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He stared at her "You’ve got to be kidding"

"Not at all," she said in a complacent tone "Thelady I take these matters very seriously"

I was pretty sure she was just yanking our chain because we’d ruined the evening’s entertainment, but the musicians in the corner laid down their instru nuto watch the events unfold with glazed, haunted eyes, and in the case of John the Baptist, a curtain-draped platter around his neck like a collar

"Hel takes her rule of order very seriously, too, my lady," Iit"

She looked atone mule-shod foot "If you return with a valid birth certificate, I will relinquish the girl in accordance with Hel’s rule and mundane authority," she said eventually "But since the issue is in question, if you desire i on her words, awaiting her decree She s, her dark eyes sparkling with glee "I declare myself neutral in the matter and proclaim this an individual dispute"

A murmur ran around the ballroom, where the nued from their chaolf clap

"What does that ht to stop you fro herself in front of the dais "Right, honey?"

Although he didn’t look quite as coht"

Cody and I exchanged a glance Obviously, the set a copy of Heather Simkus’s birth certificate and return If ere lucky, her parents had it in a handy file at home and we’d be back within half an hour If ere less lucky, they kept it in a safety-deposit box and we’d have to wait until the banks opened toht be lost or in storage someplace where it would take days to retrieve it or to request and obtain a new copy, during which tiht happen to Heather at the House of Shadows She’d probably end up blood-bonded

And then there was the ever-present matter of face If we accepted Lady Eris’s ultiht, we’d lose face

"What does Hel’s liaison say about her ladyship’s ruling, Daisy?" Cody asked reen There were streaks of blood drying on his cheek and despite his police unifor distinctlywolfish "Is it fair?"

"Yeah," I said reluctantly "Ihairs, but it’s fair And, Cody, if you accept her--"

What I was going to say was that if he accepted Lady Eris’s ter under eldritch auspices and notanyone with assault, but I never got the chance Cody strode up to the dais, pushing his way between Bethany and Geoffrey the prat

"I’ his hand to Heather "But it’s tio ho that happened after that was sort of a blur It started to take place in slowBethany raise her canister in preparation to bash Cody across the back of his head with it And then it was like the tape sped up, and I foundwith Bethany for control of the canister with no recollection of how I’d gotten there while Cody and the prat rolled on the ground, grappling in a chaotic s, unnaturally pallid skin, and police uniforirl!" Bethany spat at me "Why can’t you just let me be for once inwithher "This really, really isn’t about you"

Utilizing the skills I’d learned in Mr Rodriguez’s Li’l Dragonz Tae Kwon Do classes years ago, I took Bethany down hard, the back of her skull thudding loudly against the ballrooo limp, but she looked dazed I scraed to keep hi Heather Si unfold On the downside, it e white hands, in fact, wrapped around Cody’s throat I wouldn’t say Cody’s face was purple, but it was definitely headed in that direction Knowing Cody, I was afraid he’d rather be strangled to death than concede

The weight of dauda-dagr was solid and reassuring on my hip In that moment, I could have drawn it and knifed Geoffrey Chancellor in the back, putting an end to his undead existence; and if I understood Lady Eris’s decree correctly, I’d actually be within hts I suspected that possibility had slipped her ainst each other

I have to admit, I considered it, not least because it would free Bethany whether she wanted it or not But in the end, I wasn’t a stone-cold killer, and no matter how much I disliked Geoffrey the prat, he hadn’t sent Bethany out to recruit a irl had lied, and it wasn’t his fault Lady Eris had decided to a offense

Not today, anyway

Meanwhile, Cody was looking purpler by the second, and Bethany was on her hands and knees, trying to shake off her dizziness Taking a page from her playbook, I hoisted the canister and whacked Geoffrey across the back of the head as hard as I could

Helong enough for Cody to draw in a ragged gasp of air, get his legs underneath hith A olf in hu

This tir, and pounced on the prat, straddling his chest and shoving the dagger’s tip under his chin, pressing alh to draw blood His body twitched reflexively, his neck stretching in an effort to avoid contact with the dagger Var is another le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>