Master of Smoke

innocent Latents in a quest for revenge against the Magekind. They would have assassinated Arthur’s son if Logan and his lover hadn’t killed them first. So I’m really not interested in expressing sympathy, when they fucking deserved to die.”
    “Language!” Joelle snapped. The girl had a point, but still.
    Miranda dropped her fork on her plate with a clatter and stared at her with defiant eyes. “Mom, they strapped suicide vests on two human children. Those kids would have died if Logan hadn’t disabled the bombs. That is not exactly the kind of behavior Merlin expects of us.”
    “Regardless of what they did, Joan did nothing—”
    “But she knew what was going on.” Her jaw flexing, Miranda picked up her butter knife and started sawing through her pancakes. “That makes her an accessory.”
    Do you consider me an accessory, too? Joelle didn’t dare ask the question. “But she’s one of us, Miranda. She’s a lady of the Chosen, and ladies of the Chosen stick together.” We have to, because we’re the only defense we have against our men. But that wasn’t something she could say to Miranda. Her daughter was rebellious enough as it was. “So we are going to visit her and express our sympathies, just like all the other women. And you, my girl, are not going to be rude enough to say one word about who deserved what.”
    Miranda sighed. “Fine. Whatever.”
    Joelle took another bite of her pancakes. They tasted like ashes.
    TEN
    The next morning, Eva and David shared a long, hot shower. Much to Fluffy’s delight, it ended with Eva’s back pressed against the tile wall as David held her in his arms, pounding them both into a delicious orgasm.
    As Eva blew her hair dry, Fluffy hummed “Do That to Me One More Time.” Oh, God, she’d degenerated from George Michael to Captain and Tennille. Daddy sung that song to Mom when he wanted to embarrass her.
    That was just wrong.
    From the corner of one eye, Eva watched David shave with surprising skill. Where had a Sidhe warrior learned to use a disposable razor?
    As she watched him, she realized he wore a troubled frown. Huh. After the way we just made love, you’d think he’d be in a better mood.
    And when he looked at her, was that ... guilt?
    Eva frowned, wondering what the hell was going on in his head. Before she could ask, he said, “I want you to change.”
    She lifted a brow at him in the mirror. “Well, I wasn’t planning to go out buck naked. Might scandalize the neighbors.”
    David shook his head, sending black silken hair sliding around his broad shoulders. “I mean change into your werewolf form.”
    She stared at him before throwing a nervous glance at the mirror. “Now? Inside?”
    He nodded and leaned back against the wall, folding his muscular arms. “Now.”
    “Well, okay. But I really don’t see the point.” She started for the bathroom door. “I’ll be too tall to ...”
    He caught her by the arm and drew her back. “No, Eva. I mean in here. In front of the mirror.”
    Dammit, she’d been afraid of that. “I can’t.”
    David frowned and tipped his head to one side, studying here. “Why?”
    Eva felt her cheeks going hot. Great. Blushing like a sixteen-year-old. “Because my reflection freaks me out, okay?”
    Angry more at herself than him, she stalked out of the bathroom and headed through her bedroom for the kitchen.
    He trailed her. “But why?”
    Opening a kitchen cabinet, she took out a frying pan and banged it down on the stove. “Because when I change and look at myself in the mirror, I don’t see me. I see a freaking werewolf, and werewolves scare the crap out of me. And yes, being scared of your own reflection is the stupidest phobia ever.”
    “But it can’t hurt you.”
    “You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t feel like a fucking fool?” Eva stalked to the refrigerator, jerked the door open, and reached inside for the carton of eggs. Banging a cabinet door open, she got out a bowl. “I’ve tried to make myself look in the damned mirror. My heart starts pounding until it feels like I’m having a heart attack. I want to throw up. And since being scared pisses me off, the werewolf in the mirror starts snarling, and then I run out of the room. Last time I hit my head on the door frame and fell flat on my ass. I think I gave myself a concussion.”
    David caught her wrist before she could smash an egg on the rim of the bowl. Gently, he took the egg from her and put it back in the