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Bruiser pushed the straay, but accepted a handful of dates and tossed them into his mouth I didn’t think he’d actually taken the time to chew them, and was sure he hadn’t when he went back to the Gatorade and struggled to s at first He finished off the bottle and placed a hand over his ht have been a polite British burp, but I heard nothing "Excuse me," he said

Ie bottle By the tiallon, he looked better and he had stopped shaking, but Bruiser’s voice was still rough when he said, "Leo took Shiloh in last sunored it "He didn’t knoho she was, beyond her given name and her witch status No history, no information at all He didn’t knoho any of the Daiven the iven that she is a witch, and showed no indication of ever returning to sanity But he asked Lincoln Shaddock to send Aed my memory and came up with the name of the two-year wonder, a scion as turned by Shaddock and went through the entire curing process in two years, finding sanity and reentering society in a brand-new record time She had been brown-haired, slender, unreood head on her shoulders, calm under fire, smart Aaaand yes That was the fa an ar in for the leader of Clan Arceneau "Okay"

"She brought Shiloh out of the devoveo in less than two h your niece," he said to Evan, "had been in thrall to the ain All I could think was that he’d have to pee like a racehorse, which was totally inappropriate under any circumstances, and I’d never say it aloud I was, however, unable to keep a crooked grin off ed with his eyebrows He needed a shave, a shower, and new clothes, but he lookedgood, sitting on erous

Beast focused on hiht

"Unrelated, but pertinent," he said, "Leo is having Aenetic, a fluke, or soh the devoveo process so quickly and now is also able to help others through it faster

"Before Leo could learn the girl’s history or true name, Jack Shoffru entered New Orleans, far in advance of Leo’s approved timeline, and held a party at Guilbeau’s He took Shiloh, which means he kneho she was And no one knew until you told Adelaide to look for her And worse, so at the party and two scions who attended died"

"Then Leo had his own shindig," I said, and soh security Two sos"

"We think they tried to search Leo’s roo more and more like himself

"The blurry things," I said, reht of the party, and re tooth

Bruiser looked fro Evan to me and back "Leo fed from Jack and learned about the dia, or what they were searching for, until then"

"All nice but I don’t give a rat’s ass about it," Evan said "What I want to know is, why did Leo not inform her family the moment Shiloh’s identity was known?"

Bruiser would have to be a block of stone to not hear the threat in Big Evan’s voice He bowed his head slightly, for, in his unkeesture looked forht And when the young scions who had attended the party began to vanish, leaving behind only a pile of ash, and their blood-servants began to fall ill, Leo atteirl It was too late Shoffru had her He failed"

"And what?" I deht of the party and he still letdown around his shoulders? Knowing er burst throughEvan because I could feel his reaction on the air, sparking and sharp with barely controlled ht set hio "You didn’t think I should know this before I left vamp central?"

"Yes, I did And when I insisted, Leo kickedand going still

"Permanently," Bruiser said He looked lost for a moment, a scant instant of shocked surprise Then he pasted a cocky grin on his face and said, "Which was ti that I followed Jane and assisted her in her difficulties"

"Which nearly got you killed," I said

Bruiser shrugged "Leo and I have had difficulties over the last few --"different Much more acute I believe the proper phrase is, I need a new crib"

"Dude," the Kid said, still sitting in the corner, watching us all "I can bunk with the bro You can have ood But before I could say no, Bruiser said, "Thank you I won’t stay long I promise"

Mine, Beast said Will take Bruiser

"Uhhh," I said, thinking, Rick

Will take Rick back soon, she growled Will have Bruiser now

No, I insisted I will be alpha in this one thing