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"Nico?" She looked blank for a second "Oh, right He got a little tiresome I sent him off to pick apples at Pomona Orchards Perfect place for a rustic deity Do you want him there?"

"No, that’s okay I’d rather have people I knoell enough to trust," I said "I just thought maybe you were an item"

"An item" Lurine looked amused "That’s not really a terave a little wriggle that h she was in human form "Oh, let’s just call it a down-and-dirty celebration of the urge to ht Well, except for the part where I wanted an actual relationship, which wasn’t an option for a olf and a hell-spawn, because ere unsuitablelittle half-breed werecubs Not that it was anything I was conte, butGod, I wondered if members of the Outcast could have children? I’d never heard of it happening, but I didn’t know if there was a physiological reason for it, like maybe the plane of mortal existence between salvation and damnation was a sterile one, or--

"Daisy?"

I blinked at Lurine "Huh?"

"I lost you for a irl" There was concern in her blue eyes "Everything okay?"

"Are you kidding?"

"No" It was a good, solid "no," a bracing, cut-through-the-bullshit "no" Lurine sat on the couch opposite s crossed at the knee, one dangling foot flashing the trademarked crimson sole of a spike-heeled Christian Louboutin pue, rendering Stefan Ludovic a hed "Didn’t you tell e?"

"I did"

"Well, Itoward a new phase of raceful slithering ht"

I closed h It’s really not, Lurine All this crap that’s going on in my personal life doesn’t matter I screwed up And I’m scared Hel’s disappointed in ed "Oh, fuck them"

I inhaled sharply "Lurine!"

"Oh, you knohat I o, she ruffled my hair "I’ with tears "Thanks"

"What can I say, baby girl?" Holding arded me "I believe in you Go out there andwhat an affirmation from a millennia-old monster can do for your self-esteehtly The truth is, Lurine was a ood to be re a little better about tomorrow’s prospects, I stopped by Sinclair’s after his last tour was done for the day

Jojo the joe-pye weed fairy was lurking outside his place, huddled under the juniper bush, clutching her slingshot She looked weary and bedraggled, a brownish cast to her green skin, the purple clu to seed It was late in the season for a wildflower fairy like her to be out and about Usually, they vanished by this ti to the hollow hills or whatever it was that nature ele the winter

"I coshot "This is business"

"Yes, I know" Although she didn’t insult y to cast a disdainful look in il"

"Are you expecting the duppy to show up here?" I asked her "Do you know so I don’t know?"

"Like as not" Jojo bared her teeth in a pointed grimace "But not about the spirits of the htened "I would fain keep him from harm, ’tis all"

"Okay, then," I said "Be careful"

Inside, Sinclair promised to distribute hammers and nails to all the members of the coven and assured me that they had a phone tree in place and were prepared to convene on a randfather’s duppy

"They won’t be able to help with the hah," he warned me "They’ll need to form a spirit circle around hiet as many people arhosts before Grandpa Morgan decides to et"

Sinclair nodded at the silver acorn whistle hanging aroundthe Oak King?" I touched the glea even he can help with, Sinclair The fey don’t wield influence over the dead Although Jojo’s detershot Says she would fain keep you froyour footsteps ever since before it happened," I pointed out

"True"

The front door opened to aduy in corduroy pants, a cable-knit fisheriven the fact that the jacket was draped over his shoulder to accommodate the cast on his left forearnize hile" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>