Lupi 09 - Mortal Ties

latter opinion. Had the Lady meant to discourage fighting in this way, the discomfort
     would be more general. As it is, only a Rho experiences it.”
    A brief silence fell. Lily sipped her cooling coffee and followed the logic until
     she arrived at…“Do we move back into your apartment, or will it take too long to break
     the sublease?”
    His brows flew up, then drew down in a scowl. “The apartment isn’t safe.”
    “That wasn’t what I asked.”
    “I’m not going to—” He broke off, looking toward the front of the house.
    “Ah, Seabourne is back,” Isen said. “I wonder why?”
    Lily didn’t know what they’d heard that she hadn’t, but she was used to that. A moment
     later a perfunctory knock landed on the front door. She heard it open. Quick footsteps
     pattered down the hall, then Cullen stood in the entry, scowling. He looked directly
     at Isen. “I figured it out. I don’t know if you want me to say anything in front of
     them.” A graceful wave identified Rule and Lily as “them.”
    Isen sighed and took a sip of coffee. “Indeed, I’m far from at my best. I have no
     idea what you’re talking about.”
    “I know why the second ward didn’t activate.” Cullen paused for a long, significant
     moment…then sighed. “I was hoping this was one of your convoluted schemes. Iguess not. There was only one possibility, really. It doesn’t make sense, but it’s
     the only thing that does make sense.”
    “Which you aren’t yet doing, I’m afraid.”
    Cullen walked into the room and plopped down on the hassock near the window. He spoke
     directly to Isen. “I told you when I was setting the wards I’d make sure you were
     exempt. I can’t lock out my Rho or my Lu Nuncio. Or Cynna, for that matter, and I
     didn’t want to be bothered putting the wards up and taking them down every time I
     went in and out. So when I created them I built in permissions. You, Rule, Cynna,
     and I are permitted to cross without triggering the wards.”
    Lily sat up straight. “Wait a minute. Are you saying Rule or Isen stole your thingee?
     Or Cynna?”
    “Don’t be ridiculous. Isen would’ve stopped me if he’d been behind this, and there’s
     no way Rule would run a deal behind Isen’s back. The thing is, there’s only two ways
     to build permissions into wards. You can set patterns into them that represent the
     people who are permitted to cross, but that’s harder than it sounds. Cynna could do
     it,” he added. “She’s fantastic at patterns. But it would be a big job, and at the
     time she was absorbing so many of the memories of the clan…I didn’t want to bother
     her, so I used the second option. I asked Rule and Isen for a bit of their blood.”
    “Yes,” Isen said. “I remember.”
    “So do I,” Rule said. “But I don’t see what this has to do with the thief, since you’ve
     graciously stricken us from your list of suspects.”
    “It means that those of your blood can probably cross, too.”
    Those of their blood…the list was pretty damn short. Toby and Benedict. That’s all
     Lily knew about for either Rule or Isen. As for Cynna, she didn’t have any siblings,
     and her mother was dead. Her father was alive, but he was in Edge. “Those of your
     blood, too, I assume,” she said to Cullen.
    “Presumably. But a cousin wouldn’t be close enough. At least I don’t think so. Besides,
     Stephen is lupi, and the thiefwas human.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Hell. I guess we’ll have to ask—”
    Isen’s phone sounded.
    Rule’s father had never set up individual ring tones for his callers, so the twittery
     music didn’t tell her who was calling. But it had to be the Laban Rho. Who else would
     call at this hour?
    Isen picked up his phone, but then he just looked at it as if he’d forgotten what
     it was, or how to operate it, or why he might want to. Before Lily could entertain
     any serious worries about incipient senility—which lupi didn’t suffer from—he thumbed
     the button. “Hello.”
    Not for the first time, Lily wished for lupi hearing. No doubt Rule could hear the
     caller just fine. Maybe Cullen could, too, though he was farther away. All she had
     to go on was the peculiar look on Isen’s face—and the way Rule suddenly went rigid
     beside her.
    Isen was very polite to his caller. “Yes, I am. Ah. Yes, my brain is almost beginning
     to function again. I can’t say I was expecting your call, but it isn’t the surprise
     it