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I glanced at the clock on the cable box It was very close to sunset in Cincinnati Stretching, I took the reh, an excited, so at Fountain Square, the sky still holding the pink froured they’d be either there or in Detroit It was too early for Chicago Behind the reporter were clusters of living vampires The atmosphere was one of breathless anxiety

"Sunset," Trent whispered, and the newscaster spun, voice rising as he described the sudden appearance of nearly twenty surface demons My expression twisted as the caaunt li it look like the ever-after People squealed, andfor soh, hesitated, hunched and furtive as they hissed at the va, and I clicked back to New York The undead there had probably figured it out and were likely in the streets looking for their souls

"M closer to the TV as a news reporter tried to stay in the li on behind her The sun had been down for a while It was dark enough for the undead

My lips parted as the ca into a rapturous vampire He wasn’t a master vampire He was hardly a vampire at all, actually, one of New York’s ho on addicts until soer took hi to bind to him

"My God, Landon did it," Trent breathed, but I wasn’t so sure this was going to have a happy ending You couldn’t see an aura through a TV, but it still didn’t look like a repeat of what had happened up in Luke and Marsha’s apart on to the corner of the building as the guilt and shame of his soulless existence crashed down upon hi it "What’s to keep it froateway through which Felix’s soul had entered hi back out

So inconsolably The newscaster looked uncomfortable as she told people to stay off the streets and out of the way as the vauess they think we’re dead," I said, not feeling at all good I wanted to call Ivy and see how Felix was doing "The surface de up here in about three hours," I said as I looked at the bright golden light

His eyes on the TV, Trent got to his feet "They see in the luood?" If they were, then that soul bottle I’dto bethe TV as if it ht have the answers "I’ve no idea Maybe their release hat you felt on the stairs"

Or the attack in h me If it had almost taken me, then maybe it had hit the de to the stairs "Where are you going?"

"To get Bis!" he shouted

Fidgety, I looked out the big s at the bright sun "Trent? He won’t be awake," I called, then gestured as if to say "I told you so" when Trent ca owl My bag was over his other aret to the ever-after Find out what happened" Trent stu at e of the couch Motions tense, he tickled Bis’s ear "Bis, wake up"

The little guy scrunched up his eyes and pushed at hi One red eye opened, saw me, and squinted closed in the sun "It’s kind of hard when he’s in the sun like that," I said as I shifted to put hi

That sort of worked as Bis flung his wings out to sain Kind and gentle wouldn’t work We’d be lucky to get even an eye open again "Bis, we need to get to the ever-after Bis? Bis!"

But he didn’t even stir

Trent stared at ot an idea Trust ed rabbed his ar that awful ley line and shifting all our auras into it

"Rachel!" Trent exclaimed, but I wasn’t sure if it had reached my ears or was only inof earth and sky all at the saasp, Bis ake, startled as he suddenly found hiht, and with a curious flip of awareness that I had yet to et any answers at all, it would be at Dalliance

Chapter 14

What is wrong with you!" the little gargoyle shouted, red eyes glaring, his voice echoing in the e! I could’ve dropped you!" His voice cas drooping as he sahere ere

Dalliance was currently an Asian eatery, the low tables holding bowls of stea a courtyard coravel, and tiny trees A jukebox, out of place and ti was a solid illusion Several cups of tea had spilled, and the place was e into a cautious investigation as he lifted a lid and breathed in the steae, no evidence of threat apart from the spilled tea They simply were not here Anyone Not even the staff

The teapot clinked as Trent set the lid back in place An elven spell had attacked ht it off But I wasn’t a cursed demon Al

"Bis, take us to the mall," I said, scared I could probably find so oyle nodded Trent stepped to us, and with hardly a breath of displaced air, the varnished wood and rice paper screens hties music and a steamy war, dancing, swinging fro to try to daainst the fountain Foam spilled up behind me, and I jerked forward There was a bubble charm in it, and blue-and-pink froth spilled over and onto the floor

"What happened?" Trent gripped my elbow and pulled me off the jump-in circle