“It’s easy because it’s true,” Monty replied quietly.

“Not this time, Crispin. Helping her keep on this way . . . That’s called enabling, isn’t it?”

He almost teased her about reading psychology magazines, but she wasn’t in a mood or a mind for teasing.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Mr. Simon is doing what needs doing—doing what I asked him to do. So I want you to support him.”

Monty let his breath out in a long sigh. “Maybe I shouldn’t have encouraged Sissy to come here with you.”

“What could she have done in Toland alone with two young girls, especially after that storm hit? No, Crispin. You did right by her—and me—when you helped us come to Lakeside. Now give your sister a harder kind of help.”

He kissed his mother’s cheek. “The Denbys have taken Lizzy with them to Ferryman’s Landing. Want to have dinner with me at Meat-n-Greens?”

He wanted to go home and change clothes, but he didn’t want to get waylaid by Sissy—and he sure didn’t want to talk to Jimmy, who was somehow at the heart of this mess.

He got only half of what he wanted, because Sissy was in the Market Square facing off with Simon.

“It’s just a stupid piece of lasagna!” Sissy screamed.

“It’s food,” Simon snapped. “You already took your share. You don’t get more. Not from the Courtyard.”

“But my girls are hungry!”

“Then go to a human store and buy food there!”

“I can’t afford to buy another meal tonight, not with what you pay me!”

“That was uncalled for,” Twyla whispered, shaking her head. “Girl shouldn’t be mouthing off like that when she knows it’s her fault.”

“You don’t like what we pay, then find another job,” Simon snarled, showing fangs.

Monty scanned the crowd gathering around Sissy and Simon. Most of the women who worked in the Courtyard were present, except Katherine Debany and Elizabeth Bennefeld, the massage therapist. Among the terra indigene females were Tess, whose hair was red and coiling, Nyx Sanguinati . . . and Fire, who watched his sister with frightening intensity.

Simon started to walk away, carrying one of the insulated sacks from A Little Bite.

“I hope you choke on that food!” Sissy yelled.

An odd and terrible silence suddenly filled the Market Square.

Simon turned to face her. For just a moment, the Wolf looked frightened, but Monty couldn’t tell if the fear was for himself or Sissy.

“You’re fired,” Simon said. “Find a job among the humans.”

“I second that,” Vlad said, stepping out of the crowd.

“I agree,” Henry rumbled, also stepping forward.

“Yes,” Tess hissed.

Simon walked away. The Others moved aside for him.

Gods, Sissy, Monty thought. Her words were stupid and childish under the best conditions. A human boss would have fired her too. She didn’t realize how lucky she was that Simon didn’t do more than that.

Monty touched his mother’s shoulder. “I’ll take Sissy back to her place. Why don’t you go into Meat-n-Greens? I’ll join you as soon as I can.”

Twyla shook her head. “I’ll go sit in the library for a bit. Need a little time to settle.”

He didn’t want to leave her alone. Seeing Sissy hurting like this was hard on her too. But when he looked past his mother, he saw Elliot Wolfgard, who met his eyes and nodded.

Twyla was part of the Wolfgard pack now. The Wolves would watch over her.

Monty hurried over to where Sierra stood crying, a little girl alone on the playground, unable—or unwilling—to do anything to help herself.

“Come on, Sissy.” Monty put his arm around her shoulders. “I’ll take you home.”

The Sanguinati on duty gave them a curious look but said nothing as Monty led his sister upstairs to her apartment. The girls were home, unsupervised, which produced a flicker of annoyance until he realized the Others wouldn’t see anything odd about leaving young alone in the den when there were adults nearby.

“Mommy?” Carrie said when they walked in.

“Play quietly for a little while,” Monty said, leading Sissy to her bedroom. He closed the door and sat on the bed next to her. Then he grabbed the box of tissues off the nightstand and handed it to her, letting her cry until she was ready to talk to him.

“CJ,” she began, looking at him with eyes that had always melted his heart. “CJ, it was just a stupid dish of lasagna. There was plenty. They were just being mean.”

He shook his head. “One piece per person. That’s not unreasonable.”

“But my girls aren’t going to have anything to eat. I don’t have even a full glass of milk left to split between them.”

“They’ll be hungry,” he said sympathetically. “Tomorrow you can buy more food.” Maybe. He wasn’t sure what would be open on Earthday except for A Little Bite. “I can’t give you any food tonight, Sissy.”

“You could give me the key to your place, and I could slip down and pick up a few things from the fridge and cupboards.” She gave him a wobbly smile. “I wouldn’t take much, CJ. Just enough for the girls.”

“I can’t do that. If I help you, the Others will take the girls.” If he helped her after Simon warned him not to, would the terra indigene even tell him where they relocated the girls? “They aren’t bluffing, Sissy. You act like they are, but they’re not.”