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He inclined his head “Understood I can tug my forelock and ‘marm’ with the best of them”

“If only it were that easy,” she muttered At his askance look, she shook her head “Just follow my lead,” she repeated

A couple miles from the property, Dev stopped the vehicle for the last time He holstered his pistol, put his rifle within reach so he could feed it down his back sling when he got out His full compleh, waist and back as well Danny said little, watching him adjust the weaponry, then asked his assistance to check her own unique arsenal

Before they’d started off, she’d used their water and cloth to scrub her face, and he’d helped comb her hair and French braid it

She’d worn a wrinkled but clean T-shirt from his pack, tucked into her belted daks Those were filthy, but her bearing pulled the inconvenience He inclined his head “You’ll do You look fine”

“Not that we have one handy, but ” Despite hirinned “Well, next to o to tea with the Queen”

“You’re supposed to look scruffy and dangerous,” she informed him

“Scruffy is hardly inti”

“It is, if it i stench”

He gave her a narrow glance, but put the vehicle in gear A fewher childhood home, which backed up to the dark shadow of low hills It was a good setting for a sheep station in a country that ran ine idle It was a nice-sized home, a two-story wood fraated iron roof There was a handful of outbuildings that he identified as a couple bunkhouses for une or two for a fore shed and storage for equipenerator for the house and well pump as needed A windmill

However, it was the house that reclaih it was silhouetted in darkness, it appeared that the rear half of the home was embedded into the hills that folded back into the low e behind it

“That’s where the bedrooued look “A study and alternative parlor It works wonderfully for vampires”

As they drew closer, the skeletal remains of what used to be watered perennials lined a front ay, her scrub would close in on the upon those dried-out plants He didn’t need access into her thoughts to recognize lingering evidence of her mother’s presence in as obviously now an all-male domain

There wereon the porch, as well as in front of the bunkhouse In the open doorway of the barn, twotheir approach One had a cut on his eye The other looked as if he’d recently been burned

“Two of ot them,” she noted “I’m surprised they’re still alive, if they came back without proof that they’d done their job God, I wish there’d been somewhere for us to stop to clean up” He found it remarkable that was her primary concern He’d noted three otherthem the same unfriendly once-over, as those two from the barn started to make their way to the porch He also suspected there were reinforces Five Rovers in excellent condition were pulled up front, suggesting Ian had additional visitors

“How many vampires did you say are in your territory?” he asked

She shrugged “Probably about twenty In all of Australia, there are less than two hundred, and like the humans, most live in the cities on the coast There’s only about five thousand in the whole world That we know of,” she added

A pack of dogs had co Danny, unconcerned, started to get out of the vehicle, when Dev put a hand on her aret the door for you?”

She blinked “Guess I need a re all uppity, don’t I?” He offered her a smile, because in that brief moment, the mask of calm slipped, and he saw some of her nerves “I’m here, love