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But I needed to talk to Lucado about Difethwr I didn’t think he was in danger, but on the off chance Kane ht, I didn’t want to leave hiuard--"

"Frank"

"I thought you said his name was Wendy--Wendell"

"No, me Call me Frank Mr Lucado’s my old man Everybody calls me Frank or Frankie"

"Frank Okay Well, Frank, I want to talk to you about what happened last night, while you were asleep I knohy Wendell quit"

"Good man, Wendy He’ll come back He’s been with me for fifteen years Doesn’t scare easy, but those damn demons must’ve scared the hell out of hiht you said nobody else could see ’eht But those Harpies weren’t the only deht" I told him about Difethwr’s visit I told him that I’d encountered the Hellion before The only part I held back was about Dad Sos are too painful to turn into stories

As he listened, Lucado’s facehis eyebrow, his dead eye looking at nothing

"I don’t think it was coot a history with this thing But I thought I should warn you, anyway What you need to do is find a co charainst Hellions"

I’d hired a witch to create a Hellion-repelling charue, because Needham is outside Boston’s shield It was expensive, but the witch renewed it monthly, and it worked like, well, a charm

"I can recoh" He turned his head so that it looked like he was staring at me with his blind eye The only part of his face I could see was violently slashed by his scar It was unnerving I don’t think anyone who saw the scar ever asked Frank what had happened to the other guy You just didn’t want to know

But if I could look a Gorgon-headed Harpy in the eye, I could do the saht on "What do you h? There’s a Hellion loose in Boston A charure it" He rolled his eyes, but since I couldn’t see his good eye, the blind one just seemed to ricochet around its socket I shifted in my seat and leaned over so I could see both eyes

"What do you mean?"

"Here’s how it looks to ive you that But you did a hell of a lotI knehere this was going

Frank held up his hand and, as he spoke, ticked iteers "You killed those Harpies, but fro worse into my ho in the leather seat

"Right A Hellion So this Hellion, a thing I never even heard of before, o out and buy an expensive charuard I ever had, leaving ht to you?"

I wasn’t the one who had scared off Wendy, but it see to stop payment on his check, I could just feel it If I had to take hined affidavit, it’d cost me more in time and court fees than the check orth

"So," Frank continued, "the way I figure it, you owe lared at hihn You say what’s on your mind" He looked out theWe were only a block froinning to think that maybe he’d let ain "What’s your beef with this Hellion?"

His question tookto say what it had done to my father "My family has been at ith demons for centuries"

"So that’s it, huh? Some ancient blood feud?" He nodded "I can understand that"

The liet out, but Frank punched the intercoot things to do," I protested