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went black.
29
Are you sure it was her, Tobias?
A female voice sounded somewhere above my head, although it seemed far away. I couldn t tell exactly
where it was coming from. The pounding in my head drowned out just about everything else, although I
felt dew-covered grass underneath my back, and the cool kiss of the night wind on my face. Why was I
lying down? I couldn t remember anything through the ache in my skull.
I m positive, a man muttered. This is the bitch who broke into my office. She has the stench of that
Stone magic all over her. Then there are these.
Something rustled. I wanted to open my eyes to see what it was, but for some reason, my eyelids just
wouldn t lift.
Is that silverstone? the woman asked again.
Some small part of my mind frowned in thought. I knew that voice, that soft, breathy voice that
resonated with so much raw power. I just couldn t remember whom it belonged to.
Yeah, the man replied. She had five of them on her.
And you really think she lured you out here to kill you? the woman asked. Perhaps she was just
carrying them for protection. Hookers tend to do that, you know.
I know it was her. I ve seen her before. She was at Fox s store yesterday, along with a cop. She must
be working for the old man.
Silence. Again, I tried to open my eyes to see what was going on. Once again I failed. The pounding in
my head intensified, as though another drum had been added to the band.
What a pity, the woman said in a mocking tone.
She had such potential.
I sensed someone crouching beside me, and a sweet, slightly noxious smell filled my nose like jasmine
mixed with smoke. A finger trailed down the side of my cheek.
Hot needles of pain stabbed my skin, but I couldn t even cry out. No part of me seemed to be working.
The burning finger skirted down my cleavage, before sliding off my stomach.
A soft laugh echoed above my head. The sound made me think of fire, smoke, ash. Rough hands holding
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me down. The spider rune heating up between my palms.
Questions. So many questions about Bria. The silverstone searing my skin, melting into my flesh. The
Fire elemental laughing as the rune burned me. Laughing.
The Fire elemental.Mab
Very well, the woman said. Do whatever you want to with her outside.
Her voice short-circuited my train of thought. I tried to grab hold of the wispy tendrils of memories, but
they retreated back into the darkness a darkness that was slowly swallowing me once more.
Outside? Why? I want to take care of the bitch right now. The man sounded whiny and petulant.
Because in case you haven t noticed, Tobias, I m hosting a function for several hundred people. A
dead body in the garden would put a damper on the evening, don t you think? Besides, you claim she
came here to killyou . Soyou can take care of it. I have no desire to get my hands or any other part of
my person dirty tonight. Besides, she s unconscious. No fun to be had there.
Well, what do you want me to do with her? the man asked again.
I don t fucking care, the woman snapped. Just get her off my lawn. Now.
Rough hands closed around my arms and yanked me up, but by that point, I d sunk into the blackness
once again.
The first thing I was aware of was the soft soil underneath my cheek, interspersed here and there with
small pebbles. Tiny little stones that felt like smooth peas muttering against my skin. I concentrated on
that sound, that faint muttering, letting it pull me out of the darkness I d been floating in. After a few
moments, I realized I was lying facedown, but I didn t try to move. My head hurt too much for that, the
previous pounding now a hot, throbbing ache behind my left eye.
But I focused, and slowly the evening came back to me. Dressing up and crashing Mab Monroe s party.
Killing Jake McAllister. Running into the Fire elemental herself, then Owen Grayson. I also remembered
going out into the garden with Tobias Dawson, and the dwarf sucker punching me. And now, well, who
knew where the hell I was. But I was still alive, which meant I still had a chance. To run, to fight, to
cower in a cramped dark hole until the bad guys went away. Whatever it took to survive. The will to do
so no matter what the very first lesson Fletcher Lane had ever taught me. Something I d known even
before he d articulated it to me.
So I focused on my body, assessing the damage that had been done. My face felt like it had been hit
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