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I screamed and screamed and screamed into the wind, but he didn&039;t coh speed, not caring if anyone saw , really Star would find me Marion would find me Hell, it really didn&039;tapart, I was co flickered at the corner ofsouth for the Texas border I had a stoay in the passenger seat Unseeable is easier than invisible, David had told rabbed Rahel by the wrist without looking at her, and when I turned ht and unnaturally stylish in the dashboard lights

"I told you, you&039;re a fool," she said "Let go of my arm, Snow White"

"I can hurt you," I said It was true The Demon Mark had braided into me so deeply now that I had the power, power to smash and flatten and hurt even a Djinn When David had vanished, the last reason I had to resist that poas gone What was the point of being human, anyway? To be hurt? To be abused? Screw it I was done with that

Rahel took"Why would you? I&039;er sure who hed It was a rich Swiss chocolate kind of sound, full of delight "Well, you&039;re learning"

"Whose Djinn are you?"

She shook her finger at"No, no, not important, sweet one We&039;re past all that now You know your eneht what?" I snarled "The Demon Mark? Star? Jesus, what exactly do you expect me to do? I never wanted any of this, you know I just want-"

I just wanted David I wanted that perfect night of peace I wanted love with so ht tears to irl I&039;d known, the one I&039;d saved, the one I&039;d lost It had happened by inches and years, and I&039;d never even noticed But more than that, I mourned for mefor the me who had been destroyed when Bad Bob ripped away o of Rahel and put both hands back on the wheel "Leave , either Whatever I&039;d expected to see in those hot yellow eyes, it wasn&039;t co alone?" she said softly "So many choices Soblessed Want to drop ed "Whatever I tell you, you will not do it Why should I burden you with advice for you to doubt and pick at like an unhealed sore?"

"Well, that&039;s pretty"

She leaned back, put one foot up on the dashboard, and examined her neon-yellow toenails, which were displayed to advantage by a lovely pair of designer sandals in-of course-neon yellow "I&039;m no one&039;s Djinn, Child of Demons As you should know by now"

"You&039;re like David" Saying his na a razor blade in the marrow of my bones

She shot me a narrow, amused look, and her black cornrows rustled over her shoulders as she shook her head "Nothing like David, in fact Nor do we share lineage"

"You both belonged to Lewis, and you&039;re still trying to protect hihed She stroked her fingernails over her long, shapely toes, and where they touched, silver rings took for her head to one side "You understand nothing It amazes me, still Lewis did not free David You did"

I did? No way No

My heart thumped hard and stuttered

Oh, God

I had been onfor my lifeI had taken hold of an ancient wine bottleand I&039;d smashed it into pieces

Bad Bob&039;s wine bottle

Bad Bob&039;s Djinn

When ere fighting at the hotel, David had said, I&039;ve tried to help you, I&039;ve tried toawaythe Demon Mark inside me, a kind of rape that could never heal, could never stop

That hy he&039;d shadowed ed me, and nearly forced me to allow hi tofor him to betray me all this time, and the truth was, he&039;d done it fro, was still lying about it

I sed a mouthful of acid and bitter truth "So he sent you in his place"

She sniffed "Hardly I have otherresponsibilities"

"Tell me, was I ever even close? Lewis&039;s Djinn told me to come here in the first place, or was that a lie, too?"

"The Djinn in Westchester once belonged to Lewis, it is true," Rahel said "Freed, he serves him still As do I But we are limited in e know, and e can do"

She stared hard at her toenails, then out at the road unrolling in the headlights Sunset was leaving the west, leaving a gorgeous trailing band of royal blue edged with early night, sprinkled with new stars So for me, and I kneould find me, if the others didn&039;t find me first

"So if he didn&039;t lie to me, Lewis did come to Oklahoma"

"Yes As I told you"

"So where is he now? And why isn&039;t he helpingshe al at hand, and still you don&039;t read the signs Star has used the book before, yes? To claim a Djinn, or try to do so Lewis came to stop her"

I realized, with a hot jolt, that Star had been baitingto see if I knehere Leas, and if I&039;d come to help him stop her

"Then where is he?" I asked Rahel shook her head

"You already know"

And I did Nothing else made sense "Star Star has Lewis"

Rahel bea steps "See? You&039;re not such a fool after all"

FIVE

Extremely violent weather is expected in and around the Oklahoma City area for the next few hours, with hail and tornadoes possible In the event of a tornado eency, take cover immediately

Star had Lewis As in, had Lewis prisoner

The words "well and truly screwed" skipped throughflowers in their path