Lupi 04 - Night Season

human; the two guard deposited Cullen on one of them. She had to sit on the other side to give them room to clear out with the stretcher.
    Sitting was okay. Her knees kept trying to knock together anyway.
    Gan had followed her inside and was watching, her mismatched little face all broody. Cynna sighed. “Look, it’s late. I nearly got killed and Cullen did die for a while. Can we talk about whatever is bothering you in the morning?”
    â€œNo morning here.”
    She grabbed for patience. “When we wake up.”
    â€œI guess.” But she didn’t leave. She looked at Cullen, then at Cynna. “You’re all upset about Cullen Seabourne. I don’t know why. He didn’t stay dead.”
    â€œIt’s a human thing.”
    â€œDo humans always get weird about the people they fuck?”
    Cynna swallowed a hysterical giggle. “Sometimes yes, sometimes no. We worry about our friends when they’re hurt.”
    â€œI don’t have any friends. Well, except for Lily Yu. She cares if I get killed or not, but she isn’t here.”
    That punched Cynna right in the gut. Don’t anthropomorphize, she warned herself. Maybe Gan wasn’t quite a demon anymore, but she had been very recently. She probably wasn’t capable of feeling lonely. She probably confused “ally” with “friend”—she wanted people on her side to increase her odds of surviving. Not because she felt adrift, cut off, alone in a strange place.
    Logic did no good. She couldn’t help it. Cynna got down on one knee and looked square into the absurdly large, pretty eyes set in that ugly orange face. At the moment those eyes were narrowed in a suspicious frown. “‘Friend’ is a big word for me. It holds a lot of meaning. A lot of trust. You and I are maybe on the way to being friends. I don’t know that we’re there yet, but I would not like it if you were killed.”
    â€œSure, because I can cross and you might need me.”
    Cynna shook her head. “Even if you couldn’t cross, I would be sad if you died.”
    â€œMaybe you’re lying.”
    â€œI’m not, but that’s where the trust thing comes in. That’s why people don’t become friends all in one gulp. It takes a while to know if we can trust each other.”
    The scowl tightened a notch. “Would you be as sad about me as you would be if Cullen Seabourne had stayed dead?”
    â€œNo. But sad.”
    Gan stared at her a moment longer, then heaved a great sigh and ambled out the door, muttering, “This is confusing. This is really confusing.”
    Cynna followed to close the door behind her. Gan did not close doors.
    â€œYou got a license to practice demon therapy?” Cullen said.
    â€œYou’re awake.” She turned, a smile breaking out. “How do you feel?”
    â€œLike a used lemon. Did you retrieve my diamonds?”
    She nodded, suddenly swamped by an odd feeling that kept her silent. She couldn’t think of anything to say…or maybe there was too much that she didn’t want to say. Or even think. She felt…shy?
    Cynna hadn’t felt shy since the fourth grade, and she didn’t want to handle it now the way she had then. Maria never had forgiven her for the bloody nose.
    â€œC’mere.” Cullen patted the crescent of space on the bench beside him as if her butt could fit there.
    Her feet decided it was a good idea and carried her to him. Since she couldn’t fit beside him, she sank to the floor. He raised his arm to make room, and she settled down with relief, her head on his chest, his arm looped loosely over her shoulders. He toyed with her hair.
    This was enough. Right now, this was enough. He’d lived, and he was with her, touching her, wanting to hold her. She had plenty to think about, but for now she just wanted this. Her eyes drifted closed.
    Maybe it was enough for him, too, because for long moments he didn’t speak. Cynna would have thought he’d gone back to sleep if not for those warm fingers sifting her hair. Finally he murmured, “I heard pretty much everything. I was more or less dead, so I don’t know why I could hear, but I could. You wouldn’t let them dump me overboard.”
    Her throat closed up. After a moment she managed to say, “See? Denial isn’t always a bad thing.”
    Cullen tugged at one strand of hair. “God knows I don’t want