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Wrapped up in ed its way fro thud at my feet, but only a little It wasn’t an ene’s The raven was perched far overhead on top of the roller coaster, keeping a sharp watch for our guests The e wolf ca hard from his sprint Anyan and Blondie moved forward to hear our nahual scout’s report

"It’s her," he said, through his panting "It’s only her, with Hiral on a lead, and five other guards"

I frowned Five other guards? That wasn’t a lot We had at least twenty people stationed throughout this pier, and five hest, the fiercest living warrior of the tiinal, whose power easily rivaled that of an Alfar ht, but she’s not crazy Blondie’s right--soht

Anyan was obviously with estures that sentinto the darkness around us If Morrigan was planning a surprise, wewith our sleeves, for goodflapped down from her position on top of the roller coaster to join s spread out in an enor leather pants and a thin leather breastplate, and I saw that her feet were the scaly black feet of a bird, long toes and all But it didn’t ’s raven beauty, I saw movement from the corner of my eye and I faced forward to find the equally beautiful, but golden Morrigan striding to us She earing a lovely crea hair pulled up into an enormous, supremely sexy twist Her emerald eyes shone with curiosity as she strode forward, hipslike those of a catwalk model It was only when she was a bit closer I could see her dragging Hiral behind her He was on a dog’s leash, with a collar around his neck, and he looked about as pissed off as I’d ever seen his always pissy little face

I would be angry too, however, if I were being dragged around like a recalcitrant puppy

"Jane," Morrigan said warht she was going to co me, but she stopped a few yards away I marveled at my own disappointment

You want to punch her in the eye! I rerily Still, I watched her with rapt attention as she looked around at ht your little buddies Anyan," Morrigan said, nodding to the barghest whose bristling presence I could feel only a few feet behind inal"

It was only in her greeting to Blondie that Morrigan’s carefully friendly facade slipped, and for a secondthe veno under her skin

Of all the people here, I wondered, why does she hate Blondie thethe one hated an had slapped her party face back on and aving into the shadows

"And hallo out there! To all you little hidingwarain to face hty pet," she said, holding forth Hiral’s leash I raised an eyebrow

"That’s it? You’re just giving him to us?"

"Of course, silly!" she exclaimed, as if I were obviously crazy to mistrust her "I said I would, didn’t I Now coone British, another mystery She’d always spoken with a flat, American accent, but now she sounded like the Upstairs part of Upstairs, Downstairs

I inched forward, hearing Anyan growl behindmy most powerful shields It wasn’t hard with all the water saturating the ocean air

Tobut calmly hand me Hiral’s leash when I walked forward I dropped to one knee, undoing the collar as quickly as I could, and then let him run away behind me towards our friends

"Nohy on earth would you let that san et to talk?"

"Sure, Morrigan Noe can talk," I said, refusing to let my voice betray just how much I wanted to talk to her "But no funny business And I can’t iorgeous ge closer to her, I realized that those emerald eyes were slit, like a cat’s

And didn’t they used to be blue? I remembered, suddenly

Who cares, my libido purred They’re beautiful…

"Of course I won’t pull anything funny I only want to talk," she said "In private"

And with that her hand closed onwent black