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"When were you going to tell ood?" His voice was emotionless, eood," I said, stuffing guilt down deep and out of the way, "which I haven’t What did you find?"

"Several things Magnolia Sweets’ old trunk, open, the contents strewn, a locked weapons cabinet, and an eelina was a thief when I saw the red motes in her spell She had stolen the pink diamond, the blood-diamond that carried the sacrificial power of hundreds of dead witch children, the black ic amulet or relic used by the Damours--witch-vamps I had taken it off the Da its name and some of the myths that surrounded it The blood-diaotiations with the vanolia Sweets’ photocopied diary I’d had her trunk for a while, and had never gotten around to digging into it Once the olf had died, it didn’t seeood use ofEvil Evie had opened the trunk and sent the photocopy to Jodi at NOPD "Thanks I’ll get back to you Lock up on your way out, would you?"

"Jane?"

"Yes?"

"I want you to come back to New Orleans This tiht now," I said, "because Evangelina Everhart is using that spell on Lincoln Shaddock And I’ ready to intervene"

"Between a witch and a bespelled Mithran? Do you have a death wish?" He sounded pretty close to dumbfounded

I chuckled and ended the call I left the cell on the table, and tossed silver crosses to the"Hope you boys are ready to play," I said, letting my hands drop to the stakes innot killing, unless I was very unlucky and hit Lincoln’s heart In that event, I figured I’d be dead at Dacy’s fangs before he hit the floor And she’d be the new va Grégoire would prefer "Follow my lead, and I’ll leave you an immobilized vamp to restrain Then I’ll take the witch"

Ielina into a quarter turn Beast poured her strength and speed into elina’s breath grunt The vamp and witch separated Bodies moved back and away as low of the spell prickled over my skin, scattered And now that I knehat it was, I s, like fire, heavily banked but killing-hot

Lincoln snarled, va hinize a deliberately nonlethal strike Trusting the elina

She flailed for balance, feet scuffling I followed her down, grabbing her ar her Stepping over her, a leg to either side, riding her down I let gravity doher hit the floor, and the air whoosh out; I landed on her abdo a horse, my feet on her aro" And I let Beast slaro in my throat, "or I’ll kill you where you lie"

"You won’t steal this froasped "I won’t let you" She rocked hard, more power in her lilow of the dark ic built beneath her skin

But the I/we of Beast was coursing through me, and no witch could hope to win "Yield," I said, my voice the lower pitch of Beast "Yield!" I showed her ainst the floor, chin down as if to protect her throat in my hands "Say it Say you yield," I said I don’t knohat she was seeing, but Evangelina went limp

"I yield," she whispered

"Release him Say the words"