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To Joan’s alarm, Nick stepped forward to address Liam. ‘You’re worried because I’m human,’ he said seriously in his deep rumble. Joan swallowed hard. He didn’t know why they were actually concerned. ‘You don’t have to be scared, I swear. I’ll never tell anyone about this world. You don’t need to worry about humans finding out from me.’
‘Humans finding out?’ Liam repeated, incredulous.
Nick tilted his head. Had he understood the unspoken question in Liam’s words: You think that’s what we’re afraid of? Or had he seen what Joan had seen: the Lius flinching and drawing back as Nick had spoken.
‘You brought him to us?’ Liam said to Jamie. His voice was shaking now. ‘To our allies? What the hell, Jamie?’
‘Watch your tone,’ Tom growled, protective. He was frowning, though, with confusion. It seemed Jamie hadn’t told him about Nick yet. Tom didn’t understand why the Lius were reacting like this to a human in their presence.
‘Listen.’ Joan held up her hands. Was this about to turn violent? ‘I asked Jamie to bring him here, but that was clearly a mistake. I’m sorry. We’re going to leave right now.’
‘No.’ It was a new voice. A woman stood, rising from the group. Whoever she was, she garnered respect from both the Hathaways and the Lius. The room hushed in an instant. ‘You can stay,’ she said to Joan.
She was around thirty years old, Joan estimated, tall and Black, with narrow eyes. Standing, she had the straight-backed posture of a ballerina.
It took a long, long moment for Joan to place her; she’d been younger when Joan had known her. Then recognition hit, along with a vivid memory of the bee-sting pain of a needle. Of waking in a cell. Joan’s breath stopped. Her heart stopped.
‘Astrid?’
What was Astrid doing here? She and Joan had been friends last time—until Astrid had revealed herself to be one of Nick’s people. His right hand. When Joan had returned to Holland House, Astrid had captured her and thrown her into a cell.
Now, fear numbed Joan’s hands, her feet. She stared between Astrid and Nick. They’d fought side by side last time. Were they in this together again? Had all this been a plan to infiltrate the monster world? Were they about to kill everyone in this room?
And suddenly this place didn’t seem cosy; it seemed too small, too enclosed. An ideal location for a massacre.
But the gaze Nick returned remained guileless.
‘You remember me,’ Astrid said to Joan. ‘I wasn’t sure you would.’
And now confusion began to seep into Joan’s fear. How could Astrid be here? Astrid was human. Joan had met her as a volunteer at Holland House, and—like Nick—Astrid had turned out to be a monster slayer.
‘How do you know my cousin?’ Jamie said to Joan slowly.
‘Your cousin?’ Joan felt her mouth drop open. At Holland House, Astrid had gone by Astrid Chen. Now, Joan felt out a new name. ‘Astrid Liu?’
‘Yes, Joan,’ Astrid said with weighted patience, as if she’d expected Joan to have been quicker on the uptake. She addressed the others. ‘Find rooms for them. While you do that, Joan and I are going to talk.’
Joan glanced back at Nick. He looked bewildered. He didn’t know Astrid any more than he’d known Joan.
‘How do you know my cousin?’ Jamie whispered to Joan again. ‘She’s an important person—a future head of family.’
A head of family? Joan shook her head slightly, trying to take that in too. What was going on here? Why would a head of the Liu family have fought on Nick’s side last time? It didn’t make sense. Why did she want to talk to Joan now?
‘It’s all right, Joan,’ Astrid said. ‘No harm will come to any of you here. You have my word.’
‘Define harm,’ Joan said.
The corners of Astrid’s eyes creased, although her mouth didn’t move. Joan was reminded of the way Ying Liu smiled. Astrid raised her voice. ‘Clear the room, please.’
The Lius took it as an order. They got to their feet, and the Hathaways followed suit, calling to their animals. Dogs and cats uncurled from sleep; birds fluttered to shoulders. Then people shuffled out—some heading to the boats; some to a door at the east end of the room.
Only Jamie and Tom hesitated.
‘Shouldn’t we stay together?’ Ruth whispered.
Astrid’s phrasing had been clear enough: No harm will come to any of you here. Monsters took promises like that seriously.
‘It’s okay,’ Joan said. She had to find out what was going on here. ‘Go and find those rooms. I’ll come and look for you afterward.’
