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"Aheate with her cane I tore myself from Emmet’s embrace, startled and ashamed "Wouldn’t mind a taste of that ate with her stick Both hands on its handle, she wobbled her way toward me "Jilo understand you be needin’ her" I looked froness In that moment, I hated him; in that moment, I knew that if it hadn’t been for Jilo’s arrival, I’d still be lost in his ar his

THIRTY

"The ga over at ates of the Tillandsia house I rollednear the oval, which had been a patch of dirt only a few days ago Tonight, a decades-old rant in its full and h my cracked openIt intoxicated lance over at E eyes burned, and despite their fire, they were even blacker than the tuxedo he wore His hair was coe to run h the on my desire

I forced ood, although I was not about to jinx it by thinking of it as foolproof My job was to unlock the energy, and then Emmet would relay it to Jilo, who had ensconced herself in her haint-blue chaic we sent her way

We pulled around the oval, where attendants were opening car doors and collecting keys Emmet placed the car in park and turned to face rin on his lips "I’ve never driven before Did I do okay?"

I laughed even though I shouldn’t have I should have questioned his overly earnest request to act as chauffeur Tonight, though, I didn’t want to ask too reat"

Powerful searchlights crossing beahout nearly turned the night into day Peter’s crew had done no additional work since Tucker’s death, but the Tillandsia house shone, the very iic could have transfored for a fresh and nearly luminescent white that coated the house’s Doric pillars as well as the building itself The shutters had been enameled black Only the door remained as it had been, the same black and red that the Tillandsia Society had evidently adopted as its symbol

The attendant openedsure that her than usual heels connected safely with the still fresh pavement Emmet met me at the side of the car and offeredthe co into his jacket as we stepped past the infamous door and over the threshold My eyes darted nervously around the entranceway, but there was no visible dome overhead The true architecture of the house fully honored the Georgian preference for syracefully up to the top floor, one on each side

Eyes fell on us frory--soood nu a teacher froh school and a few business people and their respective spouses Most of the faces were new, but all, the new and the known, gloith the saht Conversation stopped as a servant as attired in a period costu, stepped forward "Your invitation, please" He held out a silver tray to receive it I looked at E it He smiled and produced the paper from his coat pocket After he placed it on the tray, the servant picked it up "Miss Mercy Taylor and Mister?" He paused, appreciating the dark wall of man next to me

"My na that clay on roup of ed ladies at the top of the stairs The conversation picked up again in spurts and stops, soon reaching its previous voluh most eyes remained fixed on the two of us

"A warm Tillandsia welcome to you, Mr Clay," the servant said and bowed