Bay of Sighs
Page 91

“I ran too far. I should’ve stayed closer. If I’d been back sooner—”
“I think you were here when needed. The demon Malmon hurt you, but you hurt him more, I think.”
“He clocked me a good one. He’s Hulk Smash strong.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Seriously strong. The coffee’s good, Anni. I think you’ve just graduated to regular kitchen rotation.”
A beaming smile followed a quick gasp of joy. “Do you really think?”
“Don’t know why it would thrill you, but yeah, I definitely think. Hey, Sash, looks like Anni leapfrogged into your slot today.”
“Oh, Riley, you’re all right.”
“I am now,” she said and ate more bacon.
“Annika, you . . . you made all this?”
“Riley says it’s good. I can be on rotation. Will you put me on the chart for cooking?”
“I will, and thank you for stepping in for me.”
“You feel good?”
“I’m fine. We’re all fine. Since you’re breakfast chef, I’ll set the table.”
“I can do it.”
“Let me help.” Sasha ran a hand down Annika’s arm. “After coffee.”
It pleased her so much she wanted to dance to see everyone eat her food. To have Sawyer kiss her as he reached over for more.
She’d made a meal for her family, and of all she’d learned it seemed the best.
“First question.” Doyle looked at Riley. “Will he turn? Malmon.”
Riley scooped up eggs. “That’s something I’ve been thinking about most of the night. I’ve never bitten anyone—human or demon. Big-time violation, though that’s for humans, and he’s not. Not anymore. And the answer is, I don’t know. New territory. I’m going to consult some experts on it, but it may be completely new territory.”
“If he does, when?” Sawyer asked.
“Not this moon. If he were human, he’d be pretty sick for this round. Chills, fever, and when the moon began to wane, he’d be fine again. Until the next moon.”
“But he’s not human,” Doyle pointed out.
“Got that, and I’m going to consult, but I don’t see any way for him to turn, if he turns, straight off. In any case, the first change is hard, especially for someone infected and not prepared and trained. The thing is, I don’t know if a lycan bite infects a demon. I’m not sure anyone knows.”
“It may be wait and see then.” Considering, Bran drank more coffee. “I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been. I couldn’t see him, not clearly, and that I need to work on.”
“But you could,” Doyle said.
“I could see him.” Still eating, Riley nodded. “Ugly son of a bitch, which is nice and ironic as previously he considered himself God’s gift. With apologies to God,” she added, and ate more. “I could see him, and see he’d homed in on Sasha. He’d have gone through Bran to get to her, but getting to her was the goal.”
“She wanted me dead—and wanted my blood. She’ll have some of it.”
“I didn’t stay close enough. I was distracted, and the change started before I’d taken care of things. Thanks for helping me with that.”
Doyle shrugged. “Never a problem to get a woman out of her clothes.”
“Cute. But it . . . Changing in front of anyone is . . . It’s a private thing, and I reacted to how it went down. So I wasn’t as close as I should have been. If I had been, she might not have the blood.”
“If you hadn’t come when you did, she’d have Bran’s blood, too, and I might be dead. So let’s table any timing issue.”
“If the Malmon demon is also lycan from the bite, will he be stronger than Hulk Smash?”
“Hulk Smash.” Despite the possibility, Sawyer grinned. “Where did you get . . .” He shifted his gaze from Annika to Riley, nodded. Gave her a thumbs-up as he ate more French toast.
“Maybe, but not until the first change, and the first change will hit him hard—if he’s infected. Let me make some calls and— Shit! Calls. My brain got scrambled. White. Dr. White.”
“Doyle said you connected. Get anything useful?” Sawyer asked.
“Yeah, I did—and he’s sending more. Let me get my notes.”
“In my room.”
She paused, half out of her chair, to stare at Doyle. “What?”
“I took them to my room last night, to try to decipher them.”
“You can’t go riffling through my things.”
“They were right there by the phone. You started to say something—looked like you’d struck some gold—then the sun went down.”
“My room, my notes. And you couldn’t decipher them because I have my own code due to people who try to jump claims.”
Deliberately, he met her outrage with dismissal. “It’s half-assed shorthand, Morse, and I’m pretty sure some Navajo. I’d’ve broken it in a few more hours.”
“My ass,” she said and stalked off.
“It’s a good code,” Doyle said when she was out of earshot. “I’m surprised she can read it herself.”
“I’m going to get my maps.” Sawyer pushed up. “If she’s got a direction, maybe I can verify, or pin it down. Maybe this is enough.”