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I had never seen Katie do that for anyone Katie’s blood was special, coht clans, and I had to wonder why the old, cagey vareen eyes tothat either way I answered, I wouldn’t like the result I nodded and Katie ss I almost backed up a step at her expression but stopped myself in tiies to you for the blood I forced"

Instantly I was on the cold floor in the warehouse, Katie’s fangs buried inEvan’s niece slurpingthat she could hear

"My blood is valuable," she said, "fareach other nothing"

I thought about that, about agreeing with her, wondering if that meant I, and the people who looked to ree tonot kill or injure you or yours? And you agree to not kill or injure et to keep the house"

Katie narrowed her eyes before it hit et to keep my rent-free status on the house, but it caested that my blood orth as much as her own Maybe even more Very carefully, I didn’t s down, she was fully vamped-out However, when she spoke, her voice was even and without inflection "Agreed I will have the papers sent over to you via ave a ained a powerful vamp for a house And won Go, e that win for fear it would sound gloating Carefully I said, "We are even"

As I spoke, Shiloh slid to the floor in a boneless glide that ended with aand rosy-cheeked, a tiny drop of cherry red blood on her lips Drunkenly, she licked it away "I will keep the girl alive," Katie said, "for three days On the third day, if you have not ended the death spell that is draining her, she will die I will also care for and respect the blood-servant tie between the Mithran you claim and her new blood-servants" She looked at Bliss and Rachael "I will not treat with them as traitors to my household but as former employees who have found a new master You are released froain than I expected, and it gave a place of safety and service to Bliss and Rachael It also made me wonder about the value of my skinwalker blood, but I knew better than to ask "Done Eli, Evan, we need to go now"

And then the doors blew off the house

I leaped for the front entry The s s everywhere My ears popped as the pressure changed, s to the floor Batting ut as my leap took me clear across the entry to protect the hu like knives, stinking of burned sage and scorched huhts went out It was as dark as it had been in Shiloh’s lair, and as I watched through the open door, lights all down the street popped and went out I knew, soic interfered with electricity, which was how he cast such great don’t-see-me spells and charms while in Leo’s headquarters A weird silence settled over the French Quarter as the lights continued to go dark I stepped for the open door, the M4 in one hand, the stock between my elbow and my body, held close, a vas out, Katie raced past and I caught her with the shotgun, swinging her by the waist back toward the office "Stay put," I whispered "Keep the, battering me back into the office, as if the air itself knehere its prey was I shouted over the roar as I rolled the sofa over the humans and bent ain In the distance, I heard sirens I drew on Beast’s night vision The house looked silver, black, and gray, with hints of green I didn’t see Molly’s niece anywhere I slass had ripped into h Probably face Worries for later I said, "Eli?"

"At your two," he said softly I oriented hiht to the side of the front door "Company," he said softly "I count three Two vaht monocular Vamps moved faster than huht they were unseen, and it was easier than they thought to pick the fast, knowing that it was one of my enerip on the vaic, cued by fear and by addiction My body tightened "Evan Play that disruptive ic of an air witch It was so darker and bloodier, icy air and heated e and burned hair Candles in the office lit, brightening the roos in the parlor, a whoosh before everything went dark again Eli cursed and I knew he had lost his low-light vision in the burst of light The air went still Evan began to play

I heard the sound of footsteps They were inside This was not good

I said, as conversationally as I could e, "The Enforcer of New Orleans is on the premises" Which was so not scary "Withdraw Or suffer the consequences," I added Could I do a hot C-grade movie line or what?

In the office the melody becaift for undoing spells