“Why did you beat up her friends?” he asked.

“Long story.”

“Order her to tell you, Anita, and she is oath bound to do so,” Magda said.

“You’re the queen, Anita; act like it. Demand the information,” Edward said.

It was a little unnerving that I was getting stereo advice from Edward and Magda, but I guess not surprising. They were both very practical most of the time.

I shook my head. “She’s part of the world’s oldest and maybe best spy ring ever; if she wants to lie to me, she can.”

“You can all control your breathing and heart rate,” Sin said, “but I swear that some of you can control your scent, so it doesn’t change when you lie.”

“Some of us can.”

“If we get Pierette alone we can scare her into telling us about Ireland,” Nicky said.

“We must do it before her master wakes for the night, because once Pierrot is with his Pierette she will no longer scare so easily,” Magda said.

“She’s probably still in the hospital area holding Scaramouche’s hand,” Sin said.

“And the doctor did say I needed to go to the hospital,” Nicky said.

Sin smiled. “Can I help?”

“Can you be scary?” Nicky asked.

Sin seemed to think about it. “Yes, but scary enough to intimidate one of the Harlequin? Probably not. Can I watch the two of you intimidate Pierette?”

Magda clapped him on the shoulder hard enough to stagger him a little. “Come watch; maybe we can teach you how to be scarier.”

“I’m not sure he needs that kind of skill set,” I said.

Nicky gave me a look I couldn’t quite read. “It’s always good to be scary, Anita; you know that.”

“I don’t think that’s true in the real world for most people,” I said.

“We don’t live in that world and we aren’t most people,” he said. I’d have liked to argue with him, but I couldn’t.

“If they can learn anything that will help us solve the vampire problem here in Ireland,” Edward said, “let them scare the fuck out of her, Anita.”

“Do you want me to talk to you, or go help them be scary?”

“I heard Nicky’s voice, right?”

“Yep.”

“He doesn’t need help being scary, and you and I need to start planning your trip to the Emerald Isle.”

Sin came back while the others started toward the far tunnel entrance. “My mouth isn’t too sore for a kiss,” he said.

I frowned at him.

“Stop being a hard-ass and just kiss me.”

The comment made me smile, and just like that all my grumpy street cred went out the window. “Hold on for just another minute, Edward.”

“Who’s asking for a kiss? I don’t recognize the voice.”

“Cynric,” I said.

“My, my, he sounds all grown up.”

“I’m putting you on hold, just so you know.”

“I wasn’t going to critique the kiss over the phone, Anita.”

“Putting you on hold now, Edward.” I turned back to Sin, standing so tall, and older just like the deeper voice that had made Edward not recognize him over the phone.

Magda called to him from the hallway. “Nicky says if you’re late we start the intimidation without you.”

“I’m coming,” Sin called back. He turned to me and leaned down for his kiss. I went up on tiptoe to meet all that six-foot-plus height halfway. His lips were soft, gentle, but his hands where he gripped my arms weren’t. He squeezed just enough for me to feel the strength in his hands, which could throw a football far enough and well enough for colleges to scout him. Some combination of his hands and the kiss made me a little breathless as he pulled away. He grinned at the look on my face, and he knew he’d made my pulse speed up. He was a weretiger; he could taste my heartbeat on his tongue.

He jogged off after the others. He didn’t want to miss learning to be scarier.

19

“YOU BETTER TAKE Edward off hold,” Nathaniel said.

“Oh, right.”

Nathaniel grinned. “I like that little brother can make you forget yourself like that.”

“You calling him little brother doesn’t help me with the age gap issues, Nathaniel. Just saying. But let’s go into the break room for the call, in case someone wants to use the gym.”

“He is my brother of choice, and he is younger,” Nathaniel said as he walked toward the small room that Nicky and Jake had come out of less than an hour ago. It had been a busy hour.

“He’s your brother-husband. There’s a difference,” I said.

He held the door for me as I hit the button to take Edward off hold.

“I said kiss the boy, not make out with him,” Edward said.

“I’m frowning at the phone, just so you know.”

He chuckled; I think I was one of five people on the planet who got to hear that sound from him. “I’m putting you on speakerphone, Edward,” I said. I sat down at the four-seater table so we could lay the phone on the table and both of us sit near the phone.

“Who’s listening with you?” he asked.

“Nathaniel.”

“Since when do you include him on our phone calls?”

I had a moment of not knowing what to say, but Nathaniel leaned into the phone and said, “Are you still wanting Damian to come to Ireland to help you?”