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Fortunately, at that moment the Simia-Proles roared again and distracted Taid from our exchange of eyes.

But we were discovered by Nick, who came to us with a "Hey!" And a beaming smile. And then, as if he had every right to, he placed a kiss on my cheek.

To avoid him, I automatically pushed myself closer to Reese, which didn't really make it any better.

"You have a problem, my friend," said Taid.

Before turning to that, I wiped my cheek demonstratively, which made Nick smile broadly.

"The cub that you sold me yesterday is dead."

What? I looked from Taid to Reese, who had pressed his lips grimly together. He didn't seem to notice how his grip on my shoulder tightened barely noticeably.

"How?" He asked simply.

"Well, that's an excellent question." Taid pulled a Zippo out of his pants pocket, which he opened and closed. Open and closed. And open and close. As he did so, he looked down at it, as if to think carefully about the ans