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Curran glared at the undead through the windshield Ninety percent of the vaed to the People, a weird hybrid of a corporation and a research institute We both despised the People and everything they stood for
I couldn’t resist "I thought you said this was a nice place"
He leaned back, gripped the steering wheel and let out a long growling, "Argh"
I chuckled
"Who the hell stops at a restaurant while navigating?" Curran squeezed the wheel a little It ators were hungry"
He gave me an odd look "This far away from the Casino et the nore the dao and have a date anyway"
He looked like he wanted to kill soic flooded us like an invisible tsunaer brilliant blue sign ignited above it, ed air
I reached over and squeezed Curran’s hand "Coreat If we see the navigators, we can ot out of the car and headed inside The bloodsuckers glanced at us in unison, their eyes like two s fire I felt their minds, twin hot pinpoints of pain, restrained securely by the navigators’ wills One slip up and those coals would ignite into an all consuot full, they never stopped killing, and if let loose, they would drown the world in blood and die of starvation when there was nothing left to kill
The chains wouldn’t hold thehth of an inch thick at best A chain like that would restrain a large dog A vaeneral public felt better if the bloodsuckers were chained, and so the navigators obliged
We passed the va was diht on the walls, as the charged air inside their colored glass tubes reacted with ic Each feylantern had been hand-blown into a beautiful shape: a bright blue dragon, an e with a unicorn horn Booths lined the walls, their tables plain rectangles of wood In the center of the floor four larger round tables sported built-in charcoal grills under metal hoods
The restaurant was about half full The two booths to our right were occupied, the first by a young couple, a dark-haired man and a blond woed er couple chatted quietly Good clothes, relaxed, casual, well grooators who had parked the bloodsuckers out front The Casino had seven Masters of the Dead and I knew thenize either thefrom out of town or they were upper level journeyuys in the next booth were armed The closer one carried a short sword, which he put on the seat next to him As his friend reached for the salt shaker, his sweatshirt hugged the gun in his side holster
Past the hed too loud - probably tipsy On the other side a farill The older girl looked a bit like Julie, my ward Two business women, another family with a toddler, and an older couple rounded off the patrons No threats
The air swirled with delicious aroarlic, and sweet spice Myso from a street vendor My stomach actually hurt
A waiter in a plain black pants and a black T-shirt led us to a table in the middle of the floor Curran and I took chairs opposite one another - I could see the back door and he had a nice view of the front entrance We ordered hot tea Thirty seconds later it arrived with a plate of pot stickers
"Hungry?" Curran asked
"Starving"
"Cory and s
The waiter departed
Curran senuine smile and it catapulted him from attractive into irresistible territory He didn’t smile very often in public That intimate smile was usually reserved for private moments ere alone
I reached over, pulled the band off h it, unraveling the hair Curran’s gaze snagged on ers like a cat on a piece of foil pulled by a string I shookdark wave There we go Noere both private in public
Tiny gold sparks danced in Curran’s grey irises He was thinking dirty thoughts and the wicked edge in his smile made me want to slide next to him and touch hi hot sex on the floor of Arirang would get us banned for life Then again, it ht be worth it
I raised my tea in a salute "To our date"
He raised his cup and we clinked theainst each other
"So hoas your day?" he asked
"First, I chased a giant jellyfish around through so and picking it up, because they claimed it was a Fish and Game issue Then I called Fish and Gaot to listen to the two of theot really creative"
"Then Jirimaced "Yes That too"
"Is there a particular reason you’re avoiding our chief of security?" Curran asked
"Do you remember how my aunt killed the head of the Mercenary Guild?"
"Not so over ill be in charge"
Curran glanced at o?"
"My point exactly On one side there are the older mercs, who have experience On the other side there is the support staff Both groups have roughly an equal share of the Guild as a result of Solo into death threat territory, so they’re having soe"