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I grinned and went through the house to the bloody bedroo too dependent on hireat to have a partner who could read my mind The room was splattered with vamp blood, the once-white carpet saturated, as were the walls, the bedspread, and the kitsch for sale

My va He should be true-dead He didn’t have much left where his chest used to be, and silver to a vamp’s heart should have killed him Even if his maker had been a thousand-year-old master and poured his powerful blood into the vamp’s mouth the instant he fell, the silver should have killed him That much silver and that much blood and tissue loss should have killed any vae, and the only way he should have survived was if he was buried with the coled blood of all the nearby clans Or just buried, and ht rise three days later as a revenant I’d never had to kill a revenant, but it was reputed to be , uncured vamps here the myth of zombies came from I remembered the way the vah the vamp should be dead, as I stood over hirow out, healing Even revenants didn’t heal like that I was getting a bad feeling about all this

I du of supplies onto the bed and discovered silver handcuffs with silver spikes on the inside and outside Ankle cuffs made the sa surrounded by the remembrances of slavery in this lovely little town, but the collar reminded me of the collars slaves used to wear This one was silver and spiked, and a metal handle ca awayEli’s silver chain through the ankles and wrists, and then pulled tight so the vamp was curled up and fastened in the fetal position Last, in spite of my revulsion, I applied the handled neck collar, because if he came to on the ride home, that could be deadly I removed my vamp-killer from his shoulder, cleaned all three blades on the bedspread, and sheathed them

In the bathroom, I ripped down the shower curtain--pink, of course--and lay it in the doorway Then I used the collar handle to roll the vaed hih the house and outside, where Eli and I riot in the front seat Eli swung the SUV into a five-point turn and gunned the vehicle back up the bluff as we started home

"Hey What about our ATV?" Buddy asked

"I’ll see you get hoet your ATV when you can both walk under your oer" Eli added, "Make sure your brother drinks a lot of fluids, and none of it beer or shine or wine or ular liquor Get him some Gatorade Feed higed but no one replied, and the ride to the boys’ single-wide trailer was made in silence except for monosyllabic directions We were met by four pit bulls chained to trees in the bare-dirt front yard A rusted red pickup truck was up on blocks near the front door, a disused chicken coop was to the left of the trailer, and a patch of what looked suspiciously like ht Everything was lit like the noonday sun by two security lights, bright enough to see that the front door was open and the trailer was s and duct tape Eli helped the men inside, and Esot back in, he said, "Those two boys are oneon borrowed time"

"How so?" Esmee asked

But Eli just shook his head and spun the wheel into the night I caught a whiff of so like ether and I swiveled my head back to the trailer Ether was often used to make methamphetamines Great Es lords

"Where do you want to keep our fanghead guest?" Eli asked

"Big H should be sending a silver vae to Esmee’s" Even as I said the words, a car pulled up beside us and a va and waving before easing in behind us to follow us back to the B and B Eli laughed, a breathy sound, part amazement, part disbelief, and shook his head

We wereon the front porch "Oh, dear," Eshts

"Your son?" I asked

"Yes That tattletale Jaood things for the chef-curound the instant the SUV rocked to a halt I figured she would slink up to hi Instead she squared her shoulders and stormed up to the man "Gordon You will mind your manners If you open your mouth for so al-based tongue lashings, I will rewriteto Jane Yellowrock" She stor the door

"Oh, crap," I said Eli burst out laughing I followed Esmee to the front door and the steely-eyed man there Before he could open his mouth and take out his ire on me, I said, "I don’t want her money I don’t want yourout after the vaie friends"

"Yes And they won’t be taking her anywhere anyti a dress shirt and dress pants under a tailored wool jacket, lifted his chin "And whyup behind me, "one lost about half his blood supply, and he won’t feel up to hunting anytime soon Their transportation is still parked Under the Hill And we have the boys’ weapons" Instead of going to the hatch, which would have exposed the bloody pink shower curtain to the world, he opened the back passenger’s door and reached behind the seat to lift three shotguns, broken open so they wouldn’t fire, and four handguns, all of their"From the quality, I assuun, a rifle, and two handguns to Esone bonkers"

"No," I said "She’s just bored When’s the last ti?" I made it more of an accusation than a question, and followed it up with a left hook "Big, fancy lawyer hands off his mother to the help and then wonders why she acts out? Spend some tirabbed the vaht and set it inside the house door