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Bobby had a five o’clock shadow, I noticed suddenly Bobby had a beard he had to shave Bobby was all grown up I felt the surprise flutter through, he finished, "Misha said so"

"Yes," I said "Misha said so"

"But Misha’s ," he whispered

"Yes But we’re Misha’s friends and we’ll do everything in our power to find Misha and keep Charly going until Misha is back and safe Right?"

"Right" But I could hear the fear in the single, dejected word

"Perhaps I can help?"

I turned to see Soul in the hallway, silhouetted in the light, all curves and all woman I’d never have her shape or her sex appeal Rick’s cat ht want iving away nothing of s, I eneral whereabouts," Soul said "Nothing specific, eneral direction?" She ended with an uncertainty, the last words rising in question

"And you wait until now to offer?"

"ItIt is not an easy thing for hs, as if worried Or afraid I didn’t know if it was true fear or soame with a purpose I couldn’t follow, but at this point I’d take anything I stood and went to the closet where I’d stuffed Misha’s things, the valuables I’d taken from the hotel suite that was still in her naht need soical to focus on, I handed her Misha’s hairbrush Soul pulled three hairs fro to ood We need a quiet place"

Bobby said, "There’s a little room with a table and liquor downstairs" He looked at Charly as if to o take a bath and put on my pj’s Then I’ll make sure Charly is still okay Okay?"

"Okay," Soul and I said together We stood in the hall as Bobby went to his rooling through the old pipes in the even older house Without discussion, ent to the wet bar on the lower level, as if Bobby’s word had h than actual roo room, butler’s pantry, wine closet, and billiards room The walls were antique ith a patinated copper bar, soft lighting, e, blender, ice maker, and bottles, bottles everywhere, and not a drop to drink, as far as I was concerned For me, liquor was no flavor and all burn, and since the alcohol did nothing for me intoxication-wise, it had no value at all

Soul closed the doors and lit a candle on a small round table tucked in a corner between two doorways, and sat in a chair I slid a hip on a bar stool and poured a large glass of water, drinking it down fast I had no idea when I’d last drunk anything, but it had been before we left for the hospital I poured another glass as Soul settled herself and turned off the lights, leaving only the single flame as illu to distract her

I focused in with Beast-sight, and though they eak, I saw heralht, as if contained beneath her skin, and leaking only the barest minimum to the surface They were ic Whatever she was, Soul wasn’t a witch Her ics of the outclan priestess, Bethany Salazar y Medina Bethany was a black-skinned shaman from Africa, and was an accomplished healer for humans and blood-servants and vampires, and I’d take Misha to her before I’d let the child die, nopower of vamp blood on leukemia Bethany was nutso, but she was powerful

The candle wavered in the s, in and out, back and forth The shadows seelow see, but no sound eed, and she kept her eyes closed as she raised both hands to the candle flame "Where?" she breathed, and she dropped in a hair The flame raced up frohtness, and an awful stench "Where?" she said again, and repeated the action, adding to the reek in the rooics rose fro up with the stinking s twelve feet overhead But three feet froht and shot out of the roo her eyes Pointing, she said, "That bearing Within ten miles"

It was crappy directions, but it was better than we had before I spotted a pencil under the bar and marked the spot on the here the smoke disappeared "All we need now is a compass," I ain

Ugly dog Good nose, Beast thought instantly Good nose for finding h praise from Beast for any other animal She hated it when I shifted into other creatures

From upstairs at the back of the house I heard a thin wail start, the scream of a terrified child "Nononononononononono!" It was Bobby, not Charly I snapped open a door, hearing it ram into the wall, and raced to the second floor