Lupi 04 - Night Season

him. “Ow! That hurts!”
    â€œIt can hurt more.”
    â€œI liked you better when you were a wolf. And I didn’t like you at all then.” But she took the paper towels.
    Lily watched, frowning. “She doesn’t challenge you as much as she used to.”
    â€œShe probably doesn’t heal as fast as she used to,” Cynna said dryly. Then she noticed the way Rule had stopped moving to look at Lily with a sort of tender surprise. “Hey—you remembered something from your lost time, didn’t you?”
    â€œSnatches.” Lily tilted her head to smile at Rule, who came up behind her. They clasped hands. “They’ve been drifting in more often lately.”
    Like Cullen said, the mate-bound were touchy-feely. The wires thrumming along Cynna’s veins tightened. Cullen. He was still at Headquarters talking spellwork and theory with the gnome, all frothy with excitement. With all the to-do, he hadn’t had a chance to talk to her.
    Or else he’d forgotten they had something to talk about. He was like that. She’d been amazed, really, at how regular he’d been about calling. She’d expected him to give up after a few calls—either that or come pounding on her door. He wasn’t a patient man.
    Maybe his wolf was patient, though. She didn’t know that part of him at all.
    After a moment, Rule released Lily’s hand and moved to the coffeepot to refill his mug. Rule loved coffee. Cynna wasn’t sure why. He couldn’t get a caffeine buzz—his system threw off the effects of drugs too fast for them to have much effect. So it must be the taste he liked, which just proved that demons weren’t the only ones with weird taste buds.
    He leaned against the counter, sipped, and looked at Cynna. His eyes, dark and steady, had been the second thing she’d noticed about him when they met all those years ago. “These people are way ahead of us with spellwork. Is there any way the gnome could have fooled you about the pattern?”
    â€œTheoretically, sure, anything is possible. But some things are so unlikely we can cross them off. You aren’t likely to wake up as a cat. I’m not likely to make a mistake about patterns, especially one I know so well. If they’re good enough to fool me about that, they don’t need a Finder.”
    â€œIf that’s really what they want from you.”
    Unease prickled down Cynna’s spine as she considered the possibility. “Gan said they need me to Find something.”
    â€œThey also want Lily for something, and she’s not a Finder. And Gan isn’t exactly reliable.”
    â€œShe can’t lie. At least, demons can’t…Hey, Gan, can you lie yet?”
    Gan’s voice came, muffled, from the pantry. “Who wants to know?”
    â€œThe woman who stopped on the way here and bought a couple more candy bars.”
    Gan popped out of the pantry, chewing something. “Chocolate candy bars?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œI can almost lie.” She padded up to Cynna. “Ask me something.”
    â€œHow old are you?”
    â€œThree.” Her round face split wide in a grin, showing all those pointy teeth. “Gimme my chocolate.”
    â€œNot yet. Three what?”
    â€œThat’s why it’s almost lying. I’m bound to be three somethings, depending on how you’re counting and what time’s doing in some realm or other. So I can say three and I’m not quite lying, but close. Give me my candy.”
    Cynna leaned down to get her purse. “Do the Edge people really want me to Find something?” She retrieved a Hershey bar, unwrapped it, and broke it in half. “Answer first. Then chocolate.”
    â€œI already said they did.”
    Cynna hadn’t had much experience with former demons, but she’d dealt with the regular sort in her previous life as a Dizzy. She knew better than to let one get by with an answer like that. “Answer plainly.”
    Gan rolled her eyes. “Yes, they want you to Find their thingee. I’m not supposed to say what it is because of it being secret. Not because he said so, but Jenek told me not to.” She wiggled that small, imperative hand.
    The second Cynna handed over the candy it vanished into Gan’s mouth. The little orange whatsit closed her eyes in bliss.
    Lily tipped her head. “You think chocolate’s some kind of drug for