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"All right" Cooper grinned, his dilated pupils shining "Let’s dance"

I don’t kno long we sparred, but it felt like a good long while and by the end of it, I rung out, even more exhausted than I had been after my bout with Stefan--in part because I didn’t have that initial I-can-do-this rush of elation to sustain me and in part because Cooper had pushed me harder

He took a moment to collect himself when I called for a stop, then excused hih the rear entrance I sheathed dauda-dagr and waited uncertainly until he returned a few minutes later, his pupils normal and a pair of cold Budweisers in his hands

"Sorry about that" Cooper handed e off"

Somehow, I didn’t think he meant the beer I was pretty sure he ers-on inside the Wheelhouse "That’sokay"

He eyed me as he took a pull on his beer "Makes you a mite squeamish, does it?"

"A mite," I admitted "My first experience with, uood one"

Cooper looked surprised "Hiuy naone--Stefan banished hiainst " The memory of it still made ," he said, taking another swig of beer "But then, you know that, don’t you?"

"Yeah" I’d given Stefan per odly scene at a funeral The fact that it had felt as good and shockingly intiainst ed the subject "You did well today You’ve got the knack for this"

"Thanks," I said "I appreciate your help" I took a sip of beer "Would you be willing to do it again?"

He considered ht her than you look"

"It was quite a speech," I said

"I hope so," Cooper said in a flat, dispassionate voice "Because Ithe Wheelhouse, I swung by Sedgewick Estate to visit mythat had happened in the past few days, I was in need of some maternal sympathy

As it turned out, I was totally in luck Mona in the oven, and there was plenty of time to fill her in on h I didn’t tell her the part about Eet so et back to my place well before sunset

In the bedroom of my apartment, I went into my narrow closet to retrieve the iron casket I’d stashed on the top shelf, then fetched the key fro place in the jewelry box on er than a jewelry box, but it was heavy as hell, ancient and battered and inscribed with intricate Norse knotwork designs Hel had given it to me the first time she’d summonedas her liaison toroo was in order: the little copper bowl, the packet of scaly pine bark frodrasil II wrapped in soft wool, the box of wooden kitchen matches I’d added

Whether or not it would work, I couldn’t say for sure In the few years that I’d served Hel, I’d never had occasion to attempt to contact Little Niflheim It had always been the other way around

Truth be told, I was curious

Lee Hastings appeared onlike death warmed over and wrapped in a black leather duster I bet he was one of those guys you could set your watch by

"I’isterial tone "Shall we go?"

"Hold on, cowboy" I tucked the iron casket under my arm "You don’t just waltz into Little Niflheiy"

Lee frowned "A dune buggy?"<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>