Bones sounded annoyed. He didn't know about the handicap, either. It must feel like we were speaking a different language to him.

"I should find out exactly what Spade told you so I don't assume you know something," I said with a sigh. "Every time I sleep, Gregor sifts through my subconscious and gleans everything I know, like my location, who I'm with, and what we're planning. I've almost gotten everyone killed a bunch of times. Drugging me didn't turn out so well, either. The pills turned me into a psycho bitch with their side effects, and though clocking me must have been enjoyable, that was only temporarily effective."

Bones was silent for such a long moment, I thought, He's already regretting not walking away when he had the chance.

"Are you telling me... that I've drugged and beaten you?"

His carefully controlled tone told me I'd miscalculated what he was angry about. When put like that, it sounded worse than the reality.

I tried to explain. "You only clocked me once before we got the pills, and what else were you supposed to do? E-mail Gregor with directions to where we'd be?"

"I don't bloody believe this," he said in a hiss.

Spade attempted to soothe him. "Crispin, you were under a great deal of stress, trying to secure her safety and the safety of those around you-"

"Bollocks," he snapped. "Wasn't she also under stress? Bloody hell, you'll never have to explain why you left me, Catherine, but you might want to clarify why you came back. Gregor must have seemed like a vacation by comparison. Is that why you've been sitting with your eyes closed this entire time? I thought you just didn't wish to speak with me."

"It's not safe for me to know where we are," I continued to insist. "The only time I'm not dangerous is when we fly or I'm out like a light."

"Club you over the head before I shag you, do I?" Bones asked in a conversational tone. "I'm obviously a Neanderthal, so I must whap you a good one and then drag you off for my pleasure, right? This treating you like contaminated waste ends here. Open your eyes."

I almost did out of disbelief. "No."

"Crispin," Spade began.

"She'll not know where we're headed once we reach the plane," he said curtly. "Catherine, open your eyes." His tone rang with pure command.

I almost smiled. "Here's lesson one about me: I don't take orders. Especially when I know they're wrong. My eyes stay shut, Bones, so deal with it."

Instead of getting irate, he let out an amused snort. "Stubborn, are you? Well, pet, here's my response to your lesson-we're traveling north on I-95 in Georgia, just passing the Savannah exit. No need to keep your eyes closed now, is there?"

My lids snapped open with incredulity. "I can't believe you just did that, you shit!"

He clucked his tongue. "Such a foul word coming from such a lovely mouth."

"Don't bother with flattery, buddy, I've heard all your lines," I muttered, still smarting over being outfoxed.

"I expect you have." He smiled slyly. "Still, you married me, so some of them must have worked."

The way he was looking at me made me self-conscious. He was evaluating me as a woman, and with our constant fights the last few times we were together, it had been a while since he'd done that. I didn't even want to remember how far back it was since other things had happened. Maybe Bones had already guessed that, hence the cocky twist to his lips.

Well, deprived I might be. Easy I wasn't.

"Don't even think of it. You're in the doghouse, big-time. It might not be your fault, but a short time ago, I heard another woman swallow your sword. The fact that she's dead now might give you an idea about how much I didn't like that."

His smile didn't waver. "You gave her a more merciful end than I would have. I despise that Cannelle made me a pawn in hurting and humiliating you."

"And she was trying to lure you out to Gregor so he could kill you," I added.

"Oh, that." He made a dismissive motion. "I'd have merely broken her legs if that were her only crime. This isn't an excuse, but you should know that Cannelle encouraged company with us. I thought it was just what she fancied, but now I know it was deliberate."

This was a very painful subject, but ignoring it wasn't going to make it go away. Better to ask now than wonder later. "Were, um, were the others human? I'd like to be prepared if there's a chance that I'll run into one of them later. I'm not asking because I'm sharpening my knives, I just... Never mind. Forget it."

I dropped my gaze, studying the floorboards. Why had I even asked? Maybe one day I'd learn to let well enough alone.

"Humans all, and I'm certain it wasn't accidental," Bones replied. "I suspect Cinnamon was ensuring that no one would ask me any incriminating questions. A vampire or ghoul might have heard of me and therefore made a comment referencing you."

"Fabian did, right?" I still didn't look up. "You must have thought he was crazy."

Bones sighed. "Indeed. I don't pay much attention to ghosts in general-no offense, mate-and he was railing what sounded like insane nonsense to me. I only began to take him seriously after he started singing."

"Singing?"

"That was my idea," Spade interjected. "Had to find a way to get Crispin's attention without attracting others. I had Fabian sing old songs from the Alexander that the four of us had made up. No one else would have known them, and at their end, I had him relay messages. Like, don't leave the city, or you're in danger."

I was torn between admiring Spade's cleverness and fighting the urge to shout, Couldn't you have added "keep your dick in your pants!" Fortunately, I held that comment back. Fidelity didn't supersede safety. No matter how much it hurt now, Spade had made the right decision.

"You did great, Fabian," I said, and was rewarded with a smile from the ghost. Of course, his head went through the car seat to do it.

When I returned my attention to Bones, he was staring at me with such intentness that I immediately glanced away. Cool fingers closed around my wrist, bringing my hand to his face before I could snatch it back. When I felt the brush of his mouth on my skin, I tried to yank away. Even that small touch made my heart leap in a way that was almost painful.

His grip didn't loosen as he took in a long, deep breath.

"You smell familiar." His voice was low. "Even though I don't remember meeting you before today, I swear that I recognize your scent."

My heart skipped a beat. Scent was the strongest sense tied to memory. Maybe, just maybe, his memory loss wouldn't be permanent.

Still, it was hard to think with his fingers caressing my hand in feathery touches that belied a grip I couldn't pull away from.

"Can you, um, let go now?" I asked unsteadily.

He inhaled again. "Not yet."

Spade pretended to stroke his eyebrow while in reality, his hand blocked from Bones's view the glare he shot me. Don't cause a stink, that single look commanded.

Right. I forced myself to relax. Bones was only holding my hand so he could try to place my scent. No need to let everyone know that such a simple touch hit my emotions with the same force as a sledgehammer.

"Okay, well... you let go whenever you're ready," I managed to reply in a seminormal tone.

A breath hit my knuckles that might have been a muffled laugh.

"I'll do that."

Mencheres, Bones's coruler, was at the residence we arrived at, and for once, I was happy to see him.

"Grandsire."

I wasn't the only one, it seemed. Bones embraced Mencheres with something like relief.

"Can you get this worthless barrier out of my head?" he asked at once.

Mencheres set Bones back and placed his hand on his forehead. After a moment, he shook his head.

"The spell is bound by blood, so only Gregor's blood will lift it."

Bones ground out a curse. Then he cracked his knuckles. "All right. I'll track the sod down and get his blood."

"In your present state, he will kill you," Mencheres said bluntly. "There can be no retribution for it under our laws, and then he will claim Cat as his. Do you condemn her to that, or will you do as I say?"

"I'm not afraid of him," Bones spat, but he glanced over at me.

I had a split second of being torn before logic took over. If believing I was helpless would save him, then helpless I would be!

"If you're determined not to wait until you're stronger before you confront Gregor, then let me go to him now. If Gregor gets me as victory spoils later, I think he'll go a lot rougher on me."

I even manufactured a shiver as if the thought terrified me. It did, but only because the topic was Bones's death. My act worked because this Bones couldn't tell when I was piling it on.

His lips thinned and he returned his attention to Mencheres. "Right, there's more than me to consider now. Very well. What would you have me do?"

"Train with me from morning until dusk to get you ready to face Gregor," Mencheres replied.

Bones gave the Egyptian vampire a self-deprecating smile. "You haven't trained me since I was a lad. Was I much stronger before, or will I need all the strength I can get to defeat Gregor?"

Mencheres cupped his face with open affection, making me remember when he'd said that Bones was like a son to him. "You were starting to realize how very powerful you truly were."

Vagueness. Mencheres was the king of that.

Bones glanced my way again. "Morning till dusk, you say? Then I'll take myself to bed. I remember how you train, so I'll need the rest."

All of a sudden, I was the center of attention. It took me a moment to realize why.

"I snore," I said at once. "Ask anyone, it sounds like trees being chainsawed down. You need, um, some uninterrupted sleep by yourself. I might kick as well."

That last part I said with a glint in my eye. Yeah, I might kick, and if Bones whispered someone else's name in his sleep, I might stab him too.

Bones let out a snort. "Mencheres, if you'll point me in the right direction? I'll stay in my doghouse awaiting Catherine's reprieve."

Spade turned to me and looked like he was about to argue.

Before he could speak, Bones clapped him on the back. "Don't fret, mate. Although I'm not certain, she looks as though she'd steal the covers too. Best all around, really."

Spade laughed, and Bones gave me a cheeky wink as he followed Mencheres up the stairs.

"Sleep well, Catherine."

The house was big. Maybe even a ranch, from the horses I heard outside. The good news was, beyond that, I didn't have a clue as to where we were.

Mencheres put Bones in the room next to mine, so I heard him feed from two people before he went to sleep. One male, one female, or as I mentally named them, dinner and dessert. That also told me this was a community residence. Either it had a big basement or there was an adjoining cottage, but Mencheres had living snacks close by. Vampire households made me a little uneasy with their throwback to feudalism, not that I had any room to complain. Humans kept their food within easy reach too.

Despite feeling tired, I had a restless sleep, drifting off just to wake up over and over again. It was surreal to be this close to Bones, yet miles apart emotionally. He was still the love of my life; I was only some weird chick he'd found out yesterday that he was stuck with.

The door banged open, revealing a teenage brunette with pigtails in the doorway. "Hello! I'm Heather, and I'm here to get your breakfast. Are you Blood, Body, or Breather?"

She was smiling at me in the friendliest way. Meanwhile, I'd just put my knife back on the dresser.

"What?"

She came in without being invited. Then again, she hadn't been invited to open the door either.

"You must be a Breather," she announced. "The others know right off what I mean. Okay, human food, what'll it be? I guarantee we have it."

Her initial question finally made sense. Yeah, I guess that would be the first issue when determining what someone wanted for breakfast.

"Just point me to the kitchen and I'll take care of it myself."

She laughed like I'd told a joke. "You're House. You can't get your own food. Just tell me what you want and if you want it here or somewhere else."

It was similar to being at Vlad's, only if I were there, she'd have carted the refrigerator in with her.

"You can't just point me to the kitchen?"

A firm shake of her head.

"Right," I sighed. "Eggs and toast, I don't care how they're cooked or what kind of bread. Coffee, cream, and sugar. Where else can I eat aside from this room?"

"Oh, wherever you want, but the balcony's the nicest."

"Where is it?"

"End of the hall to your right," she chirped.

I stopped her on her way out. "Oh, by the way, I'm-"

"Don't tell me your name," she said, the smile wiped from her face. "I'll call you Red, but we don't mention real names. That way we can't repeat what we don't know."

Good God. "Heather, are you okay with being here? You're underage, from my guess, and I could arrange for you to live somewhere else, with your own kind..." My voice trailed off because she suddenly looked ill.

"Please don't. This is the best home I've ever had. They take care of me, I go to school online, and everyone is nice. I don't want to go back to foster care, ever. Please don't tell anyone where I am."

I'd tried to be nice and instead I'd scared the hell out of her. "I won't. It's okay. You're doing great. I just... I'm an ass."

She lost that frightened look, but she was still a little cautious. "Don't worry. You're House, so you can say anything. One day I'll be House too."

How could I respond to that? Keep working hard and it'll happen?