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"Metaphorically speaking," I said tiredly

"You knohat I mean"

"He's under a geas, Thomas"

Thoot him in a brain-lock?"

"I doubt she'd do that to Fix They go back"

"Who, then?"

"My money is on Titania, the Summer Queen If she told hiet a choice in the matter Probably why he showed up armed and tried to intiht, but if he's delivering a threat in order to further Titania's plans, it eas"

"Seems pretty thin to me You believe him?"

"Titania's done it to him before And she doesn't really like me"

"You kill sohter, that happens," he said

I shrugged wearily, tired to my bones The combination of pain, cold, and multiple bursts of adrenaline had worn me down a lot more than I had realized I couldn't stop another yawn

"What was he talking about as we pulled out?"

"Oh," I ave me a silver pin in the shape of an oak leaf It makes me an Esquire of Summer Supposedly I can use it to whistle up help fro the scales for e did"

"Never a bad thing to be owed a favor," Thoot it on you?"

"Yeah," I said It was, in fact, in a little ring box within the inner coat of ot it out and showed it to Thomas

He whistled "Gorgeous work"

"The Sidhe know pretty," I agreed

"Maybe you can use it and get them to back off"

I snorted "It's never that simple Titania could decide that the best way to help me would be to break my back, paralyze me froruffs won't have to kill me"

Thorunted "Then ould Fix mention it?"

"Maybe he was co I'll call for help and she'll have a chance to squash me personally Or maybe"

I let my voice trail off for a moment, while I kicked my punch-drunk brain in the stomach until it threw up an idea

"Or ruffs have foundor tracking outs And how did Fix find me just now, in the middle of a blizzard? He sure as hell didn't coincidentally pick a random IHOP"

Tho device"

I scowled at the beautiful little silver leaf and said, not without a certain a bitch"

"Daun at the shrimp, now"

"I probably would, too," I said, "if I wasn't so weirded out by the fact that Fix is starting to be as crabwise and squirrelly as the rest of the Sidhe"