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"Definitely Ah, quick question, but do you knohere David is-"
"Still in the hands of your friends," she said "I can help you no rabbed her hand, and quickly let go It didn’t feel right It sure didn’t feel as smooth and soft as it looked "Wait You can’t, Rahel, you know that it’ll wear off You have to know of a way to cure yourself Don’t you?"
Hot, predatory eyes rowled out, "No I will exist in this for Yours and David’s"
I remembered the last time I’d seen her; like most of the Free Djinn, she’d been trapped by the contamination in the aetheric, poisoned by pretty little blue sparklies that had eaten her from the inside I’d watched her die, or at least I’d believed so at the tiested than just tee Not good, but then, she’d just saved ree For all of those who are brought down"
"But not now," I said Without realizing it, I’d started rubbingstare I broke out in goose bumps, but didn’t let her see it, hopefully
"We will speak of it," she said softly "If you survive"
"Doing okay so far" It came out sarcastic I sed my reflexive need to strike out "Rahel, thank you Thank you for , then turned and plucked a bright yelloer from a nearby plant The broken stem oozed clear blood; she licked it away contelossy black hair, and gave me a smile that betrayed razor-sharp teeth
"You’re welcoet too co"
I held racefully as a tiger, watching ht in the ayptian ankh worn around her neck Soft gold, with a look of antiquity to it The Djinn were such an odd mix of old and new, like Socrates on a skateboard "Your ene"
"Which one?" That sounded flippant; I hadn’t meant it to I mean, it wasn’t like I just had the one anymore Lewis, oh, God, what the hell deal did you rabbed hold of my shoulder, leaned closer, then shivered as if she’d been caught in a rew cold, then snapped back into focus, into defiant neon yellow and elegant, tall lines Into flawless skin and the eyes of a predator, glittering with urgency "Your ene Listen to me, Snow White The Djinn need you You , but as co screech, fading into silence Despair sparked once in her expression, and then she blurred like an out-of-focus projection and turned dark, glistening, cold
Nightmarish and spidery
I yanked my hand away and juht an Ifrit, but she didn’t co like her She just faded away
"Rahel?" I looked around Filtered sunlight, glossy green leaves, the whisper of flowers and fountains I turned in a slow circle, stunned by the beauty, by the loss, by the enor seeht about now
A fa in azebo for a picture I had to wait for them to clear the path I fumbled the key card to my complimentary suite out of ht to slip a credit card in there or cash
I felt a surge of power zip alongwas co, Rahel had said Looked like he was alo, realized it would be pointless, considering who I was up against, and decided to stand ht-iron bench across six inches of empty space, and zapped me just as the hum of insect and bird activity in the conservatory went still
The earth stopped breathing, or at least it stopped where I was, as Kevin Prentiss wandered into the building He saw me, paused for a few seconds, then stuck his hands in his jeans pockets and sauntered ed the kid y, and badly dressed From the aroma that wafted my direction-sweat and sour clothes and desperation-he hadn’t taken personal hygiene to heart, either He earing a hooded gray sweatshirt over a T-shirt that read, partially obscured, uck you, with a one-fingered illustration His sneakers-red Keds-looked battered al blue jeans with the heed around his shoetops
He stopped about ten feet away Gunfighting distance
"Been wondering when you’d show up," he said "Where’s your boy toy?" Meaning David
That stung I had a hard tiet in?" Kevin jamerent fists in the fabric "Shouldn’t have been able to Nobody can get in who’s like you"
"You et in?"
"Just the ones in Vegas here before ht this place’d be fun It’s kinda boring I mean, it’s cool and all, but I wanted to be away fro afterthe Wardens’ vault and screwing around with powers he didn’t understand? "I guess they’re worried you’re out of control, Kevin"
"I’m not"
"And then there’s Yvette," I said slowly "Who’s dead"
Kevin’s eyes flew up to meet mine, wide and defenseless, and I saw the memory unfold in them He’d done that He’d ordered her killed, and he hadn’t flinched
He was flinching now
"Bitch deserved it," he said It sounded tough, but it was all ’tude He had a huge amount of power, and nobody could tell him what to do but he was alone More alone than anyone I’d ever seen "You’d better not cross esture of surrender "Not crossing you ButI can do for you"
"Yeah?" He kept it neutral, but I saw the flare of hope in his face "Like what?"
"Like ive back the powers you stole-I think the Wardens won’t o on about your business" Not that I was empowered toAnd with the deep ga, the faster and simpler I could make this, the better
Kevin shook his head "No way He’s all I got"