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I rolled my eyes "It’s not like that I just don’t have to be what everyone else wants ns in the air, and Mel sighed "She sayswell, I don’t think you should tell her that Oh, la As you wish, o, the daimons believed that--"

The door burst open with Charline in a long purple robe that grazed the ground and a fancy headdress Behind her stood two huendarmes and what had to be Paris’s version of a reporter, a dapper daie and unwieldy ca

I huddled behind the screen "Mademoiselle Charline, I must protest I’m undressed!"

A sharp flash blinded me and filled the room with pink smoke

"Well, that’s her job, ain’t it?" the reporter said, and I pulled endarmes looked as if he wanted to hide under the bed, but the other one, the older one frorabbed the reporter by his arm

"That’s no way to speak to a lady," he barked at the reporter as he dragged him out of the room and slae of all the papers," Charline wailed, an elegant arns that had appeared there

"I’rand We’re sure you’re upset and in need of recovering, mademoiselle, but we do need to ask you just a few questions so that we can better understand what happened yesterday," the entle, as if I were a dog that ht bite him "Did you know the fellow in question?"

"I’ Prince Seti, but then the elephant just started walking I cliine roo, but all he said was ‘Mal’ Do you knohat that endarme barked, and I raised an eyebrow

"I think what Monsieur Legrand entleman died in your presence and under curious circu, inches away froht; it was after er in the surprised policeman’s face

"Monsieur, I do believe that under the circumstances, it is considered self-defense, n’est-ce pas?" Charline lovingly dragged Mel and Bea out the door "If she were a Pinky--I mean, a human--and she had used a hammer or a knife to dispatch her kidnapper, would that not be perfectly within the law?"

Legrand sneered "All due respect, lanced at the clock and blanched "Messieurs, ht I make an appointht share information on this incident?" I batted my lashes and slunk around the screen, alrand’s narrow, pale hand inthe air with the scent of blood When I lickedother than polite hunger

Bonchance answered for him "That would be satisfactory, "

"Merci ave hientleht’s show? Mademoiselle Demitasse is understandably too upset to perforrier gendarold-trimmed tickets and cleared his throat "We’ll leave you to your business, then, endarmes were out the door, Charline turned to hway "You," she started, and I held up a hand

"I’hed heavily "Tomorrow," she said slowly, "will not prove to be your favorite day"

I buttoned upsmile "Provided an enormous copper elephant doesn’t fall on me, I suspect I’ve experienced worse"

I didn’t understand half the things she muttered in Franchian as I sashayed out the door, and I didn’t care

I was going to see Lenoir

23

When Lenoir met me at the door to his flat, my heart stuttered prettily

"I heard you went for quite a ride last night, e, monsieur" I fluttered my eyes behind ht, his smile startled me "And I couldn’t behis body with Vale’s as the cats twined around my ankles The two men were built differently, and Lenoir was much older, but I had no co With so e a woot her undressed, which didn’t happen often In Sangland, from what I understood, the Pinky women were so terrified to reveal their skin to the noses of bludrats that they rarely reretted being bludded, but when it caood it felt to take off thirty pounds of fabric and breathe at night, I was definitely on the right team