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Not really feeling up to a heart-to-heart, I gave him a brief look "What do you mean by that?"

"I said, you and I are alike, in so, even though you ether behind his head "I don’t fit in ood at what I do, but I don’t enjoy it"

That wasn’t quite what I’d expected to hear "Oh, co the life out of people through their dreaot off on hurting people"

I couldn’t help being snarky, even though I wanted to be polite With all that had happened lately and with the deenerous

He frowned "Now you’re being deliberately insulting I understand, though Really, I do So better than to destroy the will of his subordinates, whether they’ve been captured, bought, or hired Rāksasas are born ot that i with my cookie Vanzir had been one of Karvanak’s victims, too While it was harder for me to feel syht in the face

He returned lie I’d expected the set her off But they weren’t They were a rainbow of colors Against the platinuy hair, his eyes stuck out, brilliant and shining, and he’d outlined theaze to his lips They were thin, like those belonging to a nuht Diaunt as they were After anothersns of the dogfaced boy?" he said Pointing to his head, he added, "No horns in sight And I guarantee you, no pointed tail, either Nothing’s barbed Not ers, toes, or cock"

As I blushed, he pursed his lips and blew me a kiss "Oh, poor puddy Did I embarrass you? How does it feel to be the butt of a joke? That’s what Karvanak put o for thirty-five years without draining anybody’s dreams, and the motherfucker made me feed"

Vanzir suddenly leaned across the table I jumped, but he just slid his hand next to ers on the table "I’y, I want more But I don’t like what it turns me into The Rāksasa knew I’d taken a vow to stop, and he threatened to kill his--my--victims if I didn’t drink from their souls So I did, to save them I siphoned their souls and fed on their hope and their love and their life force But at least they were alive when I left their dreaht not to trust me I can live with that But stifle the wisecracks until you’ve walked in my world You aren’t as funny as you think you are"

I felt sick to es fro of children dancing around ot no homeNobody wants you, you’re all alone!" They kept it up all the way ho them away We didn’t let her see us cry; we didn’t want her to feel bad because it was her blood thatat us as alked into his hoala He whispered to his lady friend, "Those are the three I was telling you about My brother’s dirty little half-breeds" Camille and I forced Menolly to keep her hbor boy racing afterme so afraid that I transformed They treed me, and I couldn’t co on and beat the living crap out of him, then climbed the tree to coax me down We never told anybody

And here I’d been, doing the sa to Vanzir because of what he was It wasn’t as if he were still our enemy The ritual had provided us with a safety net We could kill hiainst us And I’d been taking advantage of that

I glanced over at the sink, where Ca more cookies on a plate while Iris checked the tea Menolly had hovered her way up to the ceiling and was hanging there, midair, eyes closed I knew she could hear our conversation, but she’d chosen not to interfere Voices fro back

Hurriedly, I leaned across the table to whisper in Vanzir’s ear "I’ize" I sed uess soaze still fixated on my face, Vanzir nodded "Yeah, I know It’s all too easy to slide into the slot you really don’t want to fit in Been there, done that, don’t want to go there again" He stretched His Death Zombies T-shirt was ripped, safety-pinned in a few places, and his black leather pants were dusty, but not dirty He definitely had the rocker dude look going, I thought

At that mo behind theuys had discussed, I had a feeling they weren’t going to share it with us

"I’ll go with you I want Zach to come, too You ood ally Andat me "Make no uess we should head out," Menolly said "Even if Fraale isn’t there anymore, soe"

Wondering just what kind of getup she was going to stuffCaic? There are sos in ht on it S to head out to his land to see if the Triple Threat has heard anything" We’d begun using the nicknaaine, and Aeval sometime back, but usually we only used it between ourselves Now, the guys glanced at her

"The Triple Threat? And they know you call the like a bean Sidhe

"Of course not, you idiot," Camille bantered back

"What about you?" Roz turned to Smoky "You call them that to their faces?"

Smoky let out a low harruentleman--"

As Camille, Menolly, and I let out a collective snicker, he just arched an eyebrow "At least you have to admit that I have more manners than ht? Anyway, I have nothing to fear from them They aren’t a threat to me"

"Face it, love, you’re stuck withhis hand as he laid it on her shoulder "Rude, crude, and totally lewd"

"I wouldn’t have it any other way," he said, leaning over to kiss her "Even though I do have to share you with the fox And the Svartan" And then, like a silent shadow in the night, he slipped out the back door and was gone in under a minute flat