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"Release my faithful from your bonds and I shall let you live," Maxi voice

He sounded really reasonable, I thought as his coood idea," I said, trying to open the rear door But it wouldn’t open and I realized the child safety locks were on

"Don’t let his voice cloud your a to open the door by pressing ainst it

Stacey leaned across Felicia and grippedto for, falling, falling into the bliss of her gaze Reality faded in a warm fuzzy haze Then she slapped me so hard I saw stars

"Ouch!"

"Sorry, my lamb, but it was the fastest way to snap you out of it"

I realized I no longer had the desire to let Felicia go In fact, I was ready to get out and beat the snot out of Maxih extreht now since un it," Smith said to Ryland

"It’d be faster if I pushed," the lycan grumbled

S wand out of the car , and then twirled it skyward A brilliant halo of light surrounded the car, bathing everyone outside in intense white rays without affecting those of us in the car The va as red blisters formed on their skin Maximus howled and ran for the shade as well

"Maxi, don’t leave unned the car forward

Slistened on his forehead

"Was that hard?" I asked

He wiped his brow "Difficult? No But the effort and energy of soht really takes it out of er generator"

I turned to Felicia "Maxi, huh? Let e of the females he ’saves’" I made air quotes in case she didn’t catch the sarcasm

She sniffed and stuck her nose in the air "I wouldn’t expect a man to understand You sa sexy he is Hoerful What lucky girl wouldn’t do anything for a man like him?"

"He’s a user Guys like hiht about Nathan Spel cronies I shuddered at the thought of going back to school and seeing hier at war, but that didn’t mean ere friends

"There is no one else like Maximus"

"You’re delusional," I said "Ryland could kick his ass and eat hirins over a shoulder and looked Felicia up and down, like sizing up a piece of meat "You’re cute, vampire, but stupid"

"Hey, watch it--oh never mind," Smith said "I have this instinct to protect ht She is stupid" He shook his head "Such a damned sha on, jackass," Felicia said

"Until your parents died?" I asked

His head snapped around to face uess she told you all sorts of stuff while I was gone"

I shrugged "Soreat I hardly know you people and you already know I have a crazy sister and a crappy childhood I hardly know a thing about you"

"I don’t think any of us have a pristine past," I said, although ood up untilfor her, and I found out I was demon spawn "I know you want to be mysterious and all with your conspiracy stuff, but nobody here’s gonna crucify you for your past"

"Unless he’s aone side of his h traffic

"Yeah, there is that," I said

Smith offered a wan smile "You ever heard of the Nosti family?"

I shookof the I do," Stacey said

Slasses up his nose "My dad was kind of a big deal in the sorcery coht advanced classes at the Acadeh she was the daughter of another powerful couple in the arcane community"