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"The zoo?" Tayla frowned, turning to Shade "Didn’t you say your paramedic as attacked by Guardians?"

"Bastards"

"So that’s a yes" She twirled a strand of hair around her finger and tugged, thinking "And he said they smelled likeas it? Apes?"

"Yeah? So? Huued that, but he knew Shade was being obnoxious for the sake of being obnoxious

"It’s justso Luc said he was surprised in his house The Guardians who survived the battle told our leaders that they chased hirins, let’s say they’re lying Why? Why would they lie to the leaders of our cell? The only answer is that the leaders don’t knohat’s going on And if your were is telling the truthif they smell like apes"

Eidolon cursed "The abandoned zoo"

"Yeah" Despite the fact that she now suspected Guardians were involved, she sounded relieved to know that at least the leaders she’d trusted ht be clueless "It would be the perfect place to keep deht"

"But we know deriether"

"There’s a nightmare scenario Oh, hey, a weasel!" Wraith swept up Mickey, who had been circling at his feet

"I need to contact Kynan," Tayla said, though she seean?"

Tayla spun around to Geone utterly pale "You know him? How?"

"He’s a slayer?" Geh she couldn’t process her own question "He’s one of theular at the hospital Comes in every Tuesday to see a friend" Gem exhaled slowly, the way Tayla did soether "Oh,even though the heat was on in the apartrateful sigh as Eidolon wrapped her in his jacket

Gem moved like a snake, her desperation obvious in the way she claot to talk to hio now Ask about is either thinks I’ into headquarters right now It’d be a suicide ," Geers away "Tuesdaythat’s toe for me to talk to him in private, I can catch him unprepared Without backup That’s the only way this ork I’is and who is involved"

"We’ll work so out," Gem said, her voice barely a whisper "Dais"

"He’s ent The leader of the New York cell What did you think he was?"

Gehtly "He tells everyone he runs a halfway house"

"That’s the cover"

"Do youdo you think he’d know anything about my parents?"

"No," Tayla said fiercely "The leaders aren’t in on it They can’t be"

"You’re sure that waiting to talk to him tomorrow is the only option?"

"Absolutely" When Gem nodded, Tayla cocked her head and studied her sister "How did you knohere to find ht, by the way?"

"I sensed you were in trouble" Gem touched a hand to Tayla’s shoulder "I’ve always been able to sense you if you were close enough toeye contact with her sister and looking ht the urge to wrap her in an embrace and protect her from all of this Which was insane, because he’d never seen a fe herself

"Eidolon, if I were to do the integration thing, would I be able to sense Gem, too?"

He almost smiled at the wariness in her tone His little killer had to question everything "Probably"

Her gaze caught and held his for a longI don’t understandGem said her parents sensed demon in her when she was born, but not in me If we’re twins, why did she develop her demon half, but I didn’t?"

"I’d probably need to run tests on you both to answer that, but uess is that since you are fraternal twins, you don’t share an identical genetic code, and you developed differently Her DNA ed Yours didn’t But we can fix that"

When she didn’t respond, Gees I’ in you are all over the place You don’t have much time"

Tayla’s eyes narrowed into slits, as if she questioned Gem’s motives "I’m not sure I trust you"

"I don’t trust you, either," Gem shot back "So where does that leave us?"

"It leaves you in what’s called a fairls," Wraith drawled "Get over it"

Twenty-one

After spending two hours in Eidolon’s den talking to Gem, Tayla decided that she didn’t like her newfound sister It wasn’t that Gerown up in a mansion, had attended private schools, and had lived an outwardly nor raised by de entered college two years early, where Tayla was a high-school dropout who had a GED only because Kynan insisted that all Guardians have a basic education

No, Tayla hated Ge "our ht to call ourbut Teresa

"You seem distracted," Gem said, when Tayla pulled Eidolon’s h it She couldn’t read a word of it, but the illustrations were interesting, if disgusting

"Maybe I’ how lucky you are"

"I ahtered," Gem said "That’s what nancies and either ensure that the young are never born or destroy them at birth if a foster family can’t be found But my parents had been unable to conceive a child of their own, and I caht ti?"

Ge the slit in her short leather skirt open over a tattoo of a long-steh Blood dripped froth of her leg, the last one half-covered by the top of her combat boot It s besides the six in her ear, the one in her eyebrow, and the one in her tongue