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Seth nodded "Yes, sir"

Garr nodded "Well, we glad to have your help here in Charles Town Been a long tiht, Noah?"

Noah gave lance "Yes, sir"

Garr leaned forward, crab ot it now, doh Dem Arcoses, dey turned some, dey left some wit tendencies, dey killed some No tellin’ how many runnin’ round now, doh"

"Preacher says we have to entoain," Eli offered "Maybe just one of them"

Garr nodded "Probly so" Eli had already explained to Garr Victorian’s explanation, and aboutmore But he watched ; I don’t think I’d ever eaten so ht aular, everyday spicy crab boil seasoning; so at ed his brows

By the ti, Noah had called it, with no sun, nowas filled with bugs and birds and frogs, calling, --not soon, but humans didn’t

We left the dock, and the afterlight, behind

Inside Garr’s river house, he pulled so from the pocket of his white T-shirt and stopped us one more time He handed a vial each to Seth and me "Drink up, Brodder and Sister," he said "Dis will let deht help for a spell, dat’s right"

Neither Seth nor I hesitated; we unscrewed the sht We drained every drop It tasted a , but with no aftertaste We handed the vials back to Garr

"Dere now You go and take care of stuff I’m here if you need o, he grasped both of ons on s at irl," he said "And dis Noah, too Dey keep you and your brodder safe, and Preachers boys and dat odder big dark fella" He narrowed his eyes "Don be a hardhead, girl You can’t take dem all on by yourself"

"Yes, sir," I answered, and could only wonder what sort of conversations he and Preacher’ had had about irl Was Eli Dupré Now git"

I could do nothing hed and shooed us out of his little old green river house Eli grasped my arht cast an amber half circle around the house Beyond the circle, fireflies blinked in the night It felt surreal here, on the A; almost disjointed froh, and by the time we left and headed south on US 17, complete darkness had fallen This time, I rode back with Eli on his bike

Just as we hit the city liraspHe didn’t have to, and I wasn’t going to ask

No sooner had Eli stopped the bike than Victorian’s voice fill my head

Please, Riley--you don’t have to do this It is a fight you will never win, love Don’t you see? There’re tooyourself in danger I’ you--leave now Please? And yes--you can answer oi quality Just think to ht of? My killing your kind? I’ht or not You know me by noill not sit idly by and watch others die Maybe you can live with that, but I can’t, " I thought

"Ah, see? Just that easy You’ll find oes by And this--it’s one of the many qualities I adore about you, Riley I so wish I could just take you away You and I, completely alone somewhere, far away from the , day and night, but you; the smell of your skin, the taste of your lips, the feel of your hands oninto that with you right now, Victorian You knohere ht to myself

"I knohere you think your heart lies I ai you; listen to those around you Let theer if you perish"