Tatterdemalion

“What are you, then?” Cyrus snapped.

“A moth-eaten old fur coat.” Dane let his head fall back against the stone. “A tattered thing with a

little use left in it. To keep him warm enough until he can find something warmer and newer that suits

him.”

“You’re so sure of that?”

“No matter what you think of me, I’m not that much of a fool.” Dane didn’t expect Cyrus to think

better of him than that, but he wished it from time to time. Cyrus had little enough reason to change his thinking, and Dane knew it. The way he’d nearly gotten Lindsay killed in Cholula was reason enough and

that was only one of many foolish things Dane had done. Lindsay would grow up and move on, if Dane

didn’t get him killed first.

“You’ve let him into your bed,” Cyrus said, and Dane could hear him rolling his eyes. “And you want

me to think you’re not a fool?” The wind laughed in Dane’s ear.

“Not so much of a fool that I think he’ll keep me,” Dane rumbled. “Don’t worry, Cyrus. You’ll have

me all to yourself again before you know it.”

“I won’t have you at all if you don’t come back in one piece,” Cyrus said, changing the subject as the

wind changed quarters.

“That’s why I went through all this,” Dane said irritably. Now that he’d thought about Lindsay

outgrowing him, he was in an ill-temper, and doubly so because he was upset about it at all. “So I wouldn’t die so easily. Or did you forget that part?”

That guardians were outgrown was life, Dane reminded himself, forcing down his irritation. It wasn’t

as though Lindsay would suffer anything terrible and be gone. He would grow and change until he had

outgrown Dane and their relationship was altered forever. If Dane had any say about it, it would be one day at a time, so slowly that Lindsay would hardly notice until it occurred to him to be at most a little

melancholy over it and no more than that. It was what Dane wanted more than anything, when the human

in him could be counseled by the unselfish, steadfast beast.

“I haven’t forgotten,” Cyrus said, breaking into Dane’s argument with himself. “But I have taken

steps to see you back here safely nonetheless. Vivian has drawn Moore’s attention away from us.”

“Is the girl there?” Dane’s mind snapped into the present as his hackles rose and his teeth pricked his

lip. There, now he was more himself.

“Vivian has seen nothing of her. Moore has made no move and had no communication that suggests

the girl has been in contact with her. We think the girl must be after the dog, who has not been seen either, or in disgrace.”

Dane tamped down his irrational surge of disappointment at that. “We’ll be safe to come in by

LaGuardia?” Getting Lindsay home in one piece was far more important than killing Jonas.

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“Moore uncovered your actions in Cholula, but our contacts on the West Coast—at Vivian’s urging—

convinced her people that the two of you had gone up that way, especially since the trail ran cold in Ezqel’s forest. Right now, they are tracking Bre

Bre

and not just from her ozone and static aura. She was a trollish bitch, and thought as ill of him as he did of her. But he could forgive her a great deal if she kept Moore busy.

“So, they think we haven’t made it back here?” Dane hadn’t thought to worry about that on the hunt,

that some message about his presence would get through to Moore. He’d been too busy killing, too busy in

the present. It was his own fault for stopping partway to being fully himself. He’d forgotten how little his animal-self could understand when he was between his true forms.

“No one believes you’d do any business with Ezqel you did not have to do,” Cyrus pointed out. His

laughter tickled the hairs in Dane’s ears, making Dane shake his head. “The word is that you and Jonas are

equally unwelcome there, once Ezqel paid his debt by telling you where to find the guul.”

Moore was chasing Bre

world was still certain that Dane was fool enough to refuse the aid that would heal him. It suited Dane just fine. He would get Lindsay back to New York, back to the safety of Vivian and Cyrus, and then deal with

Jonas.

Kristan. Dane chuckled softly. There was bait that no dog could refuse. Sweet meat. She’d forgive him for taking Lindsay as a lover instead of her, he was sure, especially if he could offer her a way to

please everyone.

“You’re amused by the efforts of others to save your moth-eaten hide?” Cyrus was most certainly not

amused.

“Just thinking ahead,” Dane said, feeling contented. “I can do that, you know.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Cyrus said. “Come home and show me.” The wind tugged at Dane,

drawing him in as though Cyrus pla

Wind.

Dane was ready to go right then, too. Suddenly, he was swept through with a need to return so intense

that he wanted to spread his wings and throw himself into the wind. But the new ways had their benefits.

“I’ll be there soon,” he promised. “Both of us will be.”

“I’m waiting for you.” The wind wrapped around him, tangled in his hair, and he breathed it in. Then,

in the next moment, it was gone. Dane was ready to go home.

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Chapter Thirteen

Kloten was crowded and chaotic, like most airports. Staggered a

loudspeaker in German, echoed in English and other languages Lindsay couldn’t keep track of. On the

flight in, the rough, guttural instructions had only served to make Lindsay more nervous, more miserable,

but not this time. He was ready. Healthy, finally, and steady, even with his backpack heavy on his

shoulders. New York, Cyrus’s house, was home for Dane. Lindsay hoped that, after everything he’d done

to learn and to fix himself, it could become home for him too.

Dane, for once, drew only admiring glances. He was human looking, tall and graceful and stern. As

always, no matter where they were, Dane seemed to understand the language well enough. Lindsay let him

take the lead. He wasn’t as noticeable as Dane, and people tended to not realize he was there, even when no magic was involved. They made it through the line to get their boarding passes, checking their bags, and

then to the terminal.

“Do you want anything to eat?” Lindsay asked quietly, remembering that the food on the plane from

New York had been horrible, even though they’d been in first class. He didn’t expect it to be much better