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"Babe, ghosts don’t bleed" He reached out, and I cringed as first, the chill of his er, landed ona sli at the flake of blood he’d freed

"Oh, now this is interesting," he whispered, the tingle ofwithto find ic materialized around the flake of blood "And on the e’re going to track down your ghost snake"

Avin ledoccasionally to stare at the floating fleck of snake blood I tried to slip away Once And only once When I regained consciousness, blood dripped down ed behind hiht not intend to kill me--at least not until I acquired hiht rip me to pieces from the inside out I couldn’t help Nathanial if Avin incapacitatedsun

Not that I knohat I can do to help Nathanial

I couldn’t exactly attack the mansion Any one of the er If we find the snake… ht her proof Of course, the stars only knew Avin’s interest in the snake, and if there’d be anything left for me to take to the Collector

We turned a corner, and the scent of ashed over me Not a Firth wolf The city-shifter, Steven On my next breath, the wind carried the scent of bobcat toaround They were close Very close

"Babe, what’s the hold-up? Keep lobe ofin step behind hi through the scents The only living soul we’d run into was a hobo with a bloated nose as, in Avin’s words, "Too unappealing" I did not want to knohat he’d think of Bobby, with his broad shoulders and predator attitude

But I was out of time to divert Avin

Bobby and Steven turned the corner at a dead run I’d last left the the snake from Justin’s murder scene--apparently both our trails led here Bobby’s eyes landed on own--and his path veered straight towardup short

"Either of these bodies will suit me fine"

"No"

Avin cocked his h this"

I winced as he lifted his hand, but I whispered through gritted teeth, "They’re shapeshifters"

"Really?" He turned back to where Bobby and Steven were running toward us "Well, I’m not prejudiced"

Dae hiaze skidded overfrom my ear Then he did what any shifter would do for his Dyre or Torin He planted himself between me and Avin He didn’t ask if I needed help He didn’t even take a second look atbewildered

Bobby’s weight shifted to his back leg as he crouched, preparing to attack He’d correctly identified the enemy--if only that would help

Avin’s hood slid back as he examined Bobby Both Bobby and Steven sucked in their breaths at the sight of Avin’s e appeared to notice "Oh, this one is perfect" Avin’s eyes flickered frorab the globe--!"

Pain slah the red haze, I saw Bobby turn, but I couldn’t hear anything butin my ears

Blackness filled s The very air felt like it had co my blood I couldn’t move, couldn’t think

Then it was over

Calloused hands lifted my shoulders and the world lurched

The hands shookinto bare skin still remarkably unburned, still attached My eyes flew open

Steven’s face snapped into focus, and Bobby’s coat flashed in my peripheral I turned in time to see his arm jerk back

His fist landed in Avin’s face with a crunch