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"My God It’s not--" I looked again

Now I saw the s to old that led an arold royal chariot Behind that spectacular artifact cayptian va a run behind their desert steeds, with hyenas serving as their pack of hounds

"I never noticed these mountains looked like pyramids, froht through us"

Ric nodded as atched the distant spectacle

"I never saw the critters personally, but from your description and e’ve just seen, the hyenas hostly existence as well as a way-too-physical one They’ll sic the Karnak royal vampire chariot corps on us now that we’ve had a close encounter Better floor it"

"And Quicksilver just chased the would tackle Godzilla"

Not toRic that Quick had faced off Snow’s security shape-shifter, Grizelle, while I was busy erasing Ric’s childhood whip scars in the Inferno bridal suite

Long story, for both of us Ric hadn’t totally recalled his ordeal asas his lover-cuht he protectedyourself

Whatever, I’d discovered even natural hyenas are really ugly customers, more weirdly related to felines than canines, with jaws that can snap and grind bones like the cannibal giant lurking up Jack’s fairy-tale beanstalk The thought of even their spectral for up to Dolly’s paint job … ick Hyena ectoplasm must resemble the wet cheesecloth fake mediu my head as I revved Dolly down the blessed ribbon of smooth concrete that would take us away from this prickly desert of cacti and khaki-colored carnivores, live and undead

Ric frowned at my speedometer until I pushed the needle up to ninety Then he tuned the radio full up on a Spanish-language station, so that truuitars hailed our return to civilization

Ric caughtin wait until we approach Salt Cedar"

"That’s right Ex-FBI guy likes to take lawless ht spins out into the desert dark"

"You’ve learned way too much about my deepest darkest secrets since I was unconscious in Christophe’s bridal suiteother people’s blood" He se "I’ll have to show you soht to your horound"

I checked the rearview hts of a semi "Why were the Karnak va expedition to their secret underworld did destroy the centuries-kept herd of human cattle they bred to feed on"

"Only after we released those poor souls to their long-delayed Afterlife," I said "Howard Hughes is hoping his ith the wine-god we freed will get thehes was a de and now he’s a va Daddy You can’t trust him"

For a wild moment, I speculated that maybe he could be … htwine to coroner Grisly Bahr to, hey … Donald Trump That’s the catch when you’re an abandoned baby You could be anybody Or anything

Ric was still in warningyou freed from two thousand years of pillar duty under the Karnak lull your defensive instincts That wine-loving Shezy His other specialty was Lord of the Slaughter So, before everybody in the Vegas vahes invention, they still have to seek prey"

"What’s out here to prey on?"

"Isolated ranches I iine the worker va theet first dibs on any human herders"

"What about the Zobos and your horses?"

"The silver barbed ill repel theht it olves that silver bullets can hurt"

"Silver is one of the oldest vampire repellents It fell out of favor in the days of the cross and holy water, but ancient Egyptians wouldn’t be subject to Christian symbols Silver recovered much of its mojo after the Millennium Revelation"

I touched my hip My own silver familiar often went undercover as a slim chain

"Your newly silver eye?" I asked

"Yet to be seen," he answered, "but proet that stuff?"

"Custom-made I have contacts in the Mexican jewelry trade on both sides of the border"

"Sterling silver? Isn’t that metal too soft to ave it the evil eye after it was nailed down around the compound"

"So you’ve … used … your silver iris?"

"Sure If you got it, use it My concentrated stare produced a cool blue aura around the wire Then it hardened like your silver familiar did when you touched Cocaine’s albino lovelock and it morphed into a solid form My amped-up wire proved diamond jeweler’s saw-and torch-resistant, just like Snow’s pretty-pretty white hair I’ this wire now has some supernatural power that makes predators of the paranormal sort back off"

"And how do you know this wire is irinned as widely as Quicksilver "First, os tested it with saw and torch Second, I have a feeling silver is our lucky chareable silver circles on his collar Time I shared the bounty, babe"

"You know I hate to be called that"

"Yeah, but you’re hogging the driving and you can’t do anything about it now Or this"

His hand returned to as Gotta say the bouncy road feel wasn’t hurting anything, either Dolly’s vintage shocks were set to velvet vibrate That Ric Froerous missions Delilah the secret sex therapist was very happy

"Where does your silver body jewelry thingy go, anyway?" Rick asked, "when you wear that skintight super-suit?"

This was the man who so memorably removed inity in front of his bathroolasses) asking I blushed anyway, but only the half- down the deserted straight-pin road at alot cozy ould be ht rated to a less active erotic zone Sometimes it doesn’t like crowds"

Ric’s rhyth up to its name, I see But I don’t see Where?"

While he examined me for a clue, I watched the speedoet it

Ric sounded s "Elementary, my dear Watson I detect t symmetrically placed oversize silver studs on the chest of your catsuit H shy, Del, it’s upping the erotic ante However or wherever that outfit opens and shuts, I’ out"

Behind us a huge sigh and agitation on the leather upholstery indicated that Quicksilver was settling down on the backseat for a resigned doggy snooze before he spent the night on outside patrol He’d always been an ultras