Nate looks more nervous than a lab rat on biopsy day.

He crosses and uncrosses his arms as he stands inside Miss K's bedroom, while I'm sandwiched between the front door and a plastic palm tree, glancing through Miss K's shutters. I'm not as interested in their conversation as I am in avoiding Clove. I know she's going to ask about my night with Bastian, and I'm dreading having to tell her it's none of her business.

"So, Nate. Where do you call home?" Miss K asks, as she studies him from her four poster bed. She's not using her clan elder stare, probably because she doesn't want to scare him.

"I live in Grand Junction, ma'am. I came here to find work to support my dad and sister. I'm very good with tools and I like manual labor."

"I'm glad you feel that way," Bastian says. I can just make out the tip of his boots as he sits in his chair in the corner. "You'll stay busy on my airship. Say, can you cook?"

"Sure." Nate nods slowly, not looking very sure. Will Bastian ask him to do Whiskers' job too? Is he that desperate to get the hell away from the outpost?

"I suppose Bastian has told you that you'll be away from port for several weeks at a time," Miss K continues. "Will your family manage that long without you? How old is your sister?"

"She's fourteen and she can handle just about anything you throw at her. We've got a bit of land that gives us decent vegetables. But it's not enough, especially since most of our neighbors rely on us for food. Captain Bastian tells me a good hunt could supply a family of three with food for six months."

Miss K lifts her fuzzy eyebrows and looks at Bastian, making me think he might have stretched the truth when he was recruiting Nate. "Well, I'd like to be the first to welcome you aboard, Nate," she says, offering him a polite nod. "I expect you'll be greeted with unbridled enthusiasm by our girls. They're very accommodating to handsome, young men like yourself and will see that you're comfortable in the sitting room, if you don't mind excusing us for a moment. And send Ivy in, won't you? She looks anxious to say hello."

Nate backs out of the room and glances around like a frightened rabbit. There's nobody downstairs at the moment, but Jessie and Adeline are standing on the balcony with anxious faces. It isn't the same kind of anxious as Nate's, though. The poor boy is going to be devoured.

I gesture to one of the salmon couches. "Make yourself comfortable, Nate. And, don't worry, most of the girls here are as gentle as lambs. Just watch out for the one with black hair," I whisper. "She's a real witch."

His eyes bulge as he lowers himself onto the couch, looking like he's waiting for the executioner. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned Della. I walk into Miss K's room and close the shutters, leaving Nate to figure things out on his own. A person can't stay innocent forever.

Miss K pats her bed before I have a chance to find a chair. "Come sit down, honey. Let me have a look at you."

Great. It's Ivy on parade.

Kitty is sitting on Bastian's lap. I hadn't seen her from my vantage behind the fake palm. She looks annoyed, and I fondle the rip on my dress, hoping she doesn't notice it. I figure her annoyance is about something else.

"How are you feeling?" Miss K asks, as I position my butt on the edge of her bed. "Did you have a nice evening with Bastian?"

Really? Do you people have no concept of privacy?

"I'm fine. It was fine. That is until..." I glance at Bastian as I try to form a coherent sentence. "The morning could have gone better."

"Really? Please explain." Miss K looks at Bastian too, her eyes widening.

Oops.

"What I mean is... Whiskers died during his bath at Annie's Pub this morning."

Miss K softens her accusing eyes and offers an apologetic nod to Bastian. "I'm sorry to hear that. I remember he had a nasty cough the last time he was here. I suppose he's harassing the angels now."

"How did he die, Daddy? Did he drown in the bath?" Kitty asks, her morbid curiosity trumping her bad mood.

"I don't think he drown, Kitty," I say. "It was probably heart failure. But he looked peaceful when I left him."

Kitty tries to glare at me but the enthusiasm isn't there. She slumps against her dad's shoulder, apparently satisfied with my explanation.

"Was there any other unpleasantness?" Miss K stares pointedly at the rip in my dress and I realize I'm still playing with it.

I lower my hand, keeping my eyes averted from Bastian. Does he want her to know he left me in the feeble hands of his now-deceased mechanic? Should I tell her that his ex-first mate tried to rape me? How will she react if she finds out I nearly killed the dirtbag, even though he's a dirtbag?

Before I can answer, Bastian lifts Kitty off his lap. "Kitty, would you mind fetching a bottle of beer from the cellar and cooling it off for me? I've really got a thirst for one."

Kitty crosses her arms. "It's barely past noon. You're just trying to get rid of me. I know a brush off when I hear one."

She tries to stare him down but it doesn't last long. With a snort and a flip of her braids, she stomps out of the room. Bastian stands to shut the door. When he returns to his seat, he grabs his hat off the back of the chair and starts fiddling with the brim.

"I've given the matter some thought and I think Ivy needs the magical expertise of a clan elder. Perhaps a few lessons in control." He gets my attention with his penetrating gaze, probably to see if I look remorseful. I probably don't.

Miss K gives her head a subtle shake. "I had a feeling this would come up after you decided to share your wealth, Bastian. Of course, it's not my place to say whether it was a good or poor decision, but I'm happy to help where I can. Am I to assume there have been other incidents besides the one that took place in my sitting room yesterday?" She looks at me and I swallow, wishing I had asked Ben for a glass of water when we arrived.

"Rake attacked me in an alley today and I had to fight him off. But he's expected to live." I leave out the part about slugging Merrick, and the incident at the bath house, and how Bastian's foot stomping trick nearly crippled me. I'm not going to add to my list of screw-ups. Not unless she asks.

"And he managed to corner you alone?" Miss K's attention turns back to Bastian.

"It happened after I left the bath house," I say quickly, trying to save Bastian's neck. Maybe he'll thank me later. "Whiskers was supposed to walk me here so Bastian could look for a new first mate. But I ended up walking alone on account of Whiskers...you know. The next thing I know, Rake's yanking me into an alley. He tried to... I had to use my magic to defend myself. I sent a psychic SOS to Bastian. Thankfully, it worked, and he found me before things got too ugly."

Miss K gives me a nod. "It sounds to me like you handled yourself well, Ivy. I hate to think what might have happened if you hadn't been equipped with magic. You'll start training first thing tomorrow in my chambers. Now, please excuse yourself. Bastian and I have one more matter to discuss."

I slip off the bed and through the shutters without looking back. I know she has Bastian locked in her clan elder stare, and I don't want to embarrass him by noticing.

If anyone could be sitting in a worse position than Bastian, it's Nate. He hasn't moved from his spot on the couch, but now he's surrounded by the ruffled bosoms of my roommates. His cheeks are red and sweaty, making them look like shiny apples, and he keeps brushing his shaggy bangs over his forehead, while Adeline, who's practically sitting on his lap, keeps brushing them back. He notices me watching, and I read his silent plea to be rescued. But Clove is quick. She jumps up and snatches my arm, hauling me upstairs like I have the key to the bathroom.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," she says, when we get to her room. "It's been like a morgue around here since you and Bastian left. Della hasn't come out of her room, and Kitty's been sulking like a cat after a bath. She even refused to do Jessie's hair this morning."

"Yeah, Kitty's not too happy with me right now, but I figure she'll get over it. Della's the one I'm worried about."

Clove walks over to her dresser and opens her candy drawer. She counts a few candy corn into her hand, plunks down beside me, and drops two in my palm. "We can talk about them later. You know what I'm after. Spill it, chickie."

I sigh, partly for effect and partly because I wish my roommate was more sensitive. I figure all the girls are desensitized to sex talk, but Clove has decided to make me her pet project. Why does she feel entitled to get the play by play?

"There's not much to tell, really," I say, as I nibble the tip of the candy corn. "Bastian was a complete gentleman. It was my first time, you know, so I have nothing to compare it to."

Clove raises her eyebrows. "C'mon, Ivy. That psychobabble bullshit isn't going to fly around here. We're a family. If we didn't share our experiences, we'd never survive the guilt of being whores. Believe me, talking about it takes the edge off."

I'd rather keep the edges on, thank you.

I really don't want to piss off Clove. I already have two roommates mad at me. But Bastian isn't some ponytail off the street. We have feelings for each other. The floorboards creak and I glance up to find Bastian smiling at us from the doorway.

"You two must be talking about something pretty juicy in here," he says. "You're missing all the excitement downstairs. It seems my new first mate has made some admirers."

Clove laughs. "Did Adeline finally climb onto his lap? She's scaring the poor kid shitless."

"A crash course in women is just what he needs if he's going to survive one of my hunts. I think he might be a bloomer. Just my luck, huh?" He winks and I know it's meant for me. "Well, if you'll excuse me, ladies, I've got some smooth talking to do next door."

He vanishes and there's a light tapping on Della's door.

"Della, I'd like to see you," Bastian says. "Will you kindly let me in?"

Don't open the door, Della. Tell him to shove it.

The door clicks and my stomach lurches as I listen to Bastian's boots pad across the floor.

Clove tries to look sympathetic. It doesn't help. "That's gotta suck for you, huh? Don't sweat it, Ivy. There are plenty of gentlemen out there. Some of them even wander in here occasionally." She points at my dress, finally noticing the rip. "What the hell happened to your dress? You know, Kitty's going to flip out when she sees that."

I don't feel like talking about Rake and his groping hands, or how I managed to get away from them. But at least it will distract Clove from her previous topic. "I ran into Rake on my way here. He was acting like an asshole, as usual, and I had to make a quick escape. I figure Kitty's already seen the damage, she just hasn't had a chance to bawl me out for it yet."

"Whew, girl. Three escapes from Rake? You've got to teach me your secret. I've wanted to put more than one guy on his back, and I don't mean in bed. Men can be such bastards."

Clove stands and walks to the door, scrunching her face into a scowl as she leans against the frame. Is she thinking about someone in particular, someone from her previous life, the life she had before she was a whore? She hasn't shared anything about herself with me, even though she preaches about the health benefits off getting things of your chest. Maybe she's only referring to sex. The horror stories she keeps to herself.

I pretend I'm upset about Bastian doing whatever he's doing with Della in the next room and let the silence take over. Maybe Clove won't probe any further about my big night with Bastian. He wouldn't go back to Della would he? She was a royal bitch to him. She even told him she didn't love him in front of everybody. Maybe he feels obligated to make nice on account of Miss K. Or are his motives more personal? I hug myself as a violent shudder rattles my bones. I refuse to lose hope. The Fates brought us together so we could find happiness again, something Della could never give him.

That's a bunch of psychobabble bullshit. Face it, Ivy. You've been screwed.

PLAYLIST SONG: Save Me by Jem