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Lured by her companion’s friendly chatter, and of course, the temptation of cake, Laylah crossed the room to join her next to the baythat overlooked the sprawling parkland

"I think the half-Jinn thing has you beat on the whole shock factor"

"Fair enough I hope you…" Juliet’s words faltered to a halt as she lifted her head and studied Laylah ide, startled eyes "Bloody hell"

"What is it?" Laylah raised a hand and brushed at her cheek "Do I have so on my face?"

Juliet shook her head "Do you have relatives in London?"

Laylah’s heart slaoose chase

"That’s what I’m here to discover Levet said that he ran into a Jinn in London Oh" Laylah griiven the poor little deoyle?"

"Hunting" Juliet shuddered "Don’t ask"

Reassured Levet was safe, Laylah returned her attention to the reason she’d traveled to London

"So, do you know about the Jinn?"

Juliet cleared her throat, abruptly turning to pace across the room in obvious discomfort

"I’m afraid I do"

Laylah frowned "How?"

"I suppose it o,her back to Laylah "It was before I wasa pest of himself"

"Obviously a vaed at her heart

She was doing her best not to think of the wild, frenzied sex she’d shared with Tane After all, as there to think about?

He’d rocked her world Hell, he’d sent her into orbit

And noas back to being her enemy

End of story

"Yes," Juliet readily agreed "Anyway, Levet had become a squatter of my current master and one of my few friends So when he was kidnapped I went to rescue hiht have reconsidered"

"You actually h, Juliet turned, her expression rueful "He wasn’t in a chattyhis best to kill me"

"It was a male?" Laylah stepped forward, unable to believe she could actually find the truth of her past Not after waiting for so long "You’re certain of that?"

"Absolutely certain"

So Her Jinn blood

"But you don’t knohy he was in London?"

"No" Juliet spread her hands "All I really know is that he was beautiful and terrifying and so powerful I truly thought he was going to kill me, not to h of disappoint into a Jinn had included more than a brief moment of violence

"Damn"

"Laylah"

"Hhts, Laylah didn’t realize her companion had returned to her side until she laid a hand on her arm

"There’s no easy way to say this I killed him," Juliet softly confessed "I’m so sorry"

Laylah made a choked sound Not in distress How did she er did happen to be her long lost father? But in shock that the slender witch could possibly have survived an encounter with a powerful Jinn, let alone be responsible for his death "You killed him?"

Juliet looked miserable "I swear it was in self-defense"

Laylah grabbed Juliet’s hand, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze

"You don’t have to explain, Juliet," she assured the woh research to know that full-blooded Jinns are deceitful, immoral creatures who have loyalty to no one but theret "That doesn’t matter if he was a part of your faed, not entirely certain how she felt

If she were a wide-eyed innocent she ht try to convince herself that the Jinn had indeed been her father and that she now had a perfect explanation for why she’d been abandoned After all, not even the most devoted father could overcome death to keep his child protected

Well, not unless he happened to be a ghoul

But she was a demon that had been smacked around by the world and as far as she was concerned fairy tales were for suckers

"I suppose he h like him for you to notice," she said

"Oh, no" Juliet blinked in surprise "You don’t look like the Jinn Well, maybe a little around the nose and aze swept over Laylah’s pale face "It’s downright uncanny"