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"Soh," I said "Some of them were on our side"

"You can’t tell the difference though, can you?" she said

"At this age, it’s hard" I’d looked at the cupid’s wings when they htliss’s were ultraviolet since she was a darkling, and Daelissa’s hite But the babies’ wings looked shades of gray "I don’t think the Darkling or Brightling aspects eels are a little older"

"So was a Brightling," she said "Deluding yourself is the easiest way to rationalize an impossible situation"

"This doesn’t even come close to an iusts me to have to make the choice, but I realize if I knew Mom was close to death, I’d do it in a heartbeat In fact, if Kassus doesn’t show tonight, I’ll do it"

She touched my shoulder "You sure?"

"Yeah" I patted her hand "I’ll feel worse about the leywor me than I will the baby"

Elyssa wrapped her arms around me, and pressed her face toin theto an end and kissed her on the top of the head She gazed up at me, violet eyes dark with eered for a moment "Whatever you do, I will always love you, Justin"

"Even if I kick a puppy?"

She laughed "Shut up" Her hand gripped mine "Let’s eat breakfast You’ve done all you can do right now Ivy said she’d call if she got anything, and Hutchins will notify us when it’s go time And if neither one pans out, we’ll resort to baby snatching"

Elyssa’s su else to do until Kassus showed his face sos--and sat on the upstairs deck, enjoying the cool h it was almost Christmas in the normal world, the weather in the pocket dimensions didn’t always inal mission before all this ot the invitations to our Christled "What uess"

"We haven’t even bought party favors or planned e’re going to cook"

"Wouldn’t it be absolutely a if I had Ivy and Mo behind ht of it, and choked up

"I think you will," she said, huggingto ," I said "Oh, and deviled eggs"

Elyssa ross"

"You know us des filled with yellow stuff"

She laughed "My us casserole I’ll ask her to bring some"

I raised my eyebrows "You think your parents would really coht"

"Bella said she could ht to have those for Christood cook"

We talked about the dinner, about possible gifts to buy people, and had a few good laughs iifts we could buy for Shelton I wanted to get him a pair of buttless chaps but ift from Bella Elyssa wanted to buy him a pair of fluffy bunny slippers to wear around theso hard as we one-upped each other with ridiculous gift ideas, I al

I answered when I saho it was "Hey, Stacey"

"Hello, my lamb," she said "Are you in the house somewhere?"

"On the upper porch"

"Ah Perhaps you would like to see what my friends have accoht down"

"I’," she said "I assu quarters" She ended the call

I gobbled downbacon and wiped ," I told Elyssa

She picked up her e room, I felt my mouth drop open A hundred or , and rubbing against each other Countless golem rat corpses lay in a pile in the center Stacey stood near the pile stroking the head of a white cat who curled around her shoulders

"Ah, there you are," she said, slinking over to us with the grace and sexuality of a panther "My friends say the house is now clean of vermin" She spat the last word "I have asked them to remain and keep watch should reed There are plenty of real vereons"

"Wow, thanks," I said I scratched the ears of the kitty on her shoulders "And thank you, too"