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I beca with Shannon’s phantom pain Chance stroked my cheek “How bad was it?”
“Bad enough”
“Did you get anything?”
“I think, maybe We’ll have to ask Greydusk if he knows of any de red eyes”
“It could point us to the right caste,” he said with rising hope in his voice
“Then he can start threatening to suck the life out of those who don’t cooperate I’ now, in fact With less direction” Because he’d been willing to support me, I owed hi I concluded, “If we don’t find Shannon soon, this ed your mind”
“I’s up with you before I failed Lily I’ll do it right this time”
I cracked a reluctant smile “I don’t think the relationship ”
“Since when did norainst mine, and then nuzzled my jaith his lips
A pleasurable thrill treh me The demon queen wanted to push him down and force hiled her, but Butch whined, as if he could see the dark tendrils wrapping tighter about me Before I could kiss Chance back or thank hi options, Greydusk slah the front door By the dereat excitement, his errand had not been in vain
“You learned so?”
“How astute of you But before I go into detail, I must ask your help”
“What’s wrong?” After pulling the gloves from his pocket, Chance drew them on and pushed to his feet
The Iestured toward the“Well There see outside”
Club Hell
“Come out now, or we carry you out in pieces!” By the roar that followed, this demon h the thick accent sounded Slavic
More shouts followed—threats in English and deue—and unfortunately, I could understand the forainst the house, and then a s on the hinges We had little time
“I guess some demons don’t need an invitation?” I backed away
Greydusk shook his head,frantic preparations for our escape I hoped
“Who are they?” Chance demanded
“They’refor the castes ant to use you, Binder Some would take you captive Others would kill you”
“How did they find out you’re working for me?” I asked
“If Sybella has kept her end of the bargain, then I suspect it was the inforether from street whispers and my rather pointed questions”
About Shannon
“He wasted no ti that info,” Chance muttered
That didn’t matter “How many?”
“Twenty or so More will come”
“Do you have a back door?” I asked
“I do, but there’s no escape from it The courtyard dead-ends in walls from the other houses nearby”
Chance thought for a o up and over?”
None of us wanted to fight twenty—or more—demons Well, except the evil queen inShe was ready to march out and smite thee, deick she could teach me
Join with me, she whispered I can end this You shouldn’t be forced to flee like a fugitive You carry royalty in your fragile human skin
For a ht this battle for er I’d fade evenwithout my cooperation, so I sure as hell wouldn’t embrace my own annihilation
“Does the demon rope we used in the caves work in the opposite direction?” Like, could we slide up or would it make it easier for us to climb?
Greydusk seeht, if I reverse the command”
So smashed into the side of the house That spurred rabbed Shannon’s backpack while Chance shouldered his Then I snagged et out of here”
The Imaron ran for the rope and met us at the back door that led out froardens Oh, man I puffed out an exasperated breath; I didn’t want to find kinship in the I learned about their world ht
Out back, Greydusk had a tidy plot of land eird, exotic flowers The surrounding walls were of chipped gray stone He had tied one end of the cord to a grappling hook and I backed up as he swung it in a tight arc before slinging it toward the top of the wall It clattered and struck, then the tines reacted like claws, burrowing into the wall Magickal, no doubt
A whispered word and then, “Test it out, Binder”