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officially.
    Now wasn’t the time to do that.
    Zoba had regained a little strength and managed to clamber onto the lower bed himself. I grabbed the top rail for balance, not lifting my head to see if Rex and Senobia were gawking at me like I figured they were, and said without turning, “Get out.”
    “Not until I check on my brother.”
    At least Denei didn’t sound angry anymore. But her gentled tone did nothing to cool my burning blood. Zoba was too out of it to pay attention to what was under my shirt—but the rest of them weren’t. “Goddamn it, get out ,” I snarled. “Or turn away, until I can get in the bathroom. By the way, thanks for dragging me fifteen hundred miles away from home with nothing but the clothes on my back, in the middle of winter.”
    “Gideon…”
    That was Reun. All choked up, like he was about to be sympathetic. “Not a word from anyone. I mean it,” I said. “Just shut up and back off.”
    I couldn’t help it. Even if I wasn’t already furious at them, I would’ve reacted like this. All the cover-up tattoos in the world couldn’t hide what the Valentines had done to me over the years—and I hated people staring at me like I was something to be pitied. I didn’t need any reminders to know how awful I looked.
    After a silent ten-count, I turned and stalked back to the bathroom. No one looked at me on the way.
    Not good enough. The damage was already done.
     
     

C HAPTER 8

     
    M uch as I wanted to at that point, I couldn’t spend the next twenty-four hours locked in the bathroom. Especially since it didn’t stay as locked as I would’ve liked. I took a few minutes to pull myself together, then put my damp shirt on and went back out.
    Reun and the middle pair of Duchenes had left the suite, and the younger ones were either asleep or feigning it. Denei was kneeling beside Zoba’s bunk, talking to him in low tones. She wiped her face quickly before she turned to look at me. “I really am sorry—”
    “Just don’t. Please.” I was too exhausted to fend off attempts to interrogate me about the scars, and too angry for sympathy, no matter how well-intentioned. I reclaimed my chair and breathed out slowly. Time to change the subject. “Is he gonna be okay?” I said. “I mean, that looked like straight-up blood in there. Don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone vomit blood, and I was a paramedic.”
    Denei shook her head. “It’s the ver-géant making him sick. He’ll suffer until we get to Legba. And if that ain’t soon…” She broke off with a shudder. “I would’ve told you all this before,” she said. “Would’ve asked for help, instead of doin’ this to you. But I knew that brother of yours must’ve warned you off us, and…well, we jes’ didn’t have time to convince you. When Papa Legba summons, you’ve got two days to report.”
    “And if you don’t?”
    Her features darkened. “Then he collects his final payment.”
    Great. I hated this guy already—and that just went a long way toward cooling my anger. At least about being kidnapped. Maybe I wouldn’t have agreed in time, since both Taeral and Sadie’s warnings had been pretty damned terrifying. But I still would’ve rather had a choice in the matter.
    And I could definitely do without dying if I failed.
    Denei rose and swayed with the train. “Zoba wants to tell you what happened to him last time,” she said. “Thinks you can handle it, on account of your…misfortune. He wasn’t sure before now.”
    I bit back a grimace. Guess he wasn’t as out of it as I’d thought. “That’s got nothing to do with anything,” I said. “And I’m pretty sure he can’t tell me shit, since he can’t talk. How does he talk to you, anyway? I always wondered about that.”
    “We’re linked.” She tapped a temple. “Him and me, Isalie and Bastien, Senobia and Rex. We come in pairs, y’might say.” The ghost of a smile traced her lips as she looked down at her brother. “Our bonds don’t turn