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But despite the best efforts of the ghoul squad, there were injuries a the spectators No fatalities, thank God, but there were a lot of scrapes, bruises, and sprains, two nonfatal cardiac incidents, and one probable case of broken ribs

And Cooper was ravening

It was the panicked cries for help somewhere in the crowd that alerted us I kindled a feeble shield and followed Stefan as he strode down the street, leaving the police and the arriving EMTs to deal with the injured

Aside from Stefan, all the other Outcast had beat a prudent retreat when they’d reached the limits of their discipline Not Cooper He’d overesti a trio of tourists: Mo slumped and vacant-eyed in the circle of her mother’s ar terrified, took a protective stand in front of the the father "That’s all right, then I like scared,noise, his features contorting in ecstasy "Yum, yuht, let good old Cooper take care of you,quite as tasty as the terror of a sweet little bird like your daughter, innit?"

"For the love of God, leave us alone!" the hter around her daughter

"Don’t you worry yourself, Ma," Cooper replied jauntily "God’s got nothing in the world to do with it But I promise, it won’t hurt a bit"

"Cooper!" Stefan said sharply "Stand down!"

"Big man" Cooper turned There was a note of scorn in his voice His pupils were fully dilated, sing all traces of his blue irises, and his eyes shone like darktoto learn? We’re not heroes, not the likes of us We’re Outcast"

Stefan locked gazes with him "Nonetheless"

"The lass was out of her head with terror, boss," Cooper said, looking aith an effort Reaching past the unresisting father, he chucked the teenaged girl under her chin "Look at her now! Meek as a la out the world "Will so?"

Cooper turned the black pits of his gaze back toward Stefan "You heard her, bigWhy don’t you do the lady a kindness and take away her fear?"

Stefan hesitated

He wanted it I could sense that void of yearning opening, the e to slip its leash He glanced sideways at es

Cooper followed his gaze "Oh, but it’s her you want, innit, boss?" He leered at me and licked his lips "Can’t say as I blaht, a wave of fury rose in me--fury mixed with helplessness This tir without thinking Light danced along the runes etched on its length, along its razor-sharp edges My eyes stung with tears, ht ere friends Don’t el of feckin’ death" So stark and bleak surfaced behind Cooper’s black, black eyes "You know there’s a part of me that wants you to do it, don’t you, sweet Daisy?"

"I don’t--"

Stefan threw a punch, a solid roundhouse that connected with Cooper’s jaw just below his ear and sent hih of relief

"Do you need a hand here, Daisy?" Cody said behind h he’d addressedit was meant for Stefan

So did Stefan, since he replied for both of us "The situation is under control, Officer Fairfax," he said, pulling a cell phone fro a quick text "I kept a number of my men in reserve in case it should be necessary to perform an extraction"

Cody’s nostrils flared, a ht"

Stefan’s tone relittered "I do one on a while longer if the poor terrified tourist mom hadn’t interrupted it

"Officer, please, help us!" she said frantically to Cody "Look at thehter and my husband! What did that creature do to them?"

"He fed on their ehter,sure there were no head injuries to account for their condition They endured it without colanced at Stefan, his lip curling "Tell ht, Ludovic"

"They will recover," Stefan said quietly "It will take some days A week, perhaps But they will recover"

"They’d better," Cody said