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When I got up to Merlin’s office suite Monday nificantly better than she had Friday night She al to my rescue," she said "It eet of you and Ethan to interrupt your date to help me"

"I think my enemies had already interrupted our date," I said "Once a walking skeleton has thrown fireballs at you, it’s hard to get into a ros "Oh, I don’t know Don’t they say that the response to danger and sexual arousal aren’t all that different? It could haveforeplay"

"Trust ot out of there"

"Do you have any idea who it was or what they wanted?"

"No clue I doubt it was aThey were specifically aftera difference"

Merlin came out of his office, concern on his wrinkled face "You’re well, then?" he asked ht"

"I’ to hurt me I think they just wanted to scareto ive up and quit Fortunately, Sam’s security team was on the ball, even in their off-hours"

"It would probably be safe to assume you’re closer than you think to the truth about the spy"

"Or else I’veto do ork"

He cocked his head to one side, considering that idea "Possible, but it seereat deal of effort for a personal vendetta Those kinds of bandits don’t coed with tio back to his office, then turned back "I think you should take Wednesday off to be with your faive the spy a false sense of security"

"Thank you," I said "I really appreciate that"

I left work early toWhile I waited for him, I chatted with Sa "My folks are flying in this evening," I told hiuard detail a little bit?"

"Worried that Idris’ll go after them?"

"Kind of I ht make my parents worry If they had any idea about the weirdness I’ht up in, they’d haveoff the bad guys at the pass would be a very good thing"

"Gotcha! I’ll get ht on it" Then he winked "Besides, Palmer already talked to me about it He said you orried"

Even when Ethan arrived and ere on our way to the airport, I couldn’t stop fretting I’d already worried about what my parents would think about my dinky apart They were guaranteed not to like that But even if they couldn’t see creatures ings, flying gargoyles, and other ical oddities, they were still likely to see the effects of anything that got close toup with explanations on the spur of the moment

"It’ll be okay," Ethan said otiated the traffic on the way to LaGuardia

"Hmm?" I asked, distracted

"Your parents Most people are scared of New York the first time they come here, but after a while it becomes just another place It isn’t nearly so scary In fact, I think that letting it becoined will make them feel better about it"

"The problem is, it’s ined Muggers I think they could deal with But ic froes I think your parents can spend a week here without discovering the secret It took you a year, didn’t it? And I’d lived here for nearly ten years before I figured it out, even as an iht It had been difficult enough to give Ethan, soic is real, okay?" speech I didn’t think I could give it to ave hiot out of the car and headed in to the baggage clairew I hadn’t seen my parents in more than a year More important, they hadn’t seen ed so much What if they didn’t like the new me?