“I would have already if I thought it would do any good.”
I exhaled. “I’ll go talk to Silk.”
As I turned, he grabbed my arm and wheeled me around. “You want to tell me why you did it? This is on me. I told her she could trust you.”
I’d thought he trusted me—and that he was angry because I wouldn’t do anything after I admitted I knew she hadn’t killed herself. It was much worse than I’d imagined.
With fierce resolve, I broke his hold on me. “You want to fight this out? I didn’t do anything. If someone found out her secret, it wasn’t through me.”
His black eyes studied me. “You willing to take a blood oath on that?”
“Get your knife.”
For obvious reasons, we couldn’t do this in the hallway, so he dragged me off toward the hall we used for ceremonies. That was fitting enough, and nobody would bother us. Once we arrived, he produced his dagger and offered it to me.
I cut a line on my palm and spoke the words. “On my blood, I swear I had nothing to do with Banner’s death. May it boil in my veins if I speak untruth.”
Fade watched me as if he expected it to happen, no matter what I said. He didn’t relax until I handed back the blade. I curled my fingers in as if I could trap the blood. Instead it trickled out between my fingers.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “She was my only friend, and I needed someone to blame.”
After our trip to Nassau, I’d thought we were friends. But I didn’t let on that his words bit deep. I kept my face blank. “Maybe I’d feel the same if it had been Thimble or Stone.”
“He’s that big Breeder I sometimes see you with.”
“Probably.”
He hesitated. “I never had a partner pay this much attention to me before.”
That made me feel I’d overstepped. He’d had two before me, so he knew better than I did what constituted normal behavior. Maybe I watched him too closely. It was unsuitable, and Silk would demote me to Breeder if she ever found out.
“I should get back,” I muttered.
“Not yet.” In an unspeakable liberty, he snatched the tie from my hair, so it spilled around my face.
“Why did you do that?” My breath caught when he brushed the strands around my face just so. Touching me. We were on shaky ground here. If someone saw us—
“I wanted to see what you’d look like.”
Back off, I told myself. Walk away now. Instead I froze, gazing up into his impossibly dark eyes.
He bent his head and brushed my lips with his. His hair spilled against my forehead, sleek and startling. Shock held me immobile, shock—and something else. Part of me wanted to lean into him. I shouldn’t want that. A Huntress wouldn’t. Shame, confusion, and longing warred for dominance. Against my better judgment, I let my brow graze his jaw, just a whisper of heat, wrapped around me like a pair of arms. And then I drew back.
“What are you doing?” I demanded.
“Apologizing. I missed you, Deuce. I’m sorry I doubted you.”
Maybe the kiss didn’t mean anything. Maybe it was just an apology, like he said. “Accepted. But if you ever misjudge me like that again—”
“Got it.” He smiled. “Now come on. We’re missing all the fun.”
To my surprise, he took my hand and led me back to the dancing. As a brat, this wasn’t something I’d ever done, but I learned the rhythm easily enough. They circled in a long progression, and the two of us joined at the end. Fade let go of me after the second circuit, carried away by well-wishers.
I danced until I had no breath left. A brat tapped me on the arm. When I turned, I recognized one of the younger ones. She’d joked with me in the kitchen a while back, and I’d shared dorm space with her until my naming day. Her small, dirty face reflected the same kind of admiration I’d felt. I remembered her number too.
Her eyes lit when I said, “What’s up, Twenty-six?”
“Do you think I could ever learn to fight like you?”
“If you work hard and don’t skip lessons, I think you could.”
She confided, “I don’t want to be a yucky old Breeder.”
“I don’t blame you. You can do it, if you want it enough.” Once, those words would’ve meant the world to me. The new bloods were busy trying to impress the older ones, and experienced Hunters had no time for brats.
After 26 ran off, I followed the other Hunters back to the section of the warren they’d appropriated as their own. Nobody else dared come in here. I’d never even been in here, as a matter of fact, although I could have. Torches lit the darkness and the Builders, understanding our importance, had filled the space with proper chairs and cushions. This was the nicest section of the enclave by far, even better than what I’d seen of the elders’ area—unless they had hidden comforts.
Making sure not to look at Fade, I sat down beside Crane, who flashed me a grin. “No hard feelings, new blood?”
“No,” I said, smiling back.
They dealt me into a game they were playing, and I basked in the simple pleasure of being one of them. Deuce. Huntress. This was the best day of my life.
Countless hours later, Silk tugged me aside, wearing a smile. “You’re welcome.”
“Thank you,” I said. I didn’t ask what I was thanking her for. It only mattered that I spoke the words.
“I run them.” She gestured all the assembled Hunters, who had surrounded Fade to congratulate him. “I told them the two of you are forgiven and part of the team again—that you’ve done your penance, and I don’t expect any more trouble out of you.” She paused. “I won’t get any, will I?”
Ah. I got it now. She wanted me to know Fade had been accepted, because she ordered it, and if I enjoyed the pleasure of being a Hunter, it was only because of her. Which meant I wasn’t to spout off about Nassau or the Freaks or the Burrowers, if I wanted to enjoy such simple things. My job wasn’t to think or to plan. I was a Huntress—and new blood at that. Leave the important stuff to the elders. The more I got to know Silk, outside of the hero worship that lasted through my brat-hood, the less I liked her. But maybe she had to be this way to keep everyone in line.
I shook my head. “We’ll follow orders, sir.”
Sacrifice