Page 32 of Brushed By Moonlight

“Yeah, now that Catman here fucked up,” Henrik snarled.

“You’re the one who ducked,” Roux growled back.

I stuck up a hand. “Stop. Just stop.”

They turned to me with sourpuss expressions, like I’d ruined a perfectly good morning fight.

“Why would you leave?” I asked.

Roux’s eyebrow shot up. “Not obvious?”

No, it wasn’t. I didn’t even know whether the notion made me alarmed or relieved.

“We messed up. We hurt you.”

“Youhurt her,” Henrik corrected.

“You started it,” Bene pointed out.

I put my face in my hands. Letting them leave definitely had its pluses. But if they left now, I would lose a sizable chunk of income — income I’d been counting on to stay afloat.

Plus, part of me liked having them around for reasons I couldn’t quite explain.

I glanced at Henrik, then corrected myself. I didn’t mind having three of the four around.

“You can’t leave,” I said.

Bene looked up from his eggs. “You’re not going to turn this into a creepy Hotel California thing, are you?”

“Better not.” Henrik showed his fangs.

“For once in your life, be nice,” Roux snarled.

“Or is it,for once in your death?” Bene wondered aloud.

Henrik made a face and crossed his arms.

A pouting vampire. Now I’d seen it all.

“You can leave any time you want,” I assured them. “But do you have a better option?”

Roux looked at Bene. Bene looked at Henrik. Henrik looked at the floor.

So, ha. My gut had been right about that.

“This isn’t about us. It’s about you,” Bene said.

Henrik’s grouchy expression said,The hell it is,but we ignored him.

“You were hurt,” Bene continued. “What if it was worse? What if something else happens?”

Roux rubbed his face miserably, reliving that punch, no doubt.

“Are you saying something else will happen?” I asked, half alarmed, half in challenge.

Bene shook his head vehemently. “No. I mean, I hope not. But…”

His eyes slid to Henrik. Roux’s joined his, and I added my own glare.