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Booths circled the dance floor Though every single one had a ragged curtain, only a feere pulled closed In the nearest open one, Holly gli blood and laughing A siht out

A knife twisted inside her

She’d done that once upon a time Gone out for a drink with her friends Poor Rania could never hold her drink, but she was such an adorable drunk that none of theone out before the torture and death, Rania had slung an ar, “I love you lots and lots and even more than marshmallows”

Holly’s throat threatened to close up

Ripping away her gaze before Veno ht more expected anda lap dance for a heavy-lidded angel who sat with his wings draped behind him and his arms spread on the torn red leather of the booth bench

The angel was clearly sluelkind was too powerful to be reduced to bars like this one As for the vampires who ended up in this life, it was a co their hundred years, all vah resources to start a new, independent life

Soenerous than others

Zeph’s angel had been—but he’d also treated the sensitive va his Contract that Zeph was incapable of living life without the sweet oblivion of drugs

“Your eyes are beginning to glow” Veno over her hip

Fighting the impulse to pull away because that would betray far too et it under control”

“It’s part of you Why control it all the time?”

His response had her staring at him “Didn’t you just rave on about control?”

“Control and asphyxia leading to weakness are two different things” He slipped his sunglasses back on “I am always in control—and I always have access to the full depth of lanced around “You have friends here?”

“A few” Off-center, Hollybodies to the bar, Veno off her hip in the process Space opened up around her, in front of her, without effort She knew better than to think she’d caused the effect Usually, she had to push and shove—and occasionally hiss—to get through

More than one fuckas of the opinion that he could get in an ass-grab just because Holly was small and female

“Holly!” The ebony-skinned bartender leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek “You’re looking far too fine for this pit of sin, love”

Holly laughed and patted his bearded jaw Heavily tattooed and as heavily nus had been one of the first friends she’d ht”

His light brown eyes gleaht in a ith you, then” He extended a hand across the bar “Magnus”

To her surprise, Venom shook the bartender’s hand with polite courtesy “Venom”

Holly wanted to ask him, not for the first time, if he’d had another name once, if he still remembered that name

“That, I know,” Magnus said with a grin “Don’t usually get one of the Seven in lass he’d just poured full of a rich a with the ets around that you’re visiting, h the roof”

Venolass neatly back on the polished wood of the bar “Goes down smooth”