Kiss of Steel Read Online Free PDF Page A

now,” he said, settling the cat in his arms. “Will’s our friend.”
    Will smiled darkly, flashing his teeth. “One day I’m going to eat that creature.”
    Blade stroked the cat. “And one day I might just have me a wolf-hide rug for me floor.” He smiled. “But it ain’t today. Now, go and make sure Miss Todd has a safe night’s rest.”
    ***
     
    Charlie was coughing again. Honoria had her hands buried in the sink when she heard the familiar hark-hark-hark noise begin in the small room that Charlie and Lena shared. Her head shot up and she cocked it. She’d had plenty of practice in judging the severity of the sound over the last month.
    “Not again,” she muttered, wiping her hands on her apron. Weak dawn light crept through the windows. She didn’t have time to linger. Mr. Macy would be expecting her at nine. But Charlie was her brother.
    Their small flat had a kitchen and two tiny private rooms. She and Lena had shared a room when they first came to the ’Chapel, but when Charlie started getting the night tremors, Lena had moved her small cot in to be with him. The two of them had always had a special affinity, and her presence—though it frequently vexed Honoria—seemed to calm Charlie.
    “Now, come on,” Lena was murmuring when Honoria opened the door. “Take a deep breath. That’s my boy. Deep and slow.”
    Honoria’s shadow fell across the bed. Lena looked up, dark circles beneath her eyes. Charlie’s face was so pale that Honoria could have counted each freckle on his cheeks, and his arms stuck out of the sweat-soiled nightshirt like a scarecrow’s.
    He gave her a weak smile. “Honor…” And then he broke into another coughing attack.
    Lena’s lips thinned. “He was doing fine.”
    Honoria ignored her, sitting on the bed and reaching across to rub Charlie’s back. Her fingers ran over the knotted protuberances of his spine. No matter how much he ate, his body kept getting thinner and weaker, as though he simply could no longer find sustenance from food.
    “I’ll fetch some water,” Lena muttered, disappearing through the door.
    Honoria held Charlie’s face against her shoulder as he coughed. “There, my boy,” she crooned. “Let it out. It’ll be better soon.” A bitter taste filled her mouth. “I’ll make it better.” Another promise she couldn’t keep. She was getting heartily sick of them.
    By the time Lena returned, the coughing had stopped. Honoria rocked him gently, stroking the silky strands of hair off the back of his neck. It was day now and his skin was feverishly cool, almost pallid. At night he would twist and sweat, his teeth grinding together for hours.
    “You’d best be going,” Lena said, holding the glass for Charlie. “Or you’ll be late. Again. You know what happened last time.”
    Mr. Macy had given her a lecture about tardiness with the implied hint that he’d dock her pay next time. “I won’t be late. I’ll run if I need to.”
    “In that?” Lena’s eyebrows shot up.
    Honoria clenched her jaw. The dress she wore was her finest, with a cream-colored, floral brocade overdress and a flounce of cream pleats. Against the dull brown wool of Lena’s homemade gown, the dress looked beautiful. It was also a point of constant contention between them. Honoria’s job relied on keeping up appearances. Lena’s did not.
    “Yes,” she snapped. “In this.”
    “Don’t,” Charlie muttered hoarsely, grabbing her hand. “Don’t fight.”
    The two sisters looked down at him.
    “We’re not fighting,” Honoria said instinctively. She stroked her hand through his hair, tipping his chin up. “We’re…” And then she stopped.
    “Charlie?” she whispered.
    There was blood on his lips. His glassy eyes met hers. “What?”
    “Oh, my goodness.” Lena sat up. “Oh no! Your dress!”
    Honoria looked down in shock. Her shoulder was stained bright vermilion. Charlie touched his mouth, then stared at the blood on his fingertips.
    “It’s