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No wonder Mab had kept such a tight leash on me for all those years of e alone, and h the woods and fields Village boys? I never knew they existed

Would I have been susceptible to Pryce’s charlad I’d never had the chance to find out

"Gouldn’t open her door or listen to me Over and over, she demanded to return home That’s all she would say And so I sent her home"

Mab stood "Your sister did see what she believes she saw: She saw the boy’s slashed throat, felt his blood on her arms and face Yet she’ll never believe the rest She wouldn’t listen to e constable, who said there was no such boy in Rhydgoch She didn’t believe your father, who tried to tell her about dehed "And should you try to explain, she won’t believe you, either I concluded twenty years ago that Gas lost to me Her recent actions confir anyone can do about it"

And that was that Mab moved toward me I stepped aside to let her pass She opened the door and went into the living roo over her shoulder, "You need to return that phone call It was froent" She picked up her book and resu

Kane’s face appeared in the kitchen doorway "We’re good," I told hi felt fine My heart ached for Gho for twenty years had been forced to carry a ghastly secret because no one would believe her And for Mab, branded a murderer by the niece whose life she’d saved, shut out of Gwen’s life, her fae the chasm between them But they’d lived on their opposite sides of that chasedy of the situation was fresh to o been woven into the fabric of their lives

I set the problem aside for now and went into the kitchen I’d call Daniel and see if he’d learned anything thatWhen he heard it was et to a secure location You’re at home?"

"Yes"

"Don’t go anywhere I’ll call back within five e, I reflected as I waited, phone in hand, for his call Tense, but also with a coldness I’d never heard fro, I answered iavethe questions Where did you get it?"

I considered how much I should tell hi her into this unless I had to "Froht The sample was from the blade of a sword I took from my opponent"

"Did it cut you?"

"No, but what--"

"Where, Vicky? Whose was it? Why did you swab the blade? That’s a pretty unusual thing to do, wouldn’t you say? I need details"

My head spun from his rapid-fire questions I picked the one that seeed to one of the Old Ones, those creatures who stole Pryce’s body after the Paranormal Appreciation Day concert Re with hi with the Reaper Shit"

"Daniel, what’s wrong?"

"When you brought me that cotton ball, did you have any idea as on that blade?"

"Soht"

"It’s worse than poison It’s a virus--a variant of the virus that caused the zoue"

The phone fell from my hand It hit my boot and skated across the kitchen floor I chased it and snatched it up

"Daniel? Daniel? Are you there?"

"The whole lab is under quarantine I’ed to convince them I didn’t coot a grilling about where it came from"

"What did you say?"