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I waited in the back of the Jeep while Dante and Janine dosed the place in gasoline I had my scarf back on If my neck bled anymore at least it would blend in

I didn&039;t see Dante and Janine return to the Jeep so much as hear the doors open and slam shut

Janine&039;s expression softened when she turned to look at me "Good work, Aurora"

"Did I tell you she was ready or what?" Dante spread a hand over his chest "My raven-haired prodigy I&039;et out of here," Janine said

Dante held up a hand "Wait I want to make sure the fire catches"

I turned to myand stared at the boarded house

When black san to leak from the cracks of the house, Dante shifted into drive and took off down the road

I stared out host town at night

Dante ran a red light It didn&039;tvehicle on the road

Toed his tail e returned to the cabin

I sat with a thud on one of the wood chairs

Janine grabbed a plastic gallon of water and poured it into a kettle by the cook stove

"Coffee before the drive home?"

"Me, me," Dante said

"Aurora?"

"Yeah, coffee&039;s fine" Anything ould do

Janine lit the flame on the stove then took a seat across froer It scraped the table as I pushed it toward Janine

"Keep it," she said

I nodded and returned the dagger to its holster

Janine was back on her feet the moment the kettle hissed steam

My eyes wandered to the corner of the cabin The quilt from the twin bed now lay on the floor in front of the fireplace The sheets were in a wad at the foot of the bed, along with the pillows

Tellpummeled, bitten, and left to stab two vampires in the heart

"Sht "I wish I&039;d been there to see theh he never saw it co Ivo was on his back on the floor"

Janine set an ena in front of me The steam rose below my chin

"We found Ivo in his bedrooo okay? I noticed you have bruises"

"Those aren&039;t bruises!" Dante said "They&039;re battle wounds You fought the good fight, Sky" He drank fro the scalding liquid "Next tiether"

In your dreams

I&039;m sure Dante didn&039;tannoyed I wasn&039;t angry at Janine She looked genuinely concerned, and I&039;h and tumble while I battled for my life wasn&039;t her idea

"I can&039;t wait until Renard and his cohorts get back to town We&039;re going to buzz right back up here and paint this town red"

"Dante?" I said

"Yeah?"

"Shut up"

Janine smirked

Even Dante sot another long drive ahead of us

There were no traces of light e stepped outside It was hard to tell night from day in this arctic wasteland

Janine walked us to the Jeep She shook my hand

"Welcome to the team, Aurora You really iain"

"Thanks for the dagger"