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"What’s the panther’s fang?"

Hi’ran gave me a soft smile "Panteris phir An herb ende it hoarden Tend to it, nurture it, and once a month, under the new moon, make a cup of tea fro your shifts into panther form as the herb builds up in your system" He backed away "Do this before the next new moon And remember, Delilah You are bound toemissaries"

With that, he vanished, and I foundthe others They were in thethe venide beside the door, shouted, "She’s back to herself!"

I was about to say so around to findnear er ready to jab as it aimed for my chest

Holy crap--maybe Hi’ran had eliminated the shade, but apparently he trusted we could take care of the venideer and, with a loud shout, brought it down, cleaving into the rapidly approaching tail end of the venideh I couldn’t slice clean through, but the gash sent the blowfly hurtling toward the floor It let out a piercing shriek, and I stabbed it, like a kid pinning butterflies to a display table One down, but a glance around showedI whirled just in time to take on another

Out of the corner of uts as they fought their way through the deh a nest of larvae, swiping with his talons at the wrigglingso loudly I wondered if they could be heard up on the street

The second venideet the juer from hand to hand

"Coet oad, because it changed tactics and ht for er,in the face It bounced back, but I could tell it wasn’t hurt--er and met the creature square in thea can of Raid

"Delilah, giveoff two full-size venide to dran energy; by now I could tell the look on her face when she was invoking the Moon Mother But it looked like her pain was preventing her fro on your left," I shouted over the roar of the fight and the shrieks as the blowflies and their larvae bit the dust one by one I took on the venide for his left side, and he turned his attention to the one on the right We finished theood ti up on the spell She looked miserable, and I wished to hell she’d just back out of the room and play it safe outside

I motioned toward the rest of the roo it out with a nest of the half-grown bugs They fell left and right as he waded in, eyes blazing, striking double-handed with a pair of serrated steel daggers that he’d unsheathed from his boots He srinding thes that were trying to guard a nest of larvae While he was holding the end of the battle

I raced over to Smoky He’d just finished off the last of the larvae in the nest he’d been fighting "We have to do soave one quick look around the room and nodded "Get everybody out of here I’ll take care of it But you have to head upstairs iet out of the house Do you understand rabbed me by the wrist "And you damned well make sure your sister is safe Hear lacial eyes and froze Caht and sold I could see it in his face Smoky owned her And while I had no doubt he loved my sister, there was also little doubt that anyone he didn’t approve of would go down screao of me, Smoky You know I’ll protect her, you idiot" I sed the lu in my throat I couldn’t let him cow me down Camille wouldn’t put up with it, and Menolly sure didn’t I wasn’t about to, either

He let go "Of course I know that Now move I’ll put a stop to this rabbed his arm "Coing to avoid the venide toward us Vanzir saw me run past and with a quick look at S Camille down the hall toward the stairs As we passed the roo fro vortex, but we didn’t have tiood, I thought Good and probably explosive, considering who he was Or what, rather

We weren’t disappointed We’d just reached the top of the stairs when the floor began to roll in waves under our feet The house shook like ere on Earthquake Alley We were, actually--the whole area was geologically unstable, and there were volcanoes aplenty around to prove it--but I knew this wasn’t an actual teon quake, yes

"Head for the door," Morio yelled over the sound of the freight train that was our deliciously gorgeous dragon hunk

As he swept Ca now, the pain and the quake threw her off balance--I wondered just how far So It felt like he was ready to pull the rafters down

Roz and Vanzir brought up the rear,sure ere all on the front lawn Roz pushed Vanzir toward us, then raced back up to the front door "I’ back to help him"

"Don’t be a fool! You’ll be crushed" I shookto the spot besideabout me Look after your sister" He vanished back inside I was about ready to follow hirabbed my arm For so

"Leave the the wrist of her hurt hand I sat beside her The ground was still tre, but from where we sat, the waves eaker Whatever S was e Roz had applied The wound was festering, despite the salve he put on it "You’re infected We have to get you hoot half a mind to run you over to the FH-CSI medical lab The elves can probably cure this faster than Iris"

I peered closer at the wound Yep, right to the bone, and it looked nasty Thank the gods this hadn’t been inflicted by the venides in there by now

"I think I’ll take you up on that," she said, wincing as I replaced the bandage

"What did you h? What do you know that I don’t?" I peered at her She blushed Yeah, she was holding out on me "Tell , but she paled