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"You know, Leo, the last few minutes have really sucked And if I have to fill you full of silver and then fight onna suck -boy panties and let’s see what’s happened in this FUBARed afternoon"

Behind hioire, unsheathed his weapon, which ay ine With two fastfast steps, Grégoire positioned himself between Leo and me, his sword pointed at my throat I didn’t take ers softened their positions, relaxing; his talons slid back into the sheaths across the tops of his fingers that hid the hu like hus snicked back on their hinges "I assure you I do not wear big-boy panties, or panties at all, a fact I will gladly allow ate at so- And I saw that his hands, mouth, and jaeren’t bloody He hadn’t killed anyone Yet

Grégoire resheathed his sword and stepped to the side, his eyes taking in everything and everyone in the rooht now, Grégoire looked like stone, a fierce, furious, and oddly worried statue, so, taking in the scents, and his scowl deepened as he moved around the perimeter of the room

"Yeah No, thanks I’ll take your word for it" I pointed the barrel at the bodies "Who?"

"The fools who transgressed and betrayeda little safer, now that he sounded rational and Grégoire was otherwise engaged, I entered the rooht, but no as I putting the gun away just for soht My eyes adjusted to the dark more slowly than usual, and I approached Leo withthat, injured and with Beast out of things for noas in no shape to fight my boss If he went nutso, I’d have to shoot him And run

The two bodies I had seen fro, positioned about ten feet out fro on their sides The position was oddly familiar Leo and Katie, his heir, had been positioned similarly last time I had been down there This time, the female had curly red hair that fanned out on the clay floor, hair I remembered well The vaot close enough to leam of silver at each temple I moved closer to make sure, because they looked so peaceful

So did the pile of hu well and truly dead, all of the Justasleep Which was so I had seen once before, in photos down at NOPD A whole unit of city cops had been taken down in an alley, not a shot fired, all of theift forof being on a beach, sipping piña coladas, while a vampire-skinwalker monster drank them down and then ate their livers It hy I’d been hired to come to New Orleans in the first place, to track down the vampire who had killed them A vamp who had been a lot more than just a vamp

Unlike the cops, however, these humans hadn’t been eaten "I have called forwith his chin at the hu over" His voice sounded funny, not quite hi in

Before I could figure out as going on with Leo, there were nued, to reveal vah-placed vaoire’s blond, beautiful heir, and some were low-placed ones, like Edmund Hartley, as the vamp version of Leo’s bond slave There were hu miasma of scents washed over natures of va down panic

"They signed the papers?" I asked, ned when they beca as to happen if they were almost killed in service--whether they would be allowed to die or brought over

"It is being dealt with," Leo said Which didn’t really answer my question, but whatever

I toed a puddle of cooledin the floor It didn’tAnd back to the dead vaether "The vampires came down here, pulled the silver stakes out of his wrists and feet, and let him off the wall At so to control Joses were activated and used in so goo" I kicked another one of the disfigured, burned watches and chain with my boot, and it didn’t move They were all stuck to the floor, melted into the clay, which had to take some kinda heat

"With his ht to feed him and drank them down Then, a little healed, he held the vamps still and drank theh the brains with the silver spikes and took off"

"Yesss" Leo’s voice sounded ticked off again, that slithery dangerous tone vamps used when they wanted to remind you they were killers, at the top of the food chain "You, my Enforcer, were supposed to keep my headquarters safe You were supposed to keep my people safe You were sup--"

"Stuff it, Leo You were supposed to tellback When did she show? Last night? Right You didn’t call So don’t blaaled un, just in case my attitude was more than he wanted to put up with Or ht keep hi the fe her head this time Gratis, since you already paid me But you wanna tell me why she’s still alive? Or was? And why you let her back in here?"

Leo looked around the rooh his shoulders didn’t droop, it was obvious that he knew he’d screwed the pooch on this one He frowned, a totally human frown, and said, "Rumors have persisted for many years that Adrianna had possession of objects of value to ie I allowed her back, assured her of races, and kept her under surveillance, with the intent to take les objets de ie from her"