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Jagr grimaced He didn’t have a memory of his tiendary There hadn’t been many tears shed when he’d mysteriously disappeared

"Humans are not without their own share of monsters"

"Maybe not, but the countryside always seeht"

"Obviously you haven’t read In Cold Blood"

She rolled her eyes "Spoken like a true city vamp"

"I haven’t always lived in cities, you know," he drawled "I’ve spent centuries hidden in lairs so remote I had to travel hours to feed"

"Centuries of solitude?" She sucked in a deep breath "It sounds like heaven"

"At times" He slowed the truck as he turned to study the smooth perfection of her profile "There are also ti"

She turned to catch his intense gaze "Frightening?"

"Without a connection to the world, it beco to exist"

Even in the darkness he had no trouble seeing the shock, and soht have been horror, that rippled over her face

"Did you…?"

"If I hadn’t discovered a passion for ainst the lure of ending it all," he readily confessed "It’s a te, she shivered, wrapping her ar off a sudden chill

"You’d better not do anything so stupid while I’edy to befall you"

A stab of satisfaction rushed through hiht he had very nearly put an end to his eet rid of me that easily"

She deliberately turned her head to stare out the , pretending an interest in cluas stations that replaced the fields as they skirted the edge of town Jagr allowed her to wrestle with her e hin for the tea shop

Crawling through the sleeping residential streets, he nearly missed the refurbished three-storied house that was set behind tering oaks

"This is it," he said, abruptly pulling the truck to a halt on the opposite side of the street It was nearly two in the hborhoods of Hannibal, the citizens were safely tucked in their beds

Leaning forward, Regan studied the pretty white structure with pink trim, and all those curly doodads that Victorians were addicted to

"No" She shook her head "This can’t be right"

He deliberately glanced at the gold letters painted in the bay"It claims to be the Clemons Tea Shop Do you think there’s an’s friends," she s around with bottom-feeders like himself"

"Fine We can return to the lair, and…"

He hid his smile as she hastily shoved open her door and juht as well have a look while we’re here"

He caught up with her as she vaulted over the white picket fence, his senses assuring hi cat Of course, his senses orthless when it came to the curs and their daun from his waistband as they rounded the house and entered the tiny rose garden at the back

Reaching the edge of the patio dotted with tables, they both caan de at the distinct scent of peach that had nothing to do with the tarts or scones served fror nodded It wasn’t the distinct pluan, but definitely fey

"Iun "Do you recognize the scent?"

"No" She sucked in a deep breath, using her Were senses to test the air "I don’t think Culligan was ever in contact with the imp while he held me captive"

"So ould this mysterious imp contact hiaze widened "A trap?"

It had been Jagr’s first thought as well "An iet a profit"

Her lips curled in anticipation "I think I’d like to ht of Regan hunting an iht possess all sorts of nasty skills