . . wonderful. Hard not to

appreciate the strength and surety of his body against mine, and his smile was gentle and deadly

at such close range. ''Good nap?'' He set me down, and my feet sank into sand. I hastily stripped

off the Manolos. Sacrilege, to walk on the beach in those. Also, awkward. It was night, and the

surf curled in from the horizon in sweetly regular silver lines. It broke into lace and foam on the

beach, and we were close enough to the water to feel the breath of spray.

''Where are we?'' It wasn't Fort Lauderdale. The beach was too quiet, too secluded. It felt as if it

had never been touched by humanity.

''Nowhere,'' he said. ''In a sense, anyway. It's a place I come sometimes to be alone, when I'm

troubled.''

He was telling me something. I looked around. No lights on the horizon, no roads, no airplanes

buzzing overhead. Just the beach, the surf, the breeze, the moon bright as a star overhead.

''This isn't real,'' I said.

''It's as real as we want it to be. Like Jonathan's house, beyond the aetheric.'' David shrugged

slightly. ''One of the benefits of being the Conduit is you can create your own realities if you

feel the need.''

''And . . . you feel the need.''

He took my hand, and we walked a bit in the moonlight. It felt as if we were the first people to

walk here, and I supposed we were. I didn't ask. He didn't volunteer. After a while, we rounded

an irregular curve and I saw a low-burning fire ahead, warm and inviting. I knew, without a word

being said, that we were supposed to sit down, and I settled into the cool sand without

complaining about the damage to my dress. Besides, my dress was still on my sleeping body,

somewhere out there.

David took a seat beside me. The fire snapped and popped and flared like a real flame, and it

warmed like one, too. I stretched out my hands toward it. As real as we want it to be, he'd said.

Like the two of us, together.

''The question you won't ask me is, did Yvette ever force me to abuse her stepson,'' David said.

''The answer is no. Not in the way you're thinking.''

I have to admit, a weight of dread rolled away, and I must have given an audible sigh of relief.

But David wasn't finished.

''What she did force me to do was to bring him to her, and watch,'' he said. ''Yvette always did

like an audience. Kevin avoids me because I'm part of those memories. I'm bound up with all

the sex and pain and horror of it. So yes, I was part of it, even though I never-I never hurt him.

I wanted to destroy her for it. I wanted to rip her apart into so many pieces not even God could

find a trace.''

I heard the ring of hate in his voice, real as what I'd heard from Kevin. He meant it, and I ached

for him, too. ''But you didn't, because you couldn't. You were as powerless as Kevin to stop

her.''

He said nothing to that. The Djinn were not comfortable with the idea of powerlessness; in a

sense, it was worse now than ever, because they had thousands of years of slavery to try to put