There were people waiting at the edge of the rotor backwash, holding their hats on if they had them. I didn’t recognize anyone. I was getting used to that, but it didn’t make me feel any more secure. My eyes skipped over them, looking for David, but he wasn’t there.
And then my eyes moved back, because while I didn’t recognize the tall black woman standing with her arms folded, staring at me, there was something familiar about her. She was striking. Her features were sharply patrician, her hair worn in a multitude of small braids, each one fastened by colorful beads. She wasn’t trying to hide; that was obvious. She was wearing neon yellow, even down to the long, polished fingernails.
She disdained coats.
And her eyes, even at the distance of fifteen feet, flashed with a color that didn’t look real, or human.
So, she was like David. A Djinn.
As we disembarked I poked Lewis in the side, avoiding his sore ribs, and nodded toward her. He looked a little less angry. “Rahel,” he said. “She’s-”
“Djinn,” I said. “Yeah, I figured that. Friend or foe?”
“Depends on her mood.”
“Wonderful.”
Lewis turned to face me, blocking my path. “Jo…be careful,” he said. “I wanted to keep you safe and out of the way until we were sure we understood what was going on. I can’t do that now.” He nodded toward the assembled people. “Most of them are Wardens. That doesn’t necessarily make them on your side,” he said. “That’s Paul; he’s a friend. When we get to the group, stick with him if I have to take off for any reason. Paul will look after you.”
I nodded. “Anyone else I can trust?”
“That’s Marion.” He nodded toward a woman in a wheelchair with long, gray-streaked blue-black hair worn in a thick braid. “I’d trust her with my life. In fact, I have. I’m going to hand Kevin off to her for-”
“No,” Kevin said flatly. His face was chalk-pale, but his eyes were angry. “No way. I’m not going anywhere.”
Lewis sighed. “You’re not in any shape to-”
“I’m not some baby,” Kevin said. “I’m not gonna drop dead because I find out it’s a cold, hard world out here. Fuck off, man. Nobody messes with my head. Especially not her.”
“Sure, big guy. Only if you can stand on your own,” Lewis said, and stepped away from him.
Kevin wavered, stumbled a little, glared, and stood on his own two feet.
Barely. But he managed.
“Well, guess you’re stuck with him now,” I murmured. Lewis snorted, with a sharp edge of annoyance. “Couple of things before this gets crazy. First: Have you ever seen a Demon?”
“Yes,” Lewis said. His eyes went distant and dark. “Why?”
“What should I be looking for?” And does it just automatically look like the person who’s seen it? Please tell me that’s the case.
“Usually they look like smears, dark shadows, but they can appear to be anything.”
“Human?” I hazarded.
He frowned. “Doubt it,” he said. “They can inhabit a human, but if they can assume a semblance, I’ve never heard of it. Why?”
I shrugged. Shrugs were fine things for avoiding issues. “Second thing: Do you think I can do what I did with Cherise-that memory thing-with other people?”
Lewis looked toward me sharply. “From them to you? I wouldn’t try it. What you did was…wrong, Jo. You shouldn’t have been able to, in the first place, and I’ve got no idea how it happened. Earth Warden skills take years of training, even for the basics. What you’re trying to do…no. I wouldn’t.”
We didn’t have time for anything else. The Wardens, tired of waiting for us to come to them, were heading our way.
I was about to meet the family, and I was pretty sure I wasn’t ready.
“Joanne’s okay,” Lewis said loudly. A preemptive strike that halted at least four of them who had opened their mouths to comment or ask questions. “She’s been through some trauma, and her memory’s a little shaky right now, but she’s going to be fine. So give her some room, guys.”
At least half of them looked irritated, and I wondered why. Maybe they hadn’t wanted me to be found at all, or if so, maybe they’d expected me to be up to full strength and ready to dive right in to pull my share of the load. Hard to tell.
The Djinn, Rahel, had moved closer, too, and now those eyes were just plain eerie. A hot, metallic gold, with flecks of brass. Predatory eyes. She slowly drummed her neon-colored talons along her folded arms, and I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
Marion, in the wheelchair, was easier to read. She looked worried. And contemplative. And from the unfocused way she was examining me, she was doing that aetheric vision thing.
“Joanne,” she said. She was the first to smile at me. “It’s so good to see you safe.” She held out her hand, and I shot Lewis a nervous glance. He nodded, so I took it and shook. Her skin felt warm, her grip firm. Her dark eyes held mine steadily. “I see you’ve had some hard times, but so have we all. It’s good you’re back with us again. We can use your strength.”
It was, at the very least, a public endorsement. Probably more than I could reasonably ask for. “Thanks,” I said. I had the feeling that I might not have been a friend, but at least there was respect between us. Respect, I could return. The others standing around were regarding me with varying expressions of wariness or hope, neither of which made me feel any too secure.
Marion’s attention slid past me to focus on Kevin, and her expression changed to concern. “My God, Lewis, what happened to the boy? No, never mind. Not here. Let’s get him to the clinic.” Her eyes passed over Cherise, then came back, and she frowned, puzzled. She looked sharply at Lewis, an open question on her face, and he shook his head.
“Later,” he said.
She pressed controls and wheeled the chair in a tight circle, leading the way to a small parked caravan of plain black sedans and vans. I started to follow.
The guy Lewis had pointed out as Paul caught my arm in a big, square hand and dragged me to a stop. “Not so fast, babe,” he rumbled. He had an East Coast accent, maybe Jersey, if I had to guess. Olive-toned skin, dark hair with flecks of gray, dark stubble showing even though I was sure he’d freshly shaved. “No welcome for me?”
“Paul,” I said, and he hugged me. Full-body. “Um, hi.” I resisted an urge to struggle, because he seemed to want to hold on a little too long for comfort.
“Kid, I thought you were gone,” he murmured, lips close to my ear. “Don’t do that again, all right? You’ve given me plenty enough heart attacks already.” And then he pecked me on the cheek and backed away. The way he looked at me, I wondered…No, surely not. Surely I hadn’t slept with every guy I knew.
“I-I’ll try to be more careful,” I said. Awkward. I didn’t know where I stood with this guy-kissing-close, obviously, but not much else. He was a little intimidating up close, which was funny, since I’d been spending time with Lewis and David, guys who defined intimidating. I swallowed and forced a smile. “I need to go with…” I mimed following Lewis. Paul studied me for a second, brows pulling together in a frown, and let go.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “I was hoping…Yeah. You probably should get yourself looked at, too. Call when you’re done, okay? We got to talk. Things to work out.”
I nodded, kept the smile going, and walked quickly after Lewis, who was helping Kevin and Cherise into the black cargo van, the one with the Handi-Lift on the back that was already lowering for Marion’s wheelchair.