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"So Patra can cast one of these spells anytime, anywhere?"

Bones's lips thinned into a grim line

"Not if she's dead, she can't"

Later that afternoon, I called five delivery places No, the hu practical After all, we had several vampires to feed The delivery people never knew that they were the real dinner, not the food they carried They just left with a good tip and a lower iron count Rodney made his own version of a square meal that he shared with Dave

"get ahold of one of Patra's people before we plan any counterattack," Ian said during a pause in the conversation "Or, if we're lucky, find a turncoat"

"You of all people should have the most experience in turncoats"

The spiteful remark came fro out who Patra was

"Bollocks" Ian sighed "Look, Max got what he asked for He wanted to leave his job and his hued hiht, ruthless lad End of story"

Don regarded Ian with disgust "End of story? Do you knohat Max did, when I tried to take hied into a vampire? He murdered our parents and left their bodies on ave him the power"

This was so I hadn't heard before After I found out Don was my uncle, I'd asked if I had any more relatives, but he'd curtly said no Now I knehy the subject bothered him

Ian gave Don a look "Max was a killer before he s"

"You can't help your parents, but your niece is still alive, old chap," Bones said "We could use your wits to ensure she stays that way Right then, to the issue of-"

He stopped, staring up at the wood paneling in our ceiling I followed suit in confusion What, did we have termites?

"Mencheres is here," he stated

Spade also picked his head up "I don't sense him yet"

Bones stood "I do And he's not alone"

I rolled my eyes Great Guess we'd better call that new Italian place Time to break in their driver's neckand Denise and I could sample the chicken parm

"Who's with him?" I asked

Bones gave an irritated growl "It's the bloody show hound"

That h "Indeed? This should prove to be an interesting night, after all"

Unlike Ian, Spade didn't see him, Crispin? He knows the two of you don't care for each other"

"Not towhere I live" Muttered as Bones began to pace "But he loathes Patra even more than he hates me My enemy's enemy is my friend and all that rot"

"Who?" I repeated "Do I know him?"

Bones snorted "You knoho he is"

The sound of a helicopter approaching staved off further conversation Minutes later, the grind of uests

Mencheres and another varandsire with a hug, but gave the other man only a cool nod

Bones is wrong, I don't know hiht as I looked at the unfaular face fraht beard A wide, pale forehead set off deep-set eyes He wasn't handso I would have remembered him if we'd met before

Scars crisscrossed the hand he extended to me "You must be the Red Reaper"

He had an odd accent and his greeting wasn't "hello, how do you do?" typical, but I'd heard worse "You havehis hand

Power sizzled up my arm Whoever he was, he was a Master And several hundred years old, at uess

"I rather doubt that" As he gavehim

"Stop undressing her with your eyes," Bones snapped "Though you weren't at the wedding, I'm certain you're aware that she's my wife"

The stranger laughed He had unusual eyes, I noticed Copper-colored and ringed with emerald "My invitation must have been lost in the international mail"

Bones ignored that "Mencheres, I hope there's a reason you brought him?"

"He has infor to ain"

After all this time, you'd think I'd have known better, butCan't say the saht

Bones gave rimacedIt just flew out! Truth be told, I didn't knohy I always had a knee- jerk reaction of dislike with Mencheres Maybe we'd been ene

Mencheres didn't co ti polite out loud

"Mencheres Hi"

"Let's get this over with," Bones gru to the other vampire "Kitten, this is Vlad"

A bark of laughter escaped me before I could stuff it back Jeez, soinal You're the dozenth Vlad I've come across"

His thin lips curled "I rather doubt they came by their names at birth as I did"

I waited for the punch line, but it didn't come Bones still had that annoyed but serious expression on his face, and with growing awareness, I saw that none of the other va

Finally I foundme!"

While I was busy being flabbergasted, the other undead guests said hello Vlad was greeted with teave hi my head at her

Oh, Dracula as well, Annette? I guess if Frankenstein and the Wolf Man were real, they'd already have double-teamed you

A wheeze came out of Mencheres If I didn't know better, I'd have said it was a laugh

Bones gave hts, for bloody sake" look I redirected my observations about Annette's sexual history to the undead legend in front of me

"Dracula When I was sixteen and trying to learn anything I could about vampires, I read a lot about you Bram Stoker almost made you sound nice, because the historical record paints you with a much nastier brush"

Bones lost his frown at once and gave rin I rolled my eyesSo it's okay to insult him, just not Annette? Hypocrite

"I don't answer to that na you read Recorded history's nothing if not fickle I wonder what it will have to say of you, Catherine?"

"My name is Cat," I corrected hiht"

After further introductions wereroos while plotting to ure with another one Vlad took the chair nearest ave Bones an arch little smile that made me think he'd done it just to piss Bones off, which it had Bones took his place beside me on the couch and clasped my hand, pointedly