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"What are you? A parrot? Yes, us"

"We’re a ht" She ran her gaze over hihed "But we’re okay now When you’re not tel ingto share your naked body with the world"

"I share my body with no one but you, !" Vash hissed, stepping closer to shield hionna have to kil her"

"You’re nuts, you know that? Certifiably insane" And he was crazy, too About her He shifted back and spun away from her

When Himeko darted out of the house at a ful run, he directed her to scout one side of the yard while he handled the other He sniffed out a dog buried in the far corner, which was confir out of the ordinary Hi at the dirt

He joined her, and they dug through fresh sod to find potting soil covering a layer of quicklime Three feet down they discovered as left of a child’s body, identifiable as such only by the size of the bones They both leaped back in horror

"Ohto her sto wraiths"

Mindless, rience and clear, cold calculation He looked at Vashti, frustrated that they couldn’t converse while he was in his lycan form, a connection that could exist--if they were aher voice "Syre Raze Have the lycans check the backyards"

He heard the quaver in her words and sensed her disquiet She was horrified and disturbed by the discovery, shaken He went to her, brushing gently along her hip in a gesture of comfort

She scratched absently behind his ear "How hborhood? How much time would pass?

Because if it wasto avoid detection and I’ve only seen one wraith who had any working brain cel s"

Raze’s curse frohborhood caused Elijah’s ears to twitch "We’ve got a body in the yard Damn it…it’s a child’s corpse"

"Here as wel ," Syre said harshly "No sign or evidence of the parent--a single ather, from the rave and began to dig deeper, growling at Vash when she tried to assist hi, but this, at least, was a grisly task he could spare her from

In the end, he found three bodies, al children

"Where are the adults?" Vashti asked, fol owing him over to the coiled-up water hose, which she turned on to spray him off

Raze’s voice crossed the distance between the found on the next property No children in the household Looks like two males lived here Neither body is in the yard"

Elijah led the way through the house and back out to the street He wason to the next property when Syre spoke "I saw movement in ahere in my sector Drapes are drawn, so I can’t see inside"

Vash broke into a run "Hold until we get there"

Raze met them at the house Without a word, he led his teaate and they slipped into the back

Staring at the home from the sidewalk, Elijah watched the upper s and saw the curtains shift softly, as if with a breeze, but he heard neither the hu unit nor a fan He also didn’t hear breathing or movement, which raised his hackles What the fuck were they dealing with?

"I don’t like it," Vash o in But the fla fire crews, and then we’d have mortals involved"

Syre surveyed the exterior "My team wil take the upper s Your lycans can enter from the bottom floor Ready?"

With a nod, Vash leaped onto the side of the house and scrambled up like a spider Syre did the same Elijah took one side of the house; Luke took the other Himeko remained on point at the front, while Thomas waited in the rear

"On three," Raze whispered, his voice drifting on the wind "One, two…"

Elijah lunged through the nearest , entering the house in a shower of glass He’d scarcely registered that he’d landed in a smal hoain purchase on carpet slickened by a viscous substance Shaking off the col ision, he registered what coated the floor--the black, oily residue left behind raith bodies deco spurred hi into the wal and denting it before finding traction in the unsoiled carpet He leaped into a family room, where Himeko and Thoed into the fray, grabbing a wraith by the neck and snapping it as he tossed the body aside like a dol ’s

The repetitious report of a pistol cracked through the roo bodies ringing the edges of the huddle Raze waded in through the sliding-glass door, yanking wraiths up by the hair and severing heads with his blade Elijah was tackled fro, he kicked with his hind legs, his claws raking into the thigh of his attacker The wraith lost its grip and fel away Elijah turned and crouched to retaliate, ai for the Navy anchor tattoo that decorated the pale-as-milk flesh over the wraith’s heart… "Vashti!"

Syre’s shout pierced Elijah like a silver bul et Abandoning his attacker, he bounded up the stairs He reached the second floor and hit a wal of wraiths, the teelint of light on a flashing blade drew his attention to the ceiling, where Vash clung upside doith a one-handed grip Her free arm slashed a katana at the upraised hands that clawed at her, trying to pul her loose

Fear for herover shoulders and heads to reach her

"Not so fast, Alpha," a voice hissed His rear leg was caught in a vicelike grip, and he was yanked into a rooainst the searing pain, his gut churning as the door was kicked shut, blocking hi the oddly bent limb, he faced his attacker She tossed back silken strands of crimson hair and set her hands on black leather-clad hips For a split second, Elijah thought he faced Vashti; then the differences ca of pain The woman was too lean Her features harsh and less refined

And her eyes were lit with a sick, un fro wicked fangs "Bye-bye, lover," she crooned

The door crashed in behind her, the paneled particleboard breaking free at the hinge and sla into the va wide Vash leaped through the deci her by the arun

Vash kicked at the wraith who ran into the roorabbed the vaht There was a heartbeat of stunned silence as the tomen looked at each other