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TEN MINUTES LATER, AXEL RETURNED HE STOPPED AND stared ather tiara, and holding a bottle of my favorite lite beer, paid for by the bride He turned to the bar, where Kiana was ne I paid for ran out, so it’s a cash bar now," she called

Axel turned back to y eyebrow

"She said she was a bartender in college I’ve been watching She’s charging for the drinks"

He sat down across from me His eyebrow seemed to have found a permanent hoe Accidentally, kind of There was no fighting involved," I added quickly "Just chane"

Axel surveyed the roone, but there was no broken furniture or bleeding patrons Better than a typical night

"How’s Juliet?" I asked

"Safe" He placed the silver shackle and chain on the table A nearby olf glanced at it, shuddered, and moved away "She said you’d need this"

"Can I see her?"

He shook his head "She’s resting"

Shit Axel wasn’t going to let me into his apartment As Juliet had said earlier, he never let anyone in He was bending his usual rule to protect her, but his hospitality wouldn’t extend to me I’d just locked Juliet away even farther out of reach than she’d been with the Goon Squad

And I still didn’t have any answers

"Axel--"

He shook his head, and I knew there was no use arguing

"Okay, then tell her to callbetter, okay? Tomorrow, no later I really need to talk to her Can you do that?"

This tiot a nod

I removed the bride’s tiara and set it on the table, then stood "Keep , will you? I’ And thanks I know youum, value your privacy I’ll try to move her to somewhere else that’s safe as soon as I can"

I wrapped the chain around my waist, picked uppaw shot out and grabbed my arm "Come back after sunrise"

I nodded I didn’t knohether he’d let me see Juliet or whether he merely expected me to help clean up after these roolves Either way, I’d be here Axel was good people--whatever species he was

7

WHEN I OPENED THE DOOR TO HIS APARTMENT, KANE looked up from his laptop screen He sat on the sofa, feet on the coffee table, papers spread all around him He’d rolled up his sleeves, removed his tie, and even undone the top buttons of his shirt Mmm Sexy attorney at work

But the alarm that leapt into his eyes reht now

"My God, Vicky What happened?" He was up in a second, his strong arback and unwrapping the chain from my waist I coiled it and added it to the arsenal in ainst the wall

He sniffed "Are you" Another sniff, his nostrils flaring wide " Are you drunk?"

"Of course not" He kne little I drank "I got caught in a little chaht at Creature Co to see Juliet"

"I did"

Kane scowled, staring atlooked an awful lot like a silver shackle The kind they use to restrain vampires"

"Um There’s a reason for that"

Kane closed his eyes and shook his head as if clearing it "Tell "

"Better sit down"

"How did I know you were going to say that?" He groped backward to find the sofa and sat on its arot blood on your cheek"