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The words gave voice totheer zeroed in on the falcon I tensed, ready to lunge at the stupid bird I’d wring its neck and toss its broken body aside like a lih the haze of anger "Remember yourself"

I closed my eyes The vision persisted--I could feel the bird’s neck crack under ers, see the lifeless heap of feathers No Stop Not Dad I inhaled slowly, counting to five, feeling the air expand ain In ht around the falcon’s neck, but the edges of the vision blurred I exhaled to another five counts, ain, the vision dissolved

In my mind’s eye, my hands were empty My father perched, unhar those i on er The demon mark’s heat diminished to the level of a bad sunburn I openedwas ee He’d flown out of one after Mab with a sword Today I’d been ready to wring ement, Vic"

"You’re not the first to say so But that doesn’t make what you said okay"

The falcon ducked his head "I’ to protect you"

"I don’t need protection Not like that" Deep breath, Vicky "My love life is s out for ourselves"

"You really love hier collapsed ue with that, Evan" Mab ca of tea "I understand your concern with Vicky’s future However, you’d do well to remember your own past You may not be a olf, but I seem to recall that you once persuaded a skilled Cerddorion deive up her career for you"

That ruffled Dad’s feathers "I didn’t persuade Anne It was her decision Anyway, that was different Vicky has a role to play"

"Only if she accepts it And that’s not a decision you--or I--can , and I wondered whether she was thinking about the Lady of the Cerddorion again Because if it really was ht now: I didn’t want the job Nope Mab was the Lady, not ht," Dad said He left his refrigerator perch and glided to a chair "You’re right, Vic I rong I’ll apologize to the olf the next time I see him"

"The olf has a name, Dad It’s Kane" I reached out and scratched the falcon’s head He cooed and leaned intohis rainbow-colored eyes "I think you’ll like hihtened, clucking "We’ll see I ive him a chance In the ers Juliet e of sliders and put some bread in the toaster for Mab I hadn’t had tiraciously ht everything over to the table, Dad and Mab had reached an agreement: As soon as the sun went down, the three of us would be at the Granary Burying Ground, the place where I’d iht to Boston Mab would release the Morfran from the old slate headstones, and Dad would kill it I’d stand by to capture any Morfran that tried to escape It was a good plan, and the sooner we could put it into action, the better

Dad attacked theeach in two bites When he was finished, he stretched his wings and cleared his throat

"I have an announcee"

"Youto tell Moer"

"That’s great, Dad She’ll be thrilled"

"You think so? I’ve been worried the whole situation will upset her"

"She’stiht I’d never get over ain in the Darklands, it was clear things had changed, but I still had the essence of my father back That’s what counted

"Ten years But that’s just it By now, she’s accepted that I’m dead Gone She’s adjusted to the idea We always told each other that if anything happened to one of us, ant the other to move on" His voice suddenly sounded s anyone, if that’s what you mean She told me so"

"But don’t you see? My return could mess up her life I’s "It’s painfully obvious that things can never be like they were between us What if she doesn’t want to be married to a bird? Or worse, what if she squelches her own life because she feels an obligation to this freak hybrid that holds so-lost husband? Or what if--"

"Come, come, Evan" Mab’s no-nonsense tone cut Dad offyourself Best let her decide"

"Mab’s right, Dad"

"I know And now I realize thatwants this body, and even if I escape her, it looks like the falcon will be on the front lines when Pryce leads the deot the chance to speak to Anne"