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Objects of power Magical objects Well That was honest For once "She was Joses Bar-Judas’ what? Sweetheart? Honeybunch? Snack cake?"

Leo smiled this time and drew in a breath that he didn’t need The last of his hostility drained ahen he exhaled, so y, like releasing tension What did I know? What did anyone know?

He took another breath to speak "Snack cake, my Enforcer?" he asked, with heavy emphasis on the first tords "No She was his lover for a nuht he disappeared, but she ith ain some favor I don’t reained for"

Sex and blood for a favor Got it "Uh-huh And the thing you wanted to take away froet it?" I reold at Joses’ neck and wrist "Or did the Son of Darkness get aith them too?"

"Or perhaps you took theain, his pupils widening, his sclera going scarlet Leo was over-reactionary tonight That was interesting and dangerous Very dangerous

"I don’t have anything except wounds," I snapped, asshallowly, s the stink of old at his wrist and neck when he took off You can check your surveillance footage"

Grégoire drifted to hisgesture I toed Adrianna again, seeing abrasions around her neck where a necklace had been wrenched off A siht wrist "Necklace? Maybe bracelet of souess that once word started to leak out that you held Joses prisoner, Adrianna--and probably the rest of the fanghead world--decided he should be free and that they should be the ones to do hiical olden throne to take over the world, right? ’Cause that’s what h why anyone would want responsibility for this ball of dirt, I don’t know"

Leo’s shoulders slu the back of his skull with both hands as if trying to hold it together He scrutinized each of the bodies for atheir faces Their peaceful faces "I have th "Badly" He dropped his hands slowly and looked into Grégoire’s eyes, as if seeking coer"

"Nous so;ur Il n’y a pas de raison de s’inquiéter" Which I thought a reassurance of some sort

I decided Leo was in control enough forood hand, I pried a pocket watch free Clay, hardened into stone or brick, caainst me to prepare for the jar, I pulled a knife with a solid steel hilt and banged the butt on the watch until the half-melted lid cracked open

Inside was the round iron disc, the ht not--have been intended to alter tiive the user a way to fold or bend tiive the user control over tiured outI’d never have to But whatever spell they held, Joses had used it to help hiet away The iron disc looked different from the others I’d seen before This one looked like someone had burnished it with a ing all the brightness to the surface It shimmered I found another pocket watch and opened it the same way Ditto on the iron disc There weretheht shake dice at a craps table

In an unda others like theether into a single unit, seaic These, not so much They didn’t react at all

I remembered the way Joses had moved while I was in the bubble of time Yeah Time That was part of the spell and part of what all the vamps wanted If you could control ti And now Joses Bar-Judas had used a wyrd and parts of the iron frootha to maneuver outside of time And he also no I had the sa better and better

"My Enforcer?"

I dragged ain and forced myself to my feet "He used whatever spell was in the discs They look inert He got away And he’ll want revenge on you for holding him here for, what? Decades?"

"Yes"

"And he’ll take it out on anyone he can get to, hu hiht "I understand my duties, Leo" Which didn’t say that I’d do exactly what he wanted No proht him back I pocketed the discs and tappedon the ca I didn’t want to interrupt your tête-à-tête Working now to find out if anything is left of the vid"

"Thanks I want to kno the vaot down here Who’s on coe"

"Collating footage now," Alex said His tone i to tell hiuys, name of Roman," he said, "but he called in sick His onna like whatever he said next "Vodka Martini was on co in and stabbing hi until his heart stopped"

Shock spiraled through ut Martini had been with us a long ti as I’d known Derek, and had just co hair, ready laugh Good with coms Steady, reliable A nice man killed because Leo had kept Adrianna alive