“I can’t Change into that form now—I’ve tried.Neither can Lee or Jason.I think the potion we took might be wearing off.You managed to pull it out of us that night at HQ, but what happens if that doesn’t work next time?What happens when—”
“When you’re the same as the rest of Fireborn?”
“The rest of club old ass, you mean?”he said bitterly, and I vaguely remembered Lee saying something like that in my “dream.”
“Lee’s worried that all the new arrivals are going to water down the clan, isn’t he?”I said, trying to remember.“Make us be seen as weak, or a laughingstock.”
Noah blinked.“How did you know that?”
I brushed it aside because I didn’t fully understand it myself.“It’s obvious.And it’s not going to be like that.Those with skills will get a chance to use them.Those without…” I shrugged.“We’ll find a place where they fit.”
“And if they don’t fit anywhere?”
I started to answer, but then slowed down and took my time because the look in his eyes said that this was important.
“Well, not everyone is a young, fit fighter,” I said, “with a good intellect and plenty of years to use those gifts on behalf of the clan.But that doesn’t make them useless.With so many people, though, we’re going to need to get organized.We probably should find some lieutenants to help with all the new arrivals.”
“Lieutenants?”
“Yeah, Cyrus and I are discussing it.”Or we would be when I could corner him long enough.“I mean, we’re not a small clan anymore.We can’t be this slipshod forever.”
“We’re—” he stopped as though that hadn’t occurred to him.“We’re not, are we?”
“No.I mean, we’re not one of the big boys, but we’re not tiny, and many of those new arrivals have knowledge and skills to pass on, some with years of experience.”
“Welders.”
“What?”
“Sienna—she was asking for welders.For some of the crazy shit they’re building out at Wolf’s Head.She had some volunteers from the old guys.”
“I bet.Plenty of Weres like to work with their hands.Who knows what else they might be able to contribute?If only we had someone to take on the duty of talking to them and figuring out what we’re working with…”
Noah was trying to look superior, and like he knew what I was doing, but eagerness was overwriting it.But he got it under control.“I thought Dave was doing that?”he said diffidently.
“Dave was helping us get names and basic background info, enough to satisfy Sienna.But he wasn’t doing anything in depth, and he’s got his own job to get back to.He can’t work with us forever, and anyway, he’s not clan.The new guys are never going to open up to him like they would one of our own.
“Or two,” I added, because I’d just noticed Lee listening from outside the window.
“Two?”Noah looked at me and then followed my gaze to where a dreadlocked head was sitting at the cheery little table with the red umbrella, trying to look like he wasn’t eavesdropping.“Lee!Get your ass in here!”
Lee came in, but he didn’t look ashamed to have been caught.He also didn’t look happy.“You want me to believe you wanna make me a lieutenant?”he challenged.And itwasa challenge.His chin was up, and his eyes were narrowed.
“I want to try you out, see what you’ve got.”I sat back and regarded him until he grew uncomfortable.It didn’t take long.
“Why?”
“Yeah,” Noah said.“Out of everybody, why us?”
“Why not you?”I asked.
“I thought… I dunno.You might assign that job to Sophie or something.She bosses everybody around anyway.”
“The job of a lieutenant isn’t to boss people around.It’s to handle a specific job that Cyrus and I don’t have time for.And wolves are more likely to get the answers we need.”
“Not good enough!”That was Lee.The tone would have put my back up, except for the expression in the eyes.He badly wanted to know why I’d bother.He wanted to know what value I saw in him when he didn’t see any in himself.
I thought about it, because I knew why I’d picked Noah, but Lee… Frankly, he wouldn’t have been a top choice.He was smart and brave, but hotheaded, and that temper often overruled his good sense.He was also as prickly as they came, quick to take offense and to square up with people, including those in his own clan.And he was wounded in ways that even Weres found tough to heal, more than he let on, I suspected.
