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WE DIDN&039;T FIND any bombs, and thanks to the wererats and some of the ex-military in both the werehyenas and wereleopards, we had people who knehat they were doing If there had been anything to find, I trusted our people to find it I got the official go-ahead from Dolph about three hours after Brice had called and warned us Three hours is a long time to wait to warn people

Dolph ended the conversation with, "I&039;m sorry, Anita"

"What about?" I asked

"That so people safe Souys are as conflicted about the preternatural community as I was a couple of years back" That was a lot for him to ad from you"

"I don&039;t understand the whole fascination with the preternaturals, but I know my son is still happy, and I&039;ve never seen you happier than you are right now The wife says you&039;re not supposed to understand love; if it made complete sense, it wouldn&039;t be love"

"That sounds illogical and absolutely true," I said

"Illogical and true; sounds about right for love," Dolph said, and he&039;d hung up

By the time I knew that everyone was safe and no boone by hours I felt Jean-Claude die for the day, and knew that one before hih to stay awake as long as Jean-Claude They did better in the underground, but the sun came up and the vampires went down, that was just the way it worked I felt Jean-Claude curl up around the other ether I didn&039;t like sleeping with va with Micah and Nathaniel in our room, and maybe Sin, if he was there and not in a hospital bed

Claudia and I alking down the ht One of the things that had made it so hard to search was this section with its booths shuttered tight There were the usual fairway ga froh to bats, black cats, Frankenstein&039;s lis played for comedy instead of scares There was scarier stuff from some shops: fake shrunken heads on a stick, monster eyeballs in plastic jars, and a booth that put fake scars and wounds on you I could smell the sweetness of the cotton candy, the cinnamon of the elephant ears and bear claws booth, renamed "monster ears" and "olf claws," and the funnel cakes that always srandmother&039;s kitchen was supposed to s the Circus after it was closed I think it appealed to the little girl in me who had alondered what happened when the fair closed down I kne that it was just like any other job for most of the people They cleaned up, did prep for the next day, and closed down, but when you&039;re little, the traveling carnival is et to visit There&039;d been a time when the midway here seeh here, it was usually after closing and I was going to bed: home

Claudia&039;s phone sounded, and she walked a little away froave her the privacy The wererats were priuards in town, but they had business out of town, and it was strictly a don&039;t-ask, don&039;t-tell policy I carried a badge; I did not need to know details about their mercenary jobs

She came back to me with a look on her face that I couldn&039;t read, but it wasn&039;t a good look

"What&039;s wrong?" I asked

"Mephistopheles is sitting against the wall in the living roo," she said

"Crap," I said

"You don&039;t even need to ask why, do you?" she said

"No"

"So it&039;s true you are sending Asher away for what he did last night?"

I nodded

"About damn time," she said

"You really don&039;t like him, do you?"

"He&039;s your lover, not mine, Anita I wouldn&039;t put up with his emotional blackh with it, too," I said I started walking toward the far door and the entrance to the underground She fell into step beside me