James' and my plan worked perfectly, executed perfectly thanks to our silent communication. My lessons with Katz had clearly helped my ability to focus my Gift. At least when I knew to try. I still felt a lump in my throat when I thought back to the memories Malachi had been able to push on me in the forest. I shook the thought from my mind. That had been a loss, but this was a win. A big one.

I was nervous about trying to use my Sign, making sure Malachi couldn't choke James, but my Pair's calm mind had reminded me that the collar wouldn't let Malachi kill him, so even if my control slipped, he would be safe. I ordered my Air to listen and sent it to his lungs, his throat. And it had worked. Though my own chest, tight with anxiety, had trouble getting breath in. Pulling Malachi's emotions had come more as an experiment, one that James encouraged as soon as I told him I had taken Kael's sadness, some of it, after Ambriel. I had thought it was just my Pair I could share emotions with, help shoulder burdens for, but now it seemed I had yet another Gift, the inverse of Malachi's.

His reaction to me taking his anger, his shield, revealing the fear-turned-panic underneath was something I hadn't expected. I was only trying to see if I could get him to open up, to be honest. I would have stopped, given him back the wrath he apparently so desperately needed, but James directed me not to. And ultimately he had been right, we got the answer we wanted, even if I felt disgusted with myself for making Malachi suffer whatever his episode had been.

Once he left, James slowly approached, watching his footsteps as he thought, his dark hair hanging down in front of his eyes.

"You still mad at me?"

He sounded as sheepish as a wolf could.

"We have bigger issues," I said, not fully willing to let him off the hook just yet.

"Fair enough."

He remained silent and I knew he was waiting for me to speak, a small submission meant to make my anger ebb further.

"The Grayson plan was stupid you know."

"I know."

"And you should have told me."

"I know."

"And Malachi was right, your matching collars aren't friendship bracelets."

"I know. You done yet?"

I glared at him and he held my eyes.

"Fine. Which hurdle next: Chi's Clan, Abby and the prophecy, or Malachi and - whatever that was? Do we still have training sessions? Will Kael and Nev? Or Chi? What do we even do now? Next? How can we find your father?"

I tried to stop my questions from overflowing, but there were so many, always so much to wade through. Too much. I snapped my mouth shut before a dozen more questions could pile up.

"Let's give Malachi time. Chi too. I think Abby owes us some information, the prophecy is most important."

"You just killed his friend. Maybe give him some time too."

James' jaw tightened, and I saw his shoulders rising and falling as he calmed himself, pulling in deep breaths.

"So, everyone is mad at us or needs space from us. Perfect."

"Go eat, train with Kael and Nevaeh. Maybe find one of our tutors. Then eat more. I'm going to go see Chi. I can't keep avoiding them. If they haven't forgiven me in the past weeks, they won't just because I give them one more day."

James nodded, his eyes still on the ground, the muscles in his cheek working over and over as he considered something. Then he leaned in, pressed a chaste kiss to my temple, and strode away. I was so surprised I stayed frozen, looking into the mess of a gym blankly. Finally, I turned to watch him disappear around the hallway corner, still feeling where his lips had been, a pleasant burn radiating up into my hairline.

» ✦ «

Only a few minutes after leaving the gym, and smothering the humiliation and swirl of other emotions from whatever had just happened, I was already spitting blood onto the pretty rugs covering every inch of the hallway, a rib lodged somewhere severely unnatural. In the Darke house, I would have to bring forward a good reason I needed a heal, a reason I couldn't continue training or finish a job without one, and even then I usually had to wait, to 'feel my mistake'. But I wasn't in the Darke house and it was easy to get back to where the power-sucking, forest-eyed healer stayed. Abby kept our whole misfit group in one long hallway, the jackpot for when my master eventually got in.

One knock in, the door swung open and I was met by distinctly disappointed eyes.

"Are you here to come onto me again?" He said in a bored tone. It seemed 'unimpressed' was his usual mask, which was only slightly less grating than Gabriel's amused, apathetic, or superior ones.

"Ribs. Do your job, mage."

Talking was beginning to pinch, as was breathing. Jordan had a powerful kick when she wasn't holding back or hiding from her second Shift. I spit blood onto the threshold of the healer's door for emphasis.

"Do I hear a please?"

He continued to look unimpressed as he leaned on his door jam, the perfect picture of nonchalance, though he was talking to the creature with the highest body count in the Vault.

"Oh, is that your kink? Well okay then - please, sir."

I couldn't help myself, and leaned forward as I bowed my head until I could look up through my lashes at the slightly shorter man. He was so fun to toy with, to try to get anything but that bored look to show for a blink. It worked as his face tightened. I smiled and straightened.

"Gross. You know, I greatly dislike you, like, to your very core."

I chuckled, which sent a line of fire up my side. "Join the club, twinkie."

The healer paused, his eyes narrowing slightly before he shrugged and spoke.

"You could change that, you know."

"My god, does everyone here feel the need to constantly try and improve everyone else? Get into their business and help them 'better themselves' and shit? Isn't it exhausting? Maybe I like how I am."

I really was tired of the pristine facade everyone held up. Each patron of the Vault I had met so far, or at least the ones with any real position or power, were just as manipulative as I had expected, all pretending to be gracious and good and altruistic. It made me sick. No one was truly good, Humans and anything that came from them couldn't be. Everyone was self-serving deep down. I had learned that lesson enough times over to no longer even entertain the idea of doubting it.

The healer raised his hands in feigned defense at my reaction.

"I'm just saying, you're finally away from the Collector, maybe take advantage of it. Maybe try out a different persona, one that isn't such an unhinged, murderous asshole."

"What? Make some friends like summer camp? Makeout under the bleachers and promise to write? That's cute. But it would make my killing them in the near future much less enjoyable, so I'll pass." I sneered, wishing he would just get on with the healing so I could find a mess hall. I was hungry again.

"Whatever - I don't care what you do, it was just a suggestion from a far higher-functioning guy. You can keep on being a dick if you want, pushing everyone away with jabs or stabs or that weird flirty thing you do to make people uncomfortable. But it's easy to see through, that's all I'm saying."

I rolled my eyes, but really, I wasn't sure how to respond to that line of conversation. So, I didn't.

"Rib." I gestured down vaguely.

The mage paused for a second again, watching me with his shadowed-grass eyes before answering in a tired voice, almost sad, though his words didn't match his tone.

"It's already fixed, you analgesic psycho. Has been for a minute."

I flexed my abs and stomach and realized he was right.

"Oh. You're actually pretty good, fast."

"Would have been faster, but that was a bad one. Jordan roundhouse you?"

"Yes."

I wasn't sure if I should be embarrassed or not, but I was. I never got bested, let alone by some mercy-loving, soft Half like her. I doubted she had a ruthless bone in her body.

"She hit Parish once with that, in the jaw. I actually thought it was going to come clean off." He chuckled at the memory, still leaning in the doorway.

"I seriously doubt she hit him like she did me."

I heard my own voice pout. But this whole scene seemed strange to me. The mage was too relaxed, talking to me like some Human neighbor. God damn. Was no one afraid of me now? I suddenly felt the urge to yank on the cursed collar and scream. Even worse than the punishments was the fact I was essentially declawed and everyone knew it. What was the point of having all this power if no one cowered away from me because of it?

"Well. It's much easier to heal you than her old training tutors. You don't yelp and whine when I set bones at least." He continued casually, friendly.

"You set them?"

"Come on, man, one was floating around like a buoy. Another poked clean through your lung. How am I going to mend that without setting?"

He had a point. I was an uncommonly decent healer for a Fire, and I knew those breaks would have required some extensive setting. That wasn't what surprised me, it's that he could set them from where he stood, two feet away. Finally, I answered honestly, though I didn't know why I was continuing the conversation. Maybe I was bored too.

"I didn't know you could set bones without touching me."

"I'm highly motivated to not touch you."

I chuckled at that, glad the action didn't grind anymore.

"Ha, funny."

"Thank you?"

Another fleeting emotion passed over his face, surprise and confusion mixing momentarily.

"Just a compliment, calm down, mage."

"Are you actually coming onto me now?" His smile was less uneasy than expected, more teasing, cute.

"Don't flatter yourself. "

I shrugged, glad that didn't hurt anymore either.

The mage looked to be debating how to answer; insult, or joking, or cordial. I knew he had chosen the pleasant option even before he opened his mouth. He was being annoyingly polite.

"Let's just say I got a lot of in-depth practice in healing these last few weeks. After Jordan arrived, there was a dramatic uptick in both the magnitude and frequency of heals needed. Probably would have had to invite you in and prod around to set those ribs even a month ago. You should have seen it when James first arrived, they were like tomcats in some back alley. Would have been hilarious if it wasn't so sad...and if we weren't all waiting on the prophecy. Plus, I mean, he looked like a pile of bones. It was all pretty depressing actually, I guess. He looks better no-"

He was rambling and I cut him off.

"Why are you talking to me?"

He paused with his mouth still open, clearly planning on trudging on with his constant stream of words.

"Maybe I'm coming onto you now."

He joked, but there was something there, some cause I was missing. Then it dawned on me, so obvious I couldn't believe I hadn't realized it sooner. My social skills were lacking at best.

"I seriously doubt that. You haven't even invited me into your room yet."

I winked at him, running my tongue across my lips.

"Plus, you are carefully staying on your side of the threshold because you know I can't come in or touch you from here because I assume it makes you uncomfortable when I touch you. So no, clearly not flirting. But you do want your door open, so you can casually wait for someone."

I turned to look down the hallway, all for the theatrics of course. I already knew who it must be. But he was fun to play with, and I was bored, so I continued to bounce him.

"That's why you looked disappointed when you opened the door for me. Who were you hoping for? Ooh, Kael? He seems like a gracious lover, cuddly, you know? Would probably hold you after. Chimarah's sort of cute, kind of makes me feel like a pedo though. How old is she anyway? Is she just small, or is she young? Not really my type either way. Or Nevaeh. Mmh, the face on that one. I get the damaged-by-daddy vibe, but hey, aren't we al-"

"My god! Now I know how everyone feels when I don't shut up! I'm reading you, okay? Finding all the gaping cracks and broken parts and sharp edges in you, like healing but not for your body. And one - you are seriously fucked up, like monumentally, and two - I'm going to stop now because damn, you're annoying!"

And then there was a door in my face. And it was confirmed that it was Nevaeh he liked. How cute.

I didn't know about the reading, but I wouldn't be surprised if he had some secondary ability of healing. He was better than even the best my master had ever employed. Who knew what else the little Human could do.

I sauntered down the hall in search of food, and liquor if I was lucky.

» ✦ «

I must have felt emboldened from my conversation with James, or his kiss. And I  found myself at Chi's door, my knuckles to the wood before I had time to lose my nerve.

Spade opened it, barring my entry.

"Can Chi come out and play?"

I tried to channel James' mischievous tone, but I was nervous and I heard it in my voice. Not afraid for a fight, they weren't any threat to me even all together, but afraid for the guilt I knew I was walking into.

Spade stayed planted in my way, and I considered pushing him in with my Sign. But it was a short-lived thought. It was their choice if they spoke to me or not.

"Or can I come in?" I asked, slightly more politely.

"Why?"

I had forgotten how deep his voice was. How even though he wasn't wide, he could fill a doorway with his height.

"I want to talk."

"We don't want your apology."

"What do you want from me then?"

Ever the mirror to my Pair, I near-exactly repeated the line James had asked Malachi, over and over, just a few minutes earlier.

"Nothing."

"Then you wouldn't be here with us, at the Vault."

I saw a flash of anger cross Spade's usually stoic face, darkness spreading from his already black irises, like their color expanded for a moment before he reigned in his temper.

"If you've come to remind us that we need the protection of brutes, then you may leave now."

I looked down, ashamed. That wasn't what I had meant.

"You want to be safe, strong. You want to not have to rely on others like me. Let me see if I can help with that. I can see if Abby will help train you, find tutors for your skills and Signs. I hope you never have to fight, but being prepared is still wise."

Spade opened his mouth, presumably to reject my idea and tell me to leave again, but then a high voice called out from somewhere behind him.

"Let'er in."

I smiled despite myself and slipped past Spade, ducking under his arm and into the room. The whole Clan was there, though there was only one bed for Chi. I wondered if they didn't feel safe and wanted to all be together. Or if I was simply interrupting a meeting.

"Tell me more 'bout the trainers 'ere."