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I kept the pain off my face by so, towering over them I felt more than saw Eli tense and ready himself for movement, violent, physicalback and forth Neither brotherBut Eli’s phero bitter and full of adrenaline, a taste like pine tar and burned bread

My index finger started tapping on the edge of ether in a slight purse and his stink lessened He crossed his ar I wondered if he kneaway I curled ers under, and the silence that settled between us was charged and prickly I realized that I didn’t want the thee, unexpected shock--but no as I going to say any of that Not if they were going to leave

I sighed and gathered ear "You want to work for hi on the hardwood floors

"Yellowrock," Eli called I stopped in the foyer, waited without answering, knowing he knew I could hear "You get the gig, we’ll find a way to take it You don’t get the gig, we’ll find solad my back was turned, because a sin my life They were likeCrap They were like fa stupid

"And we don’t give a rat’s ass that you’re a skinwalker," the Kid added I heard the slap on the back of his head, and my smile went even wider He’d braved a head slap to reassureas you don’t shift and get hungry enough to think about us as dinner ’Cause, like, that would, like, totally suck"

I laughed silently and said over my shoulder, "I promise not to have you or your brother for dinner or a snack That good enough?"

"Yeah Cool" I started for my room, and he added, "But I want to see you shift into the h the Kid had just crossed an additional line by asking, perhaps one his brother had ordered him not to cross

The Kid seeingonna happen I said, "No," and closed ain and I pulled it from my jacket pocket "That was fast," I said to Reach as I pulled rees, but there’s two s you should know before you take the job Hieronymus and Leo haven’t kissed and o to work for a scion he’s unhappy with"

"Icing on the cake as far as I’ off the MOC has become one of et so pissed that he kills you for it"

"A I’d think that eet concern for me if I didn’t know you better You’d miss out on the finder’s fee if I were dead"

"Like I said S I need to know?"

"You have an appointment with a reporter-turned–book writer in Natchez at four this afternoon She’s writing a book about vamps"

I chuckled sourly and picked up reen snakeskin Lucchese boots I tossed the contrary You know this chick You were good friends BFFs Her nah-class joint the state stuck you in"

I hesitated, thinking through all the nairls I’d roomed with in my years in the Christian children’s hoirls were there only a short ti the foster-care system Or jail Juvie here the troublemakers went I’d almost ended up there myself a ti my mind, Reach said, "Camilla is her professional on-air name at Torch News In the home, she went by Misha"

The name clicked and my lips turned down in distaste "She was never my pal More like a neutral observer" Misha had never directly attackedto stop what the other girls did, either Until I learned to fight, my life had been fairly awful, and no one had helped to make it better--not Misha, not anyone

"A little verbal and physical abuse is good for the soul," Reach said