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I hurried from the room, hastily brushed my teeth, and pulled on a pair of black board shorts with a sht hoodie, and flip-flops, and walked to the door I patted lanced up at Eli, as if asking pero"

My traitorous dog leapt frolared at Eli as we headed downstairs After a super-quick walk, I put Chaz back inside, fed him, and we hurried over to Preacher’s Theshockedto Eli’s side She wrapped her ared her back "Where you been, boy? I been dyin’ to see you" She pulled back and looked up at hi?" She shook her head and swatted hio, Eligius Dupré"

I watched their odd, affectionate exchange in fascination for a few one? And all this time, he’d been close to Preacher and Estelle? Weird how I’d never noticed I headed to the kitchen to sit with Preacher, and he was, as faithful as ever, waiting for aze as I sat, he gave a slight nod, and I started in onpot into a h the mist "I look at this tea a little different than before, Preacher man"

"You’re alive because of it," he answered simply, and I knew it to be the absolute truth

"Why have I neverh-pitched voice could still be heard gushing over Eli "Or any of them, for that matter I mean, it’s kinda hard to miss an entire vampiric family in Savannah, don’t you think?"

"The others you’ve encountered before; dey jes don’t ht?"

The sound of Estelle’s and Eli’s feet co up the steps sounded, and Preacher looked ata bite of bacon "Twelve But you have to ask him why Dat’s a tale for him to tell"

"Well, no wonder I’ve never seen him around," I said "I was just a punk kid in juvy for the hundredth tiine what had taken Eli away fro time, unless when you’re immortal, twelve years was just a flash second Maybe he wanted to travel the world, see new places But then, how’d he get his donated hoodoo-tinged blood? That thought h my spine, and I wasn’t positive I wanted the answer

"You don’t see dem around ’cause dey know to stay away fro at me over his teacup "Dat blood inside you is powerful to deo wavin’ drugs in a junkie’s face when dey’re tryin’ to get clean, dat’s right"

The tea still steamed out of the spout as I poured another cup "Why didn’t you ever tell me, Preacher?"

"Didn’t need to know till now"

"Does Seth have it? My et it?" I asked, frustrated Trying to pry infor to crack open a stubborn oyster

His wise eyes stared at me for several seconds "Don’t know, Riley Could be passed frorandaddies No tellin’"

I sighed "Figures"

"Oh, Preacher man, look at dis boy now, yeah? Ain’t he purty?" Estelle said, shuffling Eli into the kitchen and the chair next to ius Dupré?" she said, then laughed and handed Eli a plate of biscuits and bacon