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"I hope so" India looked depressed "I’ industry, but I sure would like a steady soood at dating"

"That why you go with the vamp? To scare off everyone else?"

"I love hio with hiuys were si your date’s mind every minute No, it really wouldn’t be any fun, would it?

"No need to get all defensive," India said

I thought I’d been matter-of-fact "He’s fun," I said mildly, "and he treats me nice"

"They’reI don’t kno to ask this, but they’re cold, right?"

India wasn’t the first person who’d tried to find a delicate way to ask me that There wasn’t any delicate way

"Not room temperature," I said I left it at that, because any more was none of anyone else’s business

"Daer ed She opened herelse, and then she closed it

Fortunately for both of us, her table gestured that they wanted their bill, and one of Jane Bodehouse’s buddies cas to do Holly finally arrived to relievea double shift, so she kept her apron on I waved a casual good-bye to Sa out the door

I just made it to the library before it closed, and then I stopped by the post office to buy soh Bellefleur was there on the sareeted each other with real pleasure You kno so around with the in coround to our educational level to our interests, but we like each other, anyway Halleigh’s baby bump was pronounced, and she looked as rosy as Tara looked wrecked

"How’s Andy doing?" I asked

"He’s not sleeping well, he’s so excited about this baby," she said "He calls me from work to ask how I a with ’Caroline’?"

"Yeah, he was real pleased when I suggested that His grandht him up, and she was a fine woh smiled

Caroline Bellefleur had been more than a little on the scary side She’d been the last great lady of Bon Teranddaughter Halleigh’s baby would be three es She was as polite as Andy’s grandood to see Halleigh, when I got back into the car witha little blue I turned the key in the ignition, but I didn’t put the car in reverse

I kneas a lucky wo created all around ht with a sharp command to myself I would not start down the self-pity path Just because I wasn’t pregnant and wasn’t married to someone who could make me that way, that was no reason to feel like an island in the stream I shook myself briskly and set off to coli out of Grabbit Kwik, nant six tie She’d told Maxine Fortenberry that she hadn’t wanted the last three But her husband loved to see her pregnant, and he loved kids, and Faye allowed herself to be used "like a puppy mill," as Maxine put it

Yes, attitude adjust meal and watched television and read one of ht, and I felt just fine, all by ht about Faye

Chapter 3

There were no great revelations at work the next day, and not a single outstanding incident I actually enjoyed that I just took orders and delivered drinks and food, pocketing my tips Kennedy Keyes was at the bar I worried that she and Danny were still quarreling, though he ht be at his other job at the home builders’ supply place Kennedy was subdued and dull, and I was sorry; but I didn’t want to find out any more about her relationship probleh of hts of other people Though I’ve gotten better at it, it’s still work I don’t have to try as hard with the two-natured, because their thoughts are not as clear as huhts; I catch only a sentence or e humans, some are clearer broadcasters than others But before I learned how to shieldto ten radio stations at a ti on in your brain and you’re still trying to listen to what people actually say with theirthat little period of normality, I achieved awith Felipe would go well, that he would believe either that we hadn’t killed Victor or that Victor’s death was justifiable I was in no hurry to face hi at the bar for a few ot a chicken sandwich from the Sonic and drove home slowly

Sunset was so late in the summer that the vamps wouldn’t be up for a couple of hours yet I hadn’t heard a word frotasia I didn’t even knohen I was supposed to get there I just knew I had to look nice, because Eric would expect it in front of visitors

Derht have returned from his n I couldn’t spare any ht I had vampire problems on my mind

I was too anxious to eat h themost of it into the trash can I had to fishwith a furniture-sale flyer I opened it to check the amount Claude had better return froy user, and my bill was almost double its normal size I wanted Claude to pay his share My water heater was gas, and that bill ay up, too I put the Shreveport newspaper on the kitchen table to read later It was sure to be full of bad news

I showered and redid my hair and makeup It was so hot that I didn’t want to wear slacks, and shorts would not suit Eric’s sense of for through my sus, a habit Eric found both fascinating and bizarre My skin was nice and brown this far into the tanning season, and ood froiven it a feeeks previously I put on a white skirt, a bright blue sleeveless blouse, and a real broad black leather belt that had gotten too tight for Tara My good black sandals were still in pretty fair shape My hand paused over the drawer ofof face powder, lay a powerful fairy ht of carrying it around onthe power of the cluviel dor If I used it recklessly, it would a a nuclear device to kill a fly

The cluviel dor was a rare and ancient fairy love gift I guess it was the fae equivalent of a Faberge Easter egg, but randfather-not randfather, Fintan, Derrandmother Adele, who had hidden it away She had never toldthe attic clean-out It had taken er to identify it and to learn more about its properties Only the part-deh perhaps my friend Amelia suspected, since I’d asked her to teach me about what it could do

Up until now, I’d hidden it just like un in your hand just in case soh the cluviel dor was a love gift, not a weapon, its use ht have results just as draranted the possessor a wish That wish had to be a personal one, to benefit the possessor or someone the possessor loved But there were soined: What if I wished an onco car wouldn’t hit me, and instead it hit another car and killed a whole faain, and instead of randmother, her corpse appeared?