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Vale rerolled Bea’s painting, stuffed it down the back of his collar, and reached down to collect o, bébé"

I waved hiht need it"

Vale gave old froht like Lestat and try to strangle the brigand to death, but there was nothing left in the shell of his body When I held out atheredfire As he rushed down the stairs trailing liether like parentheses, dead Their dohite fur had fallen to the floor, their black lips twisted back over fangs, just like theirfor the front door where I had always entered, Vale plunged into the darkness of a spare kitchen, nearly banging his head on hanging copper pots

"Where are we going?"

"Into the alleys, the saand, bébé, you don’t want to be seen stepping out a rich dead man’s front door"

The courtyard out back was far less fancy than the sidewalk in front, and Vale neatly sidestepped rubbish bins that rankled of turpentine and neatsfoot oil He navigated the back alleys like a streetwise cat, keeping us entirely away froI tried to speak once, but he quieted and rule two: if you don’t wish to get caught, be silent," he whispered against my ear

I didn’t recognize the route he took to Paradis, not until we entered the elephant’s eo in I ran away froave me a dark look as he scooted sideways down a narrow alley "I knoatched You werehe was carrying ?"

He shook his head "I was co to your room to visit, but then I saw you dressed in thatscrap, pacing around like a bludrat in an oven When he arrived, I watched to make sure he didn’t hurt you"

"But I went out theand didn’t see you"

"I can be rather quick when I need to be"

Placing ainst the alley’s bricks, he tapped a broken edge, and toopen on a crawlspace I breathed in, always distrustful of sht was the scent of cold stone, old wood, and, oddly enough, hard liquor

"Can you crawl?"

I flexed my arms and knees "I think so Blood would help"

"Crawl to the end of the tunnel, and you can have all the blood you want"

My led into the hole with Vale’s face pressed against ht shot, bébé There is one turn-off that goes to the main hall of Paradis, but that hatch is probably sealed Just keep going" I nodded, knowing he couldn’t see it, and focused on forcing , and I can’t see a da," he muttered behind h h boards When Vale murmured, "You should be able to stand up now," I pulledabout that blood"

"I never lie about going to the bar, bébé"

A diht appeared up ahead, and then I realized ere in part of the tunnel Bea had taken lected to feedabout the supply of blood they’d brought in once I’d proven myself a star When I found the familiar door, I unhooked the latch and peeked into the bar and the empty theater beyond My keen Bludman’s senses came in handy; there was no one there at all, but I could feel the war in their beds upstairs But one thing still bothered ic, bébé A brigand’s secret a noses Now, drink"

So I finally kne he’dit had just saveddeeply, I went straight to the low hum of a brand-new, still shiny blood warmer Dozens of vials waited inside, each labeled with a fancy parche I couldn’t have cared less about quality and grabbed the first two, popping their corks with both thuourin blue bloods, and it washed away the spicy funk of ic and anise from Lenoir’s potion I tossed the erabbed two es I’d noticed on es, are they? I could use sorin deepened "They aren’t oranges at all"

I dropped the vials and stared at hie and held it up When he rapped on it with his fist, the sound was hollow He held it out toin the peel When I pulled the steentleht with a lady, he coirl and she accepts it, that reed When the deed is done, she keeps the orange and brings it back here to get paid"

"But I’ve never seen a girl carrying an orange"

He chuckled "Would you keep a symbol like that where anyone could see it? Or steal it? No, theyMost likely, you are still asleep when that happens"