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The words took me back, made me hesitate. He’d threatened to leave me or kick me out a lot of times, but he’d never actually done it.

He swallowed hard, and I thought for a moment he’d take it back. He rarely stayed mad long. Except, he didn’t. He shook his head slowly. “I’ll meet you at my house on the night of the full moon. Until then, I think it’s best you don’t come over.”

He didn’t wait for me to respond before he walked out, never looking back, never meeting my gaze.

Andthe asshole had done that in the middle of a room full of people. Yep, private humiliation wasn’t good enough for him. He wanted everyone to see him turn me down, to see him push me away so hard I was lucky I stayed on my feet.

“You want somewhere to stay for the night, Birdy?” Kelvin asked in that come-hither voice he used, the one that probably worked on anyone with a heartbeat.

I knew him, though. He did it not so much because he wanted me over—though he did—but to help take my mind off what had just happened.

I smiled brightly and shook my head. “Thanks, but I should probably get a good night’s sleep, too. Besides, if we’re going on a big trip, it’ll be good to get things settled at home. No one seems to know how long this ritual takes so I’ve gotta get things in order.

The idea of sleeping alone sounded horrible, but that didn’t stop me refusing a pity fuck just because it might feel sort of nice for a moment. I was better than that.

Or so I told myself. I didn’t know if I actually was, or even if I felt better, but I’d rather not appear as pathetic as I might be.

He narrowed his eyes just a bit, a sure sign that he knew I was bluffing. Still, he didn’t call me on it, didn’t tell me I should do as he said. He nodded. “Fine, but if you get lonely, just call.”

“Thanks.” And, for once, I actually meant it.

I never would have thought I’d rely on Kelvin as I did. When I’d first met him, when he liked to haul me in for petty shit, I’d thought I’d hate him forever. I’d figured I’d never find common ground with him.

To think we’d somehow ended up here, with the two of us actually close, never failed to surprise me.

He nodded, then walked out.

Porter came over, his gaze following Kelvin. “This mission might end up being a bad idea. You realize that you could get hurt, right?”

“I always could get hurt. At least this time’s for a good reason.”

Porter snorted softly, the sound a sure sign he didn’t agree. “Make sure you rest plenty. There is little of that once you cross that barrier. It is unlike anything you have faced before.” He left on that cryptic message, though I was pretty used to that from him. Porter was a weird-ass guy, at the end of the day. He seemed so connected to things in one way, but like he was from a totally different world at other times.

It left only Ruben and me, Harrison’s representative already skirting out of there the moment she could, as usual. She never spoke to me, as though I were somehow off limits.

It made me wonder what horrible things Harrison might have told her about me. I hated that idea, but it made sense. He probably said I’d killed his brother, that I was dangerous, and she treated me the way friends treat a person’s horrible ex.

Which sucked, because people liked me, damn it!

Well, some people.

Not that many, if I really thought about it.

I shifted and sat on the edge of the table, letting my legs swing.

“You know, sitting on the council table is considered a breach of protocol,” Ruben said, as though we were playing ‘fun fact of the day.’

“Well, what are you going to do? Throw me in a cell?Again?”

“What would be the point? You always escape.”

“On of the rare benefits of what I am. Sure, I’m always in trouble and always getting myself fucked over, but hey, at least I can’t get stuck anywhere!” I paused, then snickered. “Though even that isn’talwaysa good thing. One time, I went on one of those trips where you take the elevator up to an observatory. Well, it got stuck halfway up. I was trapped. What do you think happened? That’s right, the doors opened for me, however, given that we weren’t actually at afloorI got to just see the freefall I could have taken down while the others screamed. It wasn’t as helpful as my crow probably thought.”

Ruben huffed a soft laugh before leaning his hip against the table. “That seems quite on brand for you. You have a habit of turning things that seem rather straightforward into far more complicated and messy versions.”

“It’s not like I mean to.”

“I know, and to be honest, I don’t mean it as an insult. Yes, there are times it is frustrating, times when I wish I could predict or control you in some way, but most of the time it is unexpectedly fun. It is something that I have never really experienced before, a sensation that it surprising to me. I don’t feel much, for the most part, but you cause me to actually remember what it is like to have fun.” His gaze seemed far away, like he thought about all those years that came before.