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watched in silence as Malachi washed blood away from the limp body. Where there was supposed to be a small entry wound there was only a tiny pink, puckered patch. As he rotated Sasha, more sludge and blood rinsed off. Another raised section of skin was on Sasha’s back where there should have been a sizable exit wound, considering the sound of the gunshot. The air in the bathroom hummed with energy, bristling savagely in waves and lashing out towards Sasha’s body.
    I shrugged and backed away quietly. He was clearly in good hands. I’d check on him later. With the elf indisposed, I might have a chance of having some alone time. In a bar. With some men.
    Malachi popped in front of me as I reached for the door.
    “Don’t you have some history to study tonight?” he said grasping my shoulders and spinning me around.
    “I’m going out to find a man, half-breed,” I said.
    “I believe the condition for you finding a one-night stand stipulates you must have Sasha or me with you,” he said.
    Damn it. The elf covered all his bases. I pulled Malachi’s hands off my shoulders and marched to the bar for a drink. I opened the cabinet and slammed a tumbler on the counter.
    “I’ll take one of those,” Malachi called from the bathroom.
    I bit my tongue and grabbed another tumbler. I poured a healthy measure of vodka, a hint of triple sec, and a drop of limejuice in each. I drank my drink in one swallow and eyed the remaining cup.
    “Thank you,” Malachi said taking the glass before I drank it.
    “No problem,” I sneered. I made another drink and sat on the stool watching Malachi.
    He placed Sasha on the bed and drew the sheets up to his neck. He looked down on the still form for several minutes before turning around and heading my way.
    “How are you doing this evening?” he asked as he pulled a seat next to me.
    I thumped my head on the counter. “Same shit, different day,” I said.
    “I take it that’s a bad thing,” he said.
    I tilted my head up. “Dude, really? Don’t you guys talk English?”
    “The vernacular changes faster than I.”
    I shook my head. Malachi was fun to talk to. The half-breed was rarely serious; at least I think he teased me often. I wasn’t in a very good mood tonight, and his attempt to cheer me up made me more irritable.
    “Where’ve you been? I haven’t seen you in days.”
    He sipped from his drink casually, his hand waving in the air. “Preparing for the commencement of Court. Are you excited?” he asked.
    I looked over to the comatose elf on the bed and grimaced.
    “Sasha hasn’t said anything about it,” I said.
    The Court convened in less than three months. Whenever I broached the subject, Sasha changed the topic. If I managed to get him to talk about it, he’d tell me I had plenty of time.
    “Malachi, who’s Trystyn?” I asked.
    It was the name of the elf, which caused Sasha’s inattention for the night. Humans rarely got the upper hand on freaks. There were those rare humans, the ones who thought the earth belonged to people with souls, who trained to kill freaks, but that kid wasn’t one of them. Sasha had been distracted.
    “An elf,” Malachi said.
    I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. You’d think after all the time I’d spent with the two of them, I would be better at talking to them, but no. It was an art form communicating with elves.
    “I noticed, but who is he? Sasha got all weird when I mentioned he was at the club.”
    Malachi’s head snapped up to meet my eyes. The air in the room electrified. He sipped his drink carefully and placed the cup down on the counter.
    “Sasha can answer,” he said.
    “He can but will he?” I asked.
    He smiled. “You know, I think Sasha actually likes you. He told me about the condition you set for him. Well played.”
    I thought about hitting him. I hated it when they changed subjects. I twirled my drink, focusing on the conversation. He changed the subject so there was no point pursuing it.
    “You guys gossip