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But for now"What about you? Did you desire the concubines?"

He so clearly wanted to lie But other than when he denied his feelings, Caspion had always been honest with Mirceo "Why wouldn't I? I'm not mated"

Deflection! "It's a simple question Did you want any--or all--of them?"

"My rin spread

"Right Back to the job Should we have a plan in place for when the Gaolers show?"

"Yeah, the plan is: let Caspion do the talking"

Mirceo gave a --nature of the beast--but luckily Mirceo had a e fro

Otherwise he and Caspion would never make it Nowthe hell his mate had called home had undermined his confidence But the two of them had triuht and demonstrated that he could be an asset--

Harea heaved Vomit spewed from his lips onto the street And still he didn't wake Brows drawn, the sorcerer htside is real"

Mirceo chuckled "I think we did that harem a favor" He trailed off when his breaths condensed into puffs of smoke In this warm air? "Caspion?"

The des "I see it"

Mirceo stepped back to view the larger side street beyond this alleyway, his eyes going wide A garbageman was poised with a can over his head, motionless, the truck's co still" The driver had been pouring coffee out of his --the fluid hung suspended in midair--when he'd been frozen in place

Caspion gave a curt nod, reaching for Mirceo "Closer to me, vampire"

Not a problem He'd just traced to the de frayed black cloaks, the phantashostly horses

The Gaolers

Hello, fodder of all future nightlance But then Mirceo realized their ragged faces had been tattooed to look like skulls In places, inked flesh had peeled from actual bone Both they and theirThey had no eyeballs, but seeht

Caspion sidled in front of Mirceo protectively--a--and boldly announced, "We clai of Sand"

At last Harea began to coround, he slurred, "Where'm I?"

May I never get that high At least, not without Caspion to watch his back

Harea tried to rise, finallyhis head toward Mirceo and Caspion, he said, "Who're you?" His bleary eyes were a golden color, shot through with red

Mirceo felt for the o to sleep buried in tri jailers? Harsh "I'm Mirceo Daciano My s"

"Can't be" Harea's head snapped toward the Gaolers "No" Visible chill buainst the restraints Light glowed in his pal swiftly, he faced Mirceo and Caspion again "I'll kill you two for this! I'll destroy anything you care about and murder anyone you love" Lips drawn back from his teeth, he hissed, "I'll replace the blood in your veins with sand!"

"Note to self"--Mirceo tapped his temple--"beware of the sand man"

One of the Gaolers raised a putrefying hand A drawstring coin bag materialized above his pal at Caspion's feet

Harea met Mirceo's eyes a last time He mouthed, You're a dead man

The Gaolers--and the sorcerer--disappeared

Out in the side street, the garbage truck's co a pent-up breath, Caspion sheathed his sword, then dipped to collect the coin bag He hefted the weight, sle

"That's what I'd call a no-nonsense transaction" The tension in Mirceo's knotted ood team, demon"

Caspion hiked his shoulders "We coh job"

"Tough? You called it i bounties in the Lore You said no one could get close to that sorcerer And so on and so forth"

Caspion opened the bag and investigated the contents "I'll be daold"

"I've never seen it before" Mirceo traced closer for a look "It truly is red" The coins had been struck with the ie of flaive these to your friend Bettina Wouldn't a goldsmith like her enjoy it?"

"She would go insane for this" All Sorceri worshipped gold, but Bettina doubly so "You'd really give up your share for her?"

"Of course"

"I'm surprised you remember what I told you about her passion You always seemed to be in your own little world whenever I opened up"

"Because I was co every word to memory"