Page 38 (1/2)

"Do soy expended

But the i

The birdman hissed

Ronan knew He knehat he always did: It wanted him dead

In his dreaht horror’s head jerked up as a car slid by the Camaro It was a sexy,it was a white Mitsubishi The car spun round so the driver’s side was illuht horror cla on the hood, it hissed at the newcomer

The driver’s sideof the Mitsubishi slid down Behind it was Kavinsky, his expression ilasses He leaned to get so froht horror It took a inary-looking gun, shiny as chrome

Ronan dove down beneath the dash, curled sun At the first shot, the bird ht sluainst the hood It didn’t move after that, but Kavinsky fired four more times, until splatter appeared on the upper few inches of the Carowl of the Mitsubishi’s engine Ronan slowly sat up

Kavinsky still leaned out his , chro casually fro himself, or at least see himself he ake Not because he didn’t feel awake, but because everything that had just happened felt so acutely like so he would dream He opened the door -- it seemed pointless to stay where he was, as the Ca on the asphalt, he stared at the dead night horror draped over the front of the ruined Camaro, and then he stared at Kavinsky

"Try to keep up, Lynch," Kavinsky said He withdrew into the car, and for aKavinsky was no ally, but he was human, and he was alive, and he had just saved Ronan’s life, and that was soun to wherever he’d got it fro the Mitsubishi farther onto the shoulder

He rejoined Ronan beside the Calass

"Well, that’s fucked," Kavinsky said approvingly

And it was The s only hours before was now torqued, the ed around the telephone pole One of the wheels had come free and lay in the ditch several feet away Even the s and substances

Ronan scraped a hand over the back of his head He felt like his heart was collapsing inside hi the one before it "He’s going to killto kill oing to kill you, ive you, man He doesn’t want to sleep alone"

All at once, Ronan was done He seized the straps of Kavinsky’s tank top and shoved hio out and buy another one to look, Kavinsky unhooked Ronan’s fingers He watched as Ronan pushed off, pacing, hands behind his head, eyes darting down the road to see if any other cars were co this, no matter how Ronan looked at it

"Look, Lynch," Kavinsky said "It’s simple Wrap your tiny Celtic brain around this concept What did your"I told you It’s not your rice rocket I can get him another, but it won’t be the saoing to be fucking patient with you," Kavinsky said, "because you’ve had a head injury You’re not listening to the words I say"

Ronan threw a hand toward the Pig "This is not a goldfish"

"You people are such dra to scrape that thing into it And then we’re going to take a field trip to concept-land"

Ronan stared at hi experience here Get in the car before I need to get high again"

Ronan had nowhere else to go He got in the car

36

Several hours into the party, Gansey and Ada hallway between the back kitchen stairs and Gansey’s old rooh the floor Adam wasn’t sure of Gansey’s situation, but he are that he was drunk At least, his ne and the world seemed blunted and dark He had not been drunk before His father had done all of that for him

They stood side by side on a lush purple Persian runner beside a docile Queen Anne side table covered with hunt-theold versions of Ada on the wall In the reflection, the ordinarily assured line of Gansey’stroubled He tore the knot of his tie to a rakish angle

"Can you believe," he asked tragically, "that I grew up in a place like this?"

Adaet

"I e could go back tomorrow," Gansey said "I e could drive back and see if Cabeswater appeared"

When he said the word Cabeswater, Adaer plucked a taut, anxious ligah -- a blink, and he’d see abehind his shoulder, looking at him in the rily Why the hell not? "Rex Corvus I’ain"

"You’re not drunk," said Gansey "It was ginger ale Mostly Look at our faces in there We’re older than we used to be"

"When?"

"Just aolder all the time Adaant, dis it all away froet out of Henrietta"