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My chin dropped a fraction "A what? Who would do that? The vampires?"

He shook his head "It must have been the sorcerer who tried to capture us"

"Shelton? But he just helped us rescue you"

"The tracker wasn’t there yesterday, and I haven’t been around any other sorcerers lately" He pulled down the collar of his shirt and revealed a tiny red and gold tattoo in the shape of a huhtly red "Blasted thing itches"

I leaned over and exauy to have, and I wondered if otten drunk, woken up with it, and was too embarrassed to admit the truth "Uh, Dad, this is a tattoo Shelton never had the chance to touch you much less ink your skin Are you sure the vampires who kidnapped you didn’t do this?"

"Sorcerers don’t need to touch you to tattoo you," Elyssa said, her eyes growing cold and hard "They only need to be close enough to see where they want the tracker to reside"

"But it’s a stinking tattoo Why don’t they hed "I don’t know Maybe it requires more power" He scratched the tattoo and scowled "In any case, there’s no telling how long this thing will last My family has the scent now and they’ll find me wherever I run"

I pressed a hand to ht of revelations "Didn’t you tell ht all the energy confused "

"It does, but since they knohere we live now, they don’t need the tracker, just a GPS If I run, then the tracker will ht as ait for therunted in frustration "What about a backup plan? With all the ht a backup house somewhere on another ley line"

"We have--had two others"

"Why didn’t you say so? Let’s go!"

He slammed a fist on the couch armrest "They’re already compromised I checked them out and both places were trashed That means this house is next on the list"

"Son of a--" I paced the rooo Now"

"I just got you back, Dad I’roaned in frustration "Then both of us should pack" With that, he stalked into his bedroom

"Maybe Shelton can help," Elyssa said

"And what if he’s the one who tagged hiht with the vampires when they’d kidnapped Dad Had Shelton tossed a tracker on him then and not told me? Or had he possibly put one on Dad e rescued him? It would have been the perfect time Shelton had driven me, Dad, and Elyssa to my house I’d been exhausted and barely able to think straight If Shelton had marked Dad before the vampires took hi him If that were the case, I wouldn’t be as ticked off But if he’d put it on after the rescue, Shelton wasn’t getting away from me without a mouth full of broken teeth

Elyssa put her hands on ?"

"Checking you for tattoos"

A chill ran through ed "I didn’t even think about that"

"It’s a good thing I’m around, then"

The touch of her waret the oncoh hopes for the day We’d snuggled down and watched the Princess Bride, rab some Chinese food for dinner In the back of my mind I’d even envisioned ould happen later How I’d kiss her, unclothe her, and we’d lose our virginity together, the way it wasabout?" Elyssa said in a low voice

I realized how stronglyout in my head, and my face burned with embarrassment

"Just you"

Elyssa smiled and kissed me on the cheek "You should pack"

"Yeah" My voice was hoarse at the thought of leaving home with my demon spawn relatives hot on our tails But I had to face reality I dashed intoand shoved underwear, socks, shirts, and anything else I could fit inside Elyssa came fro and shoved it inside the duffel I was zipping it up when another thought occurred to rabbed the stacks of money behind it

"Did you rob a bank?"

"My parents" It had been their rainy-day fund before Mom left either to rescue my little sister, Ivy, fro she’d joined theh not by choice--or so I hoped I shoved the money into the duffel and reached back inside the wall for one --a flash drive I’d copied sootten all about theibberish and so code when I’d opened them in a text viewer, but at sohly I dropped the flash drive in the duffel and zipped it shut

Dad e over his shoulders

I looked at the tennis shoes he’d put on instead of the casual sandals he usually wore "You’re co away from you Whatever happens, I won’t let theo to Shelton first Maybe he can remove the tracker"

"And if he can’t, I’ll be a sitting duck along with hile" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>