Page 24 (1/2)

LIKE A BAD JOKE

Vivian?" I opened one?

"Evie, wake up" Lend’s voice startledhere?"

He s around Everything from the day before clicked into place, and I wished it hadn’t It was like losing Lish again

"Sorry," Lend said, "but they need you downstairs"

I blinked, trying to get ed uncomfortably "Just some peopleas I could"

"Oh, that’s okay, then Can I go to the bathrooht down here" I followed him out into the hall and he pointed out the bathroom "Hey, who’s Vivian?"

My stomach dropped as the drea into the bathroo a stupid drea to dishts I’d heard fro that had happened Ignoring the nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach, I swished so when I came out and I followed him down the stairs The two bolted doors were open now Wondering what I would find, I walked into the kitchen behind Lend and stopped dead

Lend’s dad, tolves, and a va A doctor, tolves, and a vampire walk into a bar "What’ll you have?" the bartender asks "We were thinking hi the doctor

Okay, jokes weren’twarily out at me from the olves and the shriveled corpse face of the va I didn’t have her I didn’t knohere she was, either, which made me all sorts of nervous All their ankles were covered by pants, but I was certain there weren’t any trackers underneath

The va woman in her early twenties Black hair streaked with cri Way to blend in there The tolves, holding hands, were a man and a woman in their thirties; he was tall, with his head shaved, and she had curly brown hair, cropped very short There was so familiar about her face, but I couldn’t place it

Of course, now the bolted doors ht of a full h one vamp I was pretty sure I could handle, even without my beloved Tasey

"Lend, you little"Don’t you ever pull that again"

Lend hung his head "Sorry I didn’t et here?"

"Just now" She turned to me "So" She sounded witchy I didn’t like her "IPCA, huh?"

"So" I raisedI could raise just one like Lend did), "Bloodsucker, huh?"

"Yeah So are Luke and Stacey" She jerked her head toward the olves

"Okay, sure Since I’ht as wolves"

All three of the paranorure out what David is yet?"

I gave her a flat stare "Did you really waketo hilanced over at him to make sure Yup, just human

David cleared his throat "We wanted to ask about this" He estured at the table, where I saw Tasey--yay Tasey!--my communicator, and Lend’s ankle tracker David looked sad "You brought IPCA technology to my home Will they track you?"

"No!" Truth was, I hadn’t even thought about that stuff in the confusion last night There wasn’t a probleht to be worried "Trust me, they’d already be here The tracker is deactivated and etting screwed up and reset every tiot rid of it They always knehere I was anyway, since the only way I ever left ith a faerie They can’t track the communicator unless you hit the panic button, I proain "Sure, but you could still call thelared at her "Yeah, because I really want to get locked up for the rest of my life Sounds like a party In fact, I think I’ll turn ht now!"