"We'd rather die than go back," Jade said.
Kestrel glanced at her quickly, one eyebrow raised.
"Oh, well, fine, I'll just make a note of that," Ash said tightly. Then his expression darkened. He lookedmore determined than Mary-Lynnette would have thought he could look. Not in the least like a big blond cat. Like a lanky, elegant pale tiger.
"Now, listen," he said. "There are a few smallthings that you don't understand, and I don't have any time to play games. So how about we send yourlittle friends home and then we can all have a fam ily talk."
Mary-Lynnette's hands clenched into fists.
Mark clutched at Jade, who pushed him awayslightly with her elbow. She was frowning. "I think maybe you'd better," she said.
"I'm not going to leave you."
Rowan bit her lip. "Mark ..."
"I'm not going. Don't try to protect me. He's not stupid, sooner or later he's going to find out that we know about the Night World."
Rowan drew in her breath involuntarily. Kestrel's expression never changed, but her muscles. tensed as if for a fight. Jade's eyes went silver. Mary-Lynnette sat very still.
They all looked at Ash. Ash looked heavenward.
"I know you know," he said with deadly patience."I'm trying to get you out, you poor sap, before I find out how much you know."
The sisters stared. Mary-Lynnette opened hermouth and then shut it again.
"I thought you didn't like humans," Mark said. "I don't; I hate them," Ash said with brittle cheer.
"Then why would you want to cut me a break?""Because if I kill you, I have to kill your sister,"
Ash informed him, with a smile that would have fit in perfectly at the Mad Hatter's tea party.
"So what; she kicked you."
Ash stopped tossing answers back like footballs.
"Yeah, well, I may change my mind any minute." "No, wait, " Jade said. She was sitting with legs folded under her, staring at her brother fiercely.
"This is just too weird. Why would you care whathappens to a human?"
Ash didn't say anything. He looked at the fire place bitterly.
It was Rowan who said softly, "Because they're soulmates."
An instant of silence, then everybody started talking explosively.
"They're what? You mean, like what Jade and Iare?"
"Oh, Ash, this is rich. I just wish our father were here to see this."
"It is not my fault, "Mary-Lynnette said. She found everyone turning toward her, and realized that her eyes were full.
Rowan leaned across Kestrel to put her hand on Mary-Lynnette's arm.
"You mean it's really true?Mark said, looking from Mary-Lynnette to Ash.
"It's true. I guess. I don't know what it's supposed to be like," Mary-Lynnette said, concentrating on making the tears go away.
"It's true," Ash said moodily. "It doesn't meanwe're going todo anything about it."
"Oh, you've got that right," Mary-Lynnette said. She was glad to be angry again.
"So let's all just pick up our toys and go home,"Ash said in the general direction of his sisters.
"We'llforget all about this; we'll just agree that it neverhappened."
Rowan was watching him, shaking her head slightly.There were tears in her eyes, but she was smiling.
"I never thought I'd hear you say something likethat," she said. "You've changed so much-I can't believe it."
"I can't believe it, either," Ash said bleakly. "Maybe it's a dream."
"But you have to admit now that humans aren'tvermin. You couldn't be soulmates with vermin."
"Yes. Fine. Humans are terrific. We all agree; nowlet's go home."
"When we were kids, you were like this," Rowan said. "Before you started acting like you were better than everyone. I always knew a lot of that was just show. To hide how scared you were. And I always knew you didn't really believe a lot of the horriblestuff you said. Somewhere inside, you're still that nice little kid, Ash."
Ash produced his first really flashingsmile of theevening. "Don't bet on it."
Mary-Lynnette had listened to all this feeling shakier and shakier. To conceal it, she said to Rowan, "I
don't think your aunt thought so."
Ash sat up. "Hey, where is the old hag, anyway?I need to have a talk with her before we leave."
This silence seemed endless.
"Ash ... don't you know?" Rowan said.
"Of course he knows. Ten to one, he did it," Kestrel said.
"What is it that I'm supposed to know?" Ash said, with every sign of being about to lose his patience.
"Your aunt's dead," Mark told him.
"Somebody staked her," Jade added.
Ash looked around the room. His expression said he suspected it was a practical joke. Oh, God, Mary Lynnette thought numbly, when he's startled and bewildered like that he looks so young. Vulnerable.
Almost human.
"Somebody ... murdered ... Aunt Opal. That's what you're telling me?"
"Are you telling us that you don't know?" Kestrel asked. "What have you beendoing all night, Ash?"
"Banging my head against a rock," Ash said. "Thenlooking for you. When I walked in you were talking about me."
"And you didn't run across any livestock tonight?Any-let's say-goats?"
Ash gave her a long, incredulous look. "I fed, if that's what you're asking. Not on a goat.Whatdoes this have to do with Aunt Opal?"
"I think we'd better show him," Rowan said.
She was the one who got up and lifted the fold ofrug away from the goat. Ash walked around thecouch to see what she was doing. Mary-Lynnette turned to watch his face.