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Finn tackled Smith with the skill of one of the finest line blockers ever to grace NFL history San?"

"What the hell are you talking about? I tried to get her to safety Some other asshole swept her away from me What are you, a fool? I’d never hurt her, never in--"

"Where the hell is she?"

"I don’t know! Don’t you get it! I did see her after the fire I tried to get her away But there was soed He was about to set his hands around Mike Smith’s throat, but Lucian set a hand on his shoulder, drawing him to his feet

"Finn!"

Finn let out a breath Lucian drew hi San has talked to you What we need to know is if there is anything she s that have gone on"

"Now!" Finn grated

"While we’re walking We’ve got to get back to the others," Lucian said "Coot the priest headed for the car"

He pushed Mike ahead of hi to help right now We have to find out where they are and then--"

"We need the police," Finn said

Lucian shook his head "The police can’t help us now What we need is to find out where we’re going--

and then each one of us needs to play his or her part"

"Part--in what?"

"Our counter against the Black Mass," Lucian said

It was just a stone statue The ian saw that the statue had been set at the end of the altar, as if it would come down on top of her anyA face popped above hers

That of Gayle Sawyer "Ah, Megan! You’re awake How nice of you to join us"

She wasn’t surprised to see the girl She wondered if Mike, too, was in on this

All the little piercing points on Gayle’s face and ears had been filled in She wore little silver upside down pentagraods, all about her face

Megan pulled instinctively against the ropes binding her to the altar Gayle saw her efforts and sht Our priest kno to tie knots"

Megan was terrified, so ain It wouldn’t help her any

Neither would fighting with Gayle, but she thought that anger ht sustain her until…

Until she died, or help ca to prison And some biker wo to rip your face to pieces"

Gayle laughed "I’ to prison Once Bac-Dal has returned, his poill keep us all safe"

"So, you think that Bac-Dal will return You don’t knohat you’re up against"

"Those ghost busters from Louisiana? Don’t be ridiculous Sure, they’ve had soainst them asn’t entirely expendable"

"You will be dead, or you will go to prison," Megan repeated

"Nope!" Gayle said cheerfully "Nope, I won’t"

She walked down to the end of the altar Megan could barely raise her head, but she did She was covered in soe piece of fabric with the inverted pentagram embroidered on it The statue was at the end, and before it, a knife Sharp, with a curved blade A sacrificial knife

Gayle picked it up and san’s head Laughing, she put the blade against Megan’s throat, teasing it along her jawline For a few an couldn’t help but feel the chill of fear Then she srimly "You are such a child, Gayle You know that you can’t mar me in any way I won’t be the sacrifice that your Bac-Dal derowing dark, and Megan knew that she had hit upon the truth, but it gave her little comfort

"You’re not the sacrifice, you silly twit!" Gayle told her

Megan held still, staring at her

"You’re not to cutshe understood far ht, so you won’t be cut But you’ll die in pain anyway! When ht strikes, and the priestess sheds her old skin to take on yours, the agony you’ll feel will outweigh any little prick of the knife!"

Megan blinked rapidly, trying to hide the fact that she hadn’t the least idea of what Gayle was talking about But Gayle set it at all, did you? It’s been soyou and Finn You’ve been so mistrustful of hie! But adotten into his soul now and then, and I’ll bet he’s been a fantastic lover Down and dirty, huh? What a pity When he’s truly coer be Finn, and you’ll no longer be Megan So you’ll never get to knohat it’s really like, but…

think of it this way You’ve had a hell of run of it, the life that you’ve led And you should feel privileged, you know Your bodies will go on--I iine that as Bac-Dal and his priestess, you’ll dress better"

Gayle laughed delightedly at her own joke

As she laughed, sorinned down at her as well "Peek-a-boo! Ah, Megan, you don’t look so famous now, you know," Sara said "You look…<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>