“—surprised you’re not with him now,” Rhamp was saying. “Or did he decide he needed his sleep. Like humans do.”
She refocused on her brother. His eyes were spitting anger, and his black hair was all messed up, as if he’d pulled at it in frustration. His big fighter’s body was dressed at the midpoint between casual and field-ready: There was still a lot of black, and she didn’t doubt that there were plenty of weapons under his loose Adidas track suit, but there were no obvious daggers, no shitkickers.
He’d come for a party, yet he wasn’t inebriated, and he sure as hell wasn’t relaxed. She looked back at Shuli and L.W., and wondered what was going on between the three of them. As a twin, she’d always had a knack for knowing what her brother was thinking. Maybe not specifics… but she could sense his mood.
And this wasn’t about theirgranmahmenor even about the fighting at Dev’s. It wasn’t even about Dev—that was just a distraction to piss her off and keep her from asking too many questions that were too close to the real issue.
“What’s going on here,” she repeated softly.
Rhamp’s face went full mask and he took her arm. “Nothing that involves you. Now go—”
The fact that he was trying to process her like a problem brought the anger back. “Okay, fine, I’ll get someone else to teach me how to shoot—”
Instantly the TV was muted, and as her brother spun her around, both L.W. and Shuli sat up on the bed and leaned around the TV again.
“What did you say?” Rhamp demanded.
“You heard me.” Lyric made sure to meet those stares without flinching or apology. “I want to learn how to handle a gun.”
“Why do you need to know how to shoot.”
Lyric narrowed her eyes and thought of the woman in the purple dress. “I want to learn how to fight. In the war.”
There was a pause, and then her brother threw his head back and laughed.
Okay, so maybe Valentina hadn’t had a point about going to her brother.
“I’m serious!” And she wasnotgoing to demean herself by stamping her foot. But holy shit, she suddenly wanted to punch a wall. “Do you think I enjoyed being on the sidelines while you all got shot up behind that apartment building? I might have been able to help—”
Rhamp’s head re-leveled with a snap. “No. Absolutelyno. You’re going to cut this shit out, right now. You arenotthe kind of person who can handle the field—”
“How do you know? When you guys started in the training program, I’ll bet you had to learn a lot. And practice. Why can’t it be the same for me?”
“Really.” As the others stayed silent, her brother narrowed his stare at her. “After the way you’ve spent the last ten years? You have toaskthat.”
“There are females who can fight.”
“And they’re not Barbie, okay? They’re not you.”
As Lyric blanched at the dismissal, she opened her mouth to respond. Shut it. Tried again.
“I didn’t know you had so little respect for me,” she said in a voice that cracked. “Hell, I’m surprised you’re not embarrassed to claim me as your sister.”
Rhamp tossed up his hands. “I didn’t mean it like that—”
“I think you did.” As her eyes flooded with tears, she slashed at them angrily. “And I’m glad to know where I stand with you. I won’t bother you again—”
Her phone went off at the same time her brother’s did.
As they both took their cells out and Rhamp glanced at her with alarm, she knew this could only mean one thing.
She answered Qhuinn’s call at the same time her brother answered Blay’s.
“We’re coming,” she choked out before their sire even said a word. “Rhamp’s here with me, and we’re coming right now.”
When she hung up, Rhamp stepped to her. “Are you okay to dematerialize or should I drive you.”
His voice was the same, and so were the features of his face—and his height and muscularity, too. The offer to make sure she was okay was also right up his alley, and before, the gallantry had always seemed a reflection of his good character. Now?
