“Perhaps I should go back to my cell,” Viève said in a small voice.

“If they’ll have you. Better to stay here where no one knows any better,” Felix said. “But if this peace is going to work, having a half-breed around won’t do you any favors,” he said to Jackson. “A lot of Wraiths will be offended.”

“Then they can go home,” Jackson said firmly. “We don’t need that kind of prejudice around here. We all accept one another. You better start doing the same or you can leave too. Viève belongs here. We like her just fine.”

Viève felt as though the whole world had suddenly brightened around her. Her heart swelled in her chest, and she had to take a deep breath. She had never had anyone stand up for her before. No one except Kamen. Now here was Jackson standing up for her and she hadn’t even done anything for him. Except be instrumental in breaking the curse. She had to give herself credit for that. She didn’t see Felix being the sort who would readily give himself over to the ceremony that had broken the curse.

But still, Jackson had said that he accepted her. Liked her. It was more than she’d ever gotten before. Maybe…maybe she had done something to deserve that. She had fit in with these people really well. She didn’t see Felix being able to do the same. In that she had advantage over him.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Felix said.

Kamen came back through the door and closed it behind him.

“He’s resting. I need to stay here. Some of his wounds have reopened. He will need a healing spell to close them.”

“I thought you were too tired to do more magic,” Felix asked suspiciously.

Kamen took the observation in stride. “The streak is far more taxing than a healing spell.”

“Well, make sure you get plenty of rest. I expect you to go back for more Wraiths tomorrow.”

“We will see about that,” Jackson said with a frown. “Space here is limited. There are a lot of people here.”

“I suggest you make room. You are going to need an army against Apep. All I see now is a piddly little cell of misfits.”

“These misfits can do a lot of damage,” Jackson said.

“Against what? Against each other? I saw the games you were playing. That is nothing like what the real thing will be. Apep laid waste to continents the last time he was incarnated into mortal form.”

“He hasn’t had time to grow that strong. Unless he gets the Wraiths to fight on his side, all he has are Templars and maybe a few misguided humans. The Templars are only a few hundred strong.”

“Well then, I suggest you keep us happy,” Felix said with a grin that bared his teeth. “You wouldn’t want us changing our minds.”

“Do that and it will go ill for you,” Kamen said ominously. “Not only will you be subject to the whims of a maniac, you’ll have made an enemy of every other Nightwalker breed there is. And there’s a lot of us.”

Felix took that in for a moment, sucking his teeth briefly. “Where will I be staying?” he asked finally.

“I will show you the way,” Jackson said, leading Felix down the hall toward one of the back bedrooms. Marissa followed and Kamen and Viève stayed behind.

“I was wrong,” Viève said in a small voice.

“About what?”

“We can’t trust them. We can’t forgive them.”

Kamen put an arm around her shoulders and drew her into his body for a hard hug. He kissed her against her temple. It was practically affection in public, something he had not done before then. It made her flush.

“Maybe not. You have to give them a chance though. Just like you’ve given me a chance.”

“I don’t see how such closed-minded people can possibly fit in well with such diversity,” she said.

“It is true, they are very closed-minded. I especially don’t like his treatment of you. But they will have to play by our rules or find themselves facing Apep’s wrath alone. And believe me, when he hears the Wraiths will have nothing to do with him, he will be feeling a great deal of wrath.”

He began to lead her down the hall toward their rooms. “Now I want you to stay in our rooms until I am through healing the Shadowdweller. This last time should be enough.”

“It sounded much worse when you…”

“A little bit of creative truth telling,” he said. “I don’t want him to think he can have his way in everything the moment he demands it. He has to answer to the needs of the household just like anyone else does; that means respecting the wishes and situations of others. Never fear, we will have him well trained before long.”

She gave him a doubtful frown. He laughed at her. “Don’t you trust me?” he asked.

“I don’t trust him.”

“You’ve made that very clear. But don’t let the personal pain you feel color your judgment. He needs to be assessed as an asset to this situation, not based on how he and his race treat their half-breeds. One is certainly telling of the other, but it’s not the whole story. That being said, I don’t want you alone in the same room with him.”

“You don’t trust me with him?”

“I don’t want him to have the opportunity to spew poison at you,” Kamen said firmly. “You’ve heard more than enough of it throughout your lifetime and I won’t have you hearing any of it here. If he is an indication of how the others in your cell treated you…”

“He is exactly how the others treated me,” she told him.

“Then I am glad you are here. Glad it was you I ran into outside of your cell that night. On so many levels and for so many reasons, I am glad.”

Warmth infused her. She smiled at him. “I am glad too. More than you’ll ever know. If I’d had any idea what kind of an adventure I’d be going on…well, I don’t know if I would’ve been brave enough to embark on it knowing it was coming. But I’m glad it happened as it did. I’ve never met anyone like you before. No one’s ever treated me the way you do.”

He stopped before their bedroom door and turned her toward himself, reaching to brush warm fingers along her jawline. “And no one’s ever treated me the way you do. Even when I had a position of power and respect, no one was ever warm and kind to me just for being myself. And I was never able to be myself around anyone then. Not even with Odjit. She was a draining personality. She always wanted more. Even when I had already given her everything. You…you seem content with whatever I give you. This is a flaw of your self-worth, but at the same time it is somewhat relaxing to know you expect nothing of me.”