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guess, if you overlook that made-of-charmfiber-and-goes-like-the-wind thing. Hey, when you get it, can Ave look at the engine?”
    The urge to roll her eyes was
immense
. It was Boy Mentionitis in a big way—every other sentence was about Avery. Ell hadn’t even noticed boys
existed
before, so it was probably a natural stage in her dating evolution. Even an idiot could tell Ave was serious about her, which was nice to see. It meant one more person keeping her out of trouble.
    â€œI guess.” Cami crossed her arms as if she was cold, rubbing at them through her sleeves. “Maybe I can even find out how an engine works. Fun.”
    â€œYou press the accelerator and it
goes
.” Ruby bounced up from the couch. “What more do you need to know?”
    â€œHow to keep it going, how to brake, how to—”
    â€œI’m not
stupid
, Ell. It was a joke.”
    More uncomfortable silence. Finally Cami cleared her throat, a small soft sound. “Today’s not a good day. I’ll call you both d-day after t-tomorrow. And we are
going
to hang out.” Polite but very definite, with her blue eyes level and serious, she suddenly looked less like a little girl playing dress-up and more, well, adult.
    It happened to everyone sooner or later.
    â€œYes ma’am.” Ruby sketched her a cheerful salute, but her heart had fallen right into her guts with a gurgling splash. “I’ll even wear heels.”
    â€œWe could go shopping.” From Ellie, that was a peace offering—her stepmother had worked in couture, and going into boutiques and ateliers turned Ell an interesting shade of pale sometimes. “Anywhere you want.”
    It shouldn’t have stung, but it sounded like offering a bratty five-year-old a treat. Ruby pushed her temper down with an almost-physical effort. “I’ll make a list.”
    It wasn’t until they were safely out of the driveway—the sun blazing down despite fat-bellied shadows drifting over the city from fleecy clouds, gilding the primer-splotched Del Toro Ell borrowed from Avery Fletcher whenever she felt like it—that Ruby’s shoulders unknotted. She’d played the holy terror for them again, and also gave Gran a few indications of responsibility.
    If she could just keep this balancing act up, everything would be easy.

THREE
    W OODSDOWNE P ARK , A GREEN BEATING CHAMBER IN New Haven’s slow ponderous heart, always filled slowly with summer dusk. Here the trees hadn’t started to turn yet, not even a few, and she wouldn’t have put it past them to petition Gran for permission before they started to paint themselves. Summer lingered longest here in the hollows and dells, and once or twice in the middle of icy Nonus or even Decius, close to Mithrusmas, Ruby could swear she’d seen flashes of green, gone as soon as she turned her head.
    Some things you just couldn’t look at straight-on. Especially if you had any Potential at all. Ruby’s was respectable, but it hadn’t settled yet. She wasn’t as high-powered as Gran, or Ellie, but she wasn’t low on the gauge, like some branchkin.
    Stuck in the middle once more.
    â€œYou’re quiet. What’s up?” Hunter crouched easily, his seal-dark head cocked to catch every sound. As usual, he was a little too close, crowding her personal space.
    Ruby finished tying her trainers and didn’t answer.
    It was Thorne, as usual, who caught on. “He’s coming, isn’t he.” A lock of wheat-honey hair fell across his forehead; he shook it away with an impatient toss. A flash of white teeth as he grimaced, and Ruby straightened, stretching.
    Hunter did too, in a rush. “Who?” He followed as she hopped down from the fallen log, verdant moss blurring its outline. “What?”
    â€œGrimtree clan, one of their brothers. Clanmother’s been looking for an alliance for a while now.” Thorne wasn’t