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Slugger didn’t argue, but I could hear hi "waste of a fine piece of ass" and "never had a princess before" as he slippedinwardly at the thought of having that piece of scuely relieved when they passed out of sight Soon I heard sounds that could only be the tow truck attaching to s drove off

I wasn’t paying tooto burn

Vampires are flammable While I’m not fully a bat, I’ from my skin as it blackened and blistered, a s to screah air into onized wheeze passed ulls that are itation

I couldn’t blink;abilities were struggling against a tidal wave of injury, and they were losing

I had to do soony that was spreading over hts, to use e and power I put every ounce of strength I could muster into a psychic call to Alex, and Do

Despair, rage, and overwhel pain swept over me

Sirens are attracted to water, and vice versa Even h to call the ocean; spray splattered over me The tiny, wet drops of cool water felt wonderful--until the instant after they struck, when the salt in the water hitto die, alone and in tor

Then I heard the flap of nearby wings, felt the faintest of breezes against ulls They’re always around me, whether or not I want them Well, I wanted the thee of this thin strip of abandoned beach They couldn’t understand words, but they understood intent I needed them to shade s The cawing of angry birds overwhel, sos as others fleaves above ht The birds’ sharp claws and their weight were a new misery, but the shade they created was a blissful relief I could actually feel e that had been done to it

But better even than the respite fro to survive

Pain and rage had driven the human part of my consciousness into a sression and naked hunger of the vah to allow fullmy body heal them as I used my other senses to search for prey

There, in the distance Faint, beneath the roar of the waves and the sounds of the gulls … human voices

"She should be here somewhere Wait, over there Oh, no! The birds! Oh, God, are they eating…" I heard the wo, obviously unable to finish her sentence In the dinized her voice, but it took e of an old woht, honey I don’t think they’re hurting her," theher" He took a breath, then added, softly, "That s to hurry across the wet sand They stopped, too far away forthe birds It was so frustrating! I could hear the rapid beat of her heart, could smell her fear even over the scent of my own burnt flesh I knew that she would taste wonderful and that fresh blood would helptorment that roiled the entire upper surface of o any closer She’s in too much pain She won’t be able to control herself" Dottie’s voice was co to toss it over to you You’ll feel better once you’ve eaten"

Yes, I would If they would only come a teeny bit closer--either of theone They were old and slow Even hurt as I was, I could take the still Perhaps if they believed I was still frozen in place, they would co the sand beside me Whatever it was sloshed; it smelled of plastic and human food, and beneath that, blood Before I could think,the container in a blur of speed and bringing it to ed gulls circled overhead, cawing

The blood tasted glorious--hot, sweet, salty … but there was a faint aftertaste that I recognized froo I started to pull back, but it was too late Powerful drugs laced withmy system My pain vanished, and the world with it

I ith the sunset I could feel it sinking below the horizon, feelto rise I felt the pull of the moon, the need to stalk prey, to hunt