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Her eyes were glowing as she planted her hands on the table and leaned toward hioing to slip, he’ll be staring down at the tip of ood track record of saying the right thing at the right time, but he wasn’t stupid He knew all too well hoerful Menolly could be

"Got it" He shoved the list across the table to her "Here I knohere four of the out"

She took the list and nodded "Good Nohat are they saying?"

"I only heard the latest news this ed to sneak over a week ago He was slated to be executed--and believebusiness down in the Sub Real dae over there Shadow Wingto use hiain"

De Bad list, but they had subtle differences and didn’t tend to like each other Just like devils and demons came from different branches on the hellion faed to do what our cousin Sha act before he hit the block," I said slowly "Why didn’t he go home to his father?" It seemed a little too coincidental forSuspicion 101 with Caht bequiet, "ru around the Subterranean Real Shadow Wing’s plans, but your names are still undercover as far as the demons are concerned I doubt if anybody over there knoho you are except Shadow Wing and his cronies"

Karvanak would have told hi keep our names secret? Seems more likely he’d slap a bounty on us"

Vanzir shook his head "Think about it Shadow Wing’s power coed you, it would be ad he’s vulnerable, and he cannot allow that to happen"

Menolly agreed "Yes, thatthe Vaood to know that not every etaway over Earthside"

"Well, whatever the reason, I think Trytian’s father was hoping that his son would run into you and enlist you as an ally" Vanzir smiled Wanly, but it was still a smile "You have no idea how much I wanted to tell Trytian about you But I didn’t His father coe force in the Sub Realood idea, but we can’t foriance with hiled in demon versus demon affairs I don’t mean to be rude, but Vanzir, let’s face it, most demons don’t play with an open deck What if this Trytian’s father is out for the seals hi you a blanket order: Don’t tell hiive you our permission Period Done deal" She took a deep breath, and Sht hand on her left shoulder

"Got it," Vanzir said, his eyes shifting with their constant kaleidoscope of color He looked like he wanted to say so else but kept his mouth shut

Zach pulled the cookie tray over to our side of the table and bit into an Oreo "So nohat? Have you heard anything about where Karvanak is staying?" he asked Vanzir

"Yeah, that was the second thing I wanted to tell you I hit pay dirt thishow et you’re in the room Anyway, you remember that djinn, Jassa with Karvanak Vanzir had verified she’d been Karvanak’s lover, as well as a source of power During our battle for the third spirit seal, it had come down to a tense moment in a cave, when Jassamin was about to kill Chase That’s when Vanzir turned sides and ran her through with a scimitar "Don’t tellaround with the Rāksasa I don’t think she’s a djinn, but I hear tell Karvanak has her under his thuht of her near the burned remains of the shop I tracked her as far as I could" He reached in his pocket and pulled out ait on the table As he unfolded it, I spotted a precise red line outlined along the streets As I leaned in, he ive uredthe route she did"

"Thanks," I said, peering intently "She took a lot of twists and turns Do you think she knew you were following her?" I glanced over at hied "I wouldn’t be surprised Karvanak is probably running on the cautious side at this point He’s been outed--at least to you--and he doesn’t underestimate his enean to understand just how vast his intelligence is Rāksasas are terribly cunning No, it’s his debauchery that’s his downfall"

Zach broke his silence "Why did you work for hi?"

Vanzir arched his eyebrows and let out a snort I grimaced Iris, my sisters, and I’d heard the story Zach hadn’t I wondered if he’d ain, buddy I was presented to hi’s arered ame of q’aresh I know I had the better hand, but Nakul cheated When I told hi Shadow Wing ordered that I serve Nakul for seven years He got bored of ave me to Karvanak, as a birthday present"

Zach looked queasy He still didn’t understand just how vile and cruel the world could be, which surprised e It wasn’t that he was such an optiood for him "Why not just free you?"

Vanzir snorted "Everythe upper hand If you can ingratiate yourself through a bribe--or a gift--you do so, because it ht save your butt later Nakul knew that Karvanak has diverse tastes in his bedy and for hot young demon ass The women he drains of power each time he fucks them, and the men he just brutalizes When he wears out a new playtoy, he eats theet I still owe him five years of my life, but I don’t think I’d survive therimaced, my eyes on the h he was a member of the h they could get downright nasty at times, they didn’t hold a candle to the violence rife within the ranks of the Demonkin Life in the Sub Realms was lived on a kill-or-be-killed basis Look out for nu at the tip of a bladeor worse Vanzir had plenty of reasons to hate Karvanak

The twisting red line on thein south Seattle, in the Industrial District "Vamp club? She a vampire?" I asked

Vanzir shook his head "No, she’s not That’s the Fangtabula She entered, but I didn’t see her leave, although I waited around for a while I want to say she’s a djinn, but she doesn’t sht She does have demon scent on her, but I don’t know if that’s just because she’s cuddling up to Karvanak" He reached in his pocket and pulled out a scarf "The woh It reeks of her" He laid it on the table

Camille hesitantly picked it up, sniffed it, then shook her head "Sex," she said "I smell sex but can’t fix any particular impression other than that"

The scarf ave it one whiff and dropped it like he’d been stung