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Between food deliveries--I couldn’t quite call them courses--Bruiser drew me out on my life in the children’s hoh he’d done a deep background on me before I was ever hired to ith the New Orleans’ vamps He sounded interested, as in interested, and it made me feel too war and about my life in Asheville, before I’d come to work here He made me feel important andad
There were two veal dishes, three filet non dishes, and sweetbreads, which were bull balls and I passed on theht The wines changed with every part of the meal With my skinwalker metabolism, I could drinka little woozy by the time the meal ended And full And totally decadent The food at Arnaud’s was pricey I snuck a peek at the ured that we could feed a whole house full of unwanted children at Bethel Nondenominational Christian Children’s Hoent h the immaculate tables and the hoity-toity diners, Bruiser’s hand warh the thin blouse "Next date, one week froht I loved getting what I wanted "Followed bydancing"
Bruiser leaned in and spoke next to my ear "Only in the aisles, not on the tables" Which let n printed soot into the liht I really can do this Not that I knehat this was Yet
• • •
We had talked through the sunset and into the dark of night It was nearly nine e braked in back of HQ, under the porte cochere, and alighted froh I’d never say the word aloud Alight I had a ht
EliBruiser back I left thewas better than human, and I heard Eli say, "You hurt her and I’ll skin you alive and feed your carcass to the wild boars in the swamps You copy?"
"I do And I’ll break your arain Civilized discourse is acceptable Your hand upon my person is not"
"Be nice, boys," I called over my shoulder "Be nice or I’ll beat both your butts" Yeah That’ll show the th leggings and a long-sleeved tight tee over the jogging bra I now had two sets of black leathers, but this pair had already been repaired a ti silver–plated titanium chain mail, with hard plastic at the outer elbows and knees, the kind developed and worn by the Taiwanese military Star Wars stuff Bullet resistant all over Fire resistant The titanium chain-et Who knew? This was ear, soiled with blood and sweat and the sear was even better And pretty, though I’d never say so aloud
I slid into low combat boots with steel toes and rubber soles and a slit for a backup weapon in each boot shaft Eli had packed no knives, so I assuht, but I slid the stakes and blades I had worn underclothes I wasn’t stupid
My hair was braided by a blood-servant who plaited it like a horse’s tail, into a club and then back up and into a bun bigger than my fist I admired myself in the mirror over the sinks I lookedyeah Spiffy Deadly, but spiffy
• • •
I walked into the gy practice The scents were overwhel for a moment--vamp, blood, huether The big roooals and indentions intended to hold poles for a tennis net Not that I’d ever seen thehead-land As always, spectators lined the bleacher-style seating along one wall Others clustered at the door on the far side, one I’d never been through I made a mental note to check security there The usual However, one thing was new
Weapons practice had never before included Grégoire or Girrard DiMercy It had also never included swords Two guys were in a sword ring fighting Each h the padded white suits they earing The sical ht a little terrifying
Beast leaned forward intoclaws
"No way a a sword," I muttered to her under my breath It took years to master a sword But Gee DiMercy and my Beast had other ideas and they didn’t mesh with my own
CHAPTER 7
LSDPsilocybin Mushroooddess!" he shouted, and tossed h the air, hilt first, the way he’d tossed a sword to Leo Beast reared up in th Tihter and greener, sharper, Beast’s sight h the air, I saw the way the hilt wasaround to protect the wielder’s hand; the hilt itself was braided with leather for a fire constructed of blunted steel, for teaching and practice--not sharp, with no silver plating that could accidently harm a vamp But didn’t classes usually start ood swords?
Beast in charge, I stepped forward My hand lifted into the air, h the cross guard and around the hilt The sword’s weight shifted out of the air as gravity and ht with long claw, Beast thought
But I had no idea hoas a knife fighter What Beast called her steel claws Or a knife thrower, Beast’s flying claws Not Beast’s long claw Tihtened on the hilt and I whirled, feeling the weight and length of the blade as I pirouetted with it Claw like long tail, Beast thought atclaw And I laughed Around row silent