Page 17 (2/2)

Crank seemed excited and hopeful I scooted closer to her "First let’s see e have to ith here"

As I undid one of her braids, Violet cae cardboard box filled with ed jewelry She climbed onto thethe second braid

"I’ll show you how to do a messy twist," I said "That’ll look pretty with your hair" And it would Crank had beautiful wavy hair

"I like those stick things you put in yours soirly and kick-ass"

I laughed "Now you’re talking"

I lay in the bed later, hands tucked behindas I relived the iven Crank Besides my last foster parents, I never hadpassed around fro Now it felt like I had a family, sisters, two unruly brothers, and a father who loved me

And SebastianI didn’t knoe were anymore

I couldn’t help but wonder if deep down, no matter what he said to the contrary, he harbored resentiven him the first taste He’d been drained and starved to the brink of death And I couldn’t watch hi, had putthe outcome

But he’d never wanted my blood He’d said he’d rather die

Had our roles been reversed, I knew Sebastian never could have sat back and watched me die either I pressedoflike hell she ith h, anything I had a vision of her inwhen she left me that I didn’t know if it was real or not More like wishful thinking, a phantoination A ghost without a grave Myher body back to her tehts, I dressed and arht as well get so hts wander The front door opened I stilled, staring into the hall

Henri appeared

"Hey" I returned to ht sight of your friends a little while ago," he said

"Friends?" Most of

"Yeah, you know, the hot hunter and the ghost?"

I raised my brow "Menai and Mel are still in the city?"

"Looks like I was doing a little recon around the square Keeping tabs on Josephine for you, and I saw the in on the jar"

"Fro for it," Dub said, shuffling in with a yawn "Overheard so about it in Spits’s shop" He slid into a chair and let his head fall back as though it was too heavy to hold up

"Couldn’t sleep?" I asked

"Bad dreams Lots of fire"

I returned the clip to un in the holster I stood, wrapping the holster around my waist "Too oing?" Henri asked

The Hands are et the with"

Dub waved us away, letting his eyes close again "You kids have fun"

THIRTEEN

WITH EVERY STEP WE TOOK toward St Charles, my muscles screamed their soreness I’d overdone it with ret it The eotten fro for it now

We caught the streetcar, and I found a bench by myself as Henri took the one across the aisle I swiveled in ?"

"Aches so better every day"

It was a miracle Henri hadn’t been killed when Athena shot hioogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>