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Mallory snorted, climbed to her feet I did the same, and carefully handed Lulu back to her "I’m not sure that’s possible"

"Says the woman who out-ate me at my own bachelorette party"

"That wasthat up?"

"When it stops serving my purpose"

Mallory just shook her head "Never change"

"I’ll do my best"

• • •

Soht have shied away from a room full of dozens of humans and supernaturals, from the cheery music and the bundles of balloons that filled the House’s cafeteria Those children probably hadn’t grown up in a House of vampires, loved within an inch of their lives

Those children were not Elisa

"Happy birthday, Elisa!" they called out e entered She screale out of Ethan’s arms

"Okay, my little lemur Hold on" He put her on the floor and she dashed toward a rainbow-hued colu She reached out a tentative hand and touched the column, watched it wobble beneath her touch

She shrieked with joy and touched it again, then tried to drag it away frorandfather said, gently taking her free hand Her face screwed up into angry lines before she realized who’d touched her And that sain

"Give your Papaw a kiss?" He bent down to her, leaning on the cane he’d been using more frequently these days

Elisa squeezed up her little face, closed her eyes, and leaned in, pressing her lips to his face

"She got that expression fro a hand at my waist

I hurandfather said "I hear it’s your birthday"

"Ree?" She looked back at me, her official translator

"It’s your birthday," I said "And do you knohat birthday girls get?" I pointed to the giant sheet cake--chocolate with e--that sat on a table near the rest of the food, a high chair posed next to it, ready for the birthday girl Elisa’s eyes went huge

"Ree," she said reverently

Ethan sh chair And she started i for a better view of the cake

She was definitely entle around