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"You don’t think House Harcourt would meet with us? Like House Rio?"

"House Rio are researchers and botanists House Harcourt is a coht, but even if I rolled up to their doors with a thousand soldiers, they would still fight me They can’t afford to appear weak"

Yes, they couldn’t afford to appear weak, and Rogan couldn’t afford to not retaliate after Vincent’s attack, and I couldn’t take the chance that he would go after my mother, my sisters, or my cousins Because none of us could afford any of that, ould all go to war People would be injured Soht die If everyone just set aside their pride, none of this would be necessary

"Hoell do you know Vincent?" I asked

"Well enough He was a couple of years behind h school Had a reputation as a bully and a penchant for cruelty"

"The timeline of this doesn’t otiate We’ve told the Usually there is a slow escalation of negotiations Instead Vincent shows up and sot ian said "As I said, Vincent isn’tRynda frustrated him, so he decided to apply his particular brand of pressure"

"But why not just show up at their house and hold the kids hostage fro he asked for Neither of the Brian? It doesn’t seem like Vincent’s style"

"That’s because it isn’t Soht leash for this particular operation" A dangerous light crept into Rogan’s eyes "He got loose last night"

"Who has enough power to restrain Vincent Harcourt and make him stick to a plan?"

"That’s e’ll have to find out"

Rogan tilted his head, obviously thinking

"Yes?"

"House Harcourt has one battle strategy: they summon a horde of monsters from the arcane realm and throw them at their opponents It will be bloody and chaotic"

"I haven’t changed my mind Vincent threatened my family"

"Will you let me put you in a ballistic vest?"

"Yes" I eyed the chalk in his hand "Do you have another piece?"

He smiled Another piece of chalk streaked across the rooive you this chalk?"

"Dinner You and ht" I deserved the nice dinner he promised me I would wear nice clothes and prettyI hadn’t eaten since yesterday’s lunch I’d have to see if Rogan stocked any supplies in his kitchen downstairs

"Done"

I kissed hirabbed the chalk out of the e, froic into a particular spell They had to be drawn by hand or they lost their pohich hy most Primes trained in circlework as soon as they could hold a piece of chalk in their fingers I wasn’ta circle on the floor was re circle was somewhere between the seventh and ninth levels of hell It started as a large circle, with a smaller circle inside, three small circles inside that inner circle, drawn side by side so they forle, and then three outer circles exactly opposite of the inner circles It took me twenty minutes and by the tih cuss words toout with an’s kitchen counter and devour an apple bear claw before I started

Finally, I stripped down to a sports bra and spandex shorts to e, stepped into the circle, and sat My power shot through the circle The chalk lines pulsed hite and faded Magic flowed tointo my body I relaxed and closedadvised

I openedat

"It will be fine"

"You could’ve just asked the Major"

If Rogan had drawn the design, it would’ve taken him three minutes and all the circles would have been perfect "I have to draw lanced to the left The second floor had a wide industrial door, which opened onto a large square patio of sealed concrete, flooded with sunlight The doors stood ajar and I could see Rogan He’d drawn circles on the concrete and e race wasn’t that of a dancer but of an assassin trained to lock onto his target and pursue it at all costs His feet eapons; his hands cut like blades, then struck like haan was a warrior key, and when hethat an surfaced and took over It scared ing circle here, so I could watch hi parked hiht behindon his lap Ogling Rogan under these circuhtly creepy I closedfro Texas day

"Is everything okay?" Bug asked

"Mhood ter?"

Damn it I opened my eyes and looked at him over my shoulder