Chapter 28: Six A.M.

Ronan was in the kitchen at half past four on Tuesday, burning the coffee.

He had a dish towel pressed to his nose.

"Altitude," he said, before I could ask.

"We live at the same altitude."

"It's dry this week."

He put the towel in his back pocket, and I saw a brown spot spread on the cloth.

He poured me a mug.

I drank all of it, because it was his, and then I let him walk me out to the farm truck in the dark.

"A mile from the office," he said, with his hand flat on the roof. "That's the term."

"I know."

"I'll be sitting on the porch the whole time."

"It's twenty-five miles."

"I know how far it is."

He kissed me against the truck, slowly, with his hand at the back of my neck.

I drove away with my mouth still warm.

The Registry's lobby was lit and empty at ten to six.

The young escort met me at the door and walked me down a back stairway.

At the bottom was a room with a tiled floor and a drain in the middle of it.

He did not look at me once.

Opal Harkness sat in a chair against the wall with her gloves on and her ankles crossed.

Her two collared wolves stood in a line in front of her.

One was the young man who had met me at the door, and the other was a heavy gray-haired man.

"Good morning, Ms. Linwood. Let us begin."

"What am I assessing?"

"You are being assessed. The Registry must certify the strength of the rank." She tilted her head at the line. "Have them kneel."

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