Master of Smoke

carton. “That’s actually a very good thing.”
    She stared at him, her sense of humor surfacing through her angry embarrassment. “What, giving myself a concussion?”
    “No, the fact that you react to your reflection the way you do to any other werewolf. We can use it to teach you not to freeze.”
    Her stomach laced into a sick knot. “David, it won’t work.”
    “I think it will.” He put the carton back in the refrigerator. “At the very least, we’ll overcome your fear of mirrors.”
    Oh, hell. This is not going to be any fun.

    Eva braced her clawed hands on the sink and forced herself to meet the eyes of the huge werewolf in the mirror. Her heart bounded like a terrified rabbit. She fought the need to run for the door. I’d just give myself another concussion.
    “Shhh.” David slid an arm across her furry back. “You’re panting. Breathe with me.” He inhaled deeply. “In.” When she didn’t obey, he gave her shoulder a squeeze to get her attention. “Eva, breathe in.”
    “This isn’t going to work.” Her hands tightened on the vanity edge as she fought to keep herself from bolting.
    “It will. If you keep going into combat like this, eventually one of those wolves will kill you. And since they will have to go through me to do it, I’ll die, too.”
    Dammit, he knew just which buttons to push. He was also right. I’ve got to do this. Got to. I will not be responsible for getting him killed.
    And I will not throw up.

    Eva was trembling, a fine vibration David could feel as he pressed against her side. Her muscles jerked under the arm he’d wrapped around her back. “Breathe with me, Eva.”
    She finally obeyed, dragging in a deep, shuddering breath, blowing it out, head down, not looking at herself. He didn’t push it, knowing she had to get her breathing under control before she could confront her reflection.
    “I wish I could spare you this,” he told her in a deliberately soft voice. “Your fear tears at me. But you can overcome it if you just hang on.”
    She turned her muzzle toward him. “What’s this ‘we,’ Kemo Sabe?”
    He smiled at her, encouraged that she was able to joke, though he had no idea what she meant. He rarely did. “You are not alone, Eva.”
    At that, she lifted her head and looked into the mirror. He could feel the effort it took in her shivering body. “Yeah. I noticed.”
    Eva licked her lips—and jerked, probably at the sight of her own fangs. She started talking, the words hurried, as if in a desperate attempt to distract herself from her fear. “One of my earliest memories is sitting in Dad’s lap listening to him read a comic book. Don’t remember what it was. Probably Spider-Man. My dad loves Spider-Man.”
    “Does he?” David caressed her back in long, soothing strokes. Her fur felt surprisingly soft under his hands, not coarse at all. Like a kitten’s coat, it tempted him to stroke and touch.
    “Yeah. Most kids learn to read with Dr. Seuss or something. With me, it was Batman and Spider-Man. I used to run around the house leaping off furniture, pretending I was Wonder Woman.”
    A high-pitched screech drew David’s attention downward. Her claws flexed on the edge of the sink, raking furrows in the porcelain. He covered her hand with his to still those restless fingers. “Wonder Woman?”
    “She’s kind of like a female Superman, except she’s got this cool golden lasso.” She closed her eyes a moment before forcing them open again. A muscle ticked in her jaw. “My mom made my Barbie a Wonder Woman costume, even though she said it was a really sexist outfit. She’s right—it’s a strapless bathing suit kind of thing. Who the hell would wear something like that in combat? I’d be afraid the top would slip and I’d flash my tits at the bad guys. Not a good career move.”
    He turned into her side until he could stroke her forearm with his free hand while he rubbed her back in slow circles. Her trembling had almost stopped. “Why did they give her such revealing clothing?”
    Eva snorted. “Because their target audience is fourteen-year-old boys.” She looked up at her reflection and flinched, but didn’t drop her eyes. “There’s this saying Spider-Man has: ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ That’s kind of the whole philosophy behind comic books. And I guess I grew up believing it.”
    “You should, since it’s true. The powerful have a duty to protect the vulnerable.”
    She gave him a smile