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Chapter One

The woman across from me barely sniffed when I slammed the pen down on the counter She didn't care that I was furious, that I'd been standing in this stupid line for over an hour, that I couldn't get istered in h Jenks or Ivy, but DEMON wasn't a species option on the for at the DMV office God! What had I been thinking?

"Look," I said, waving a faded photocopied piece of paper "I have h school diploht in front of you I aistered!"

The wo hair and lack of lared at the tidy Were in a business suit who had moved to stand too close behind me, and nervous, he dropped back

The clerk looked at lasses and sucked at her teeth "I'ing up a new screen "You're not in the system under witch or even other" She squinted at me "You're listed as dead You're not dead, are you?"

Crap on toast, can this get any worse? Frustrated, I tugged et a dead-vaet on with my life?" I asked, and the Were behind me cleared his throat impatiently

She pushed her thick glasses back where they belonged "Are you a vampire?" she asked dryly, and I slumped

No, I was obviously not a va, frizzy red hair; average build; average height; with a propensity for wearing leather when the situation deo I'd calleda lobotomized witch or a free deoing to take everything else, too Deal nonentities on this side of the ley lines God help- I apparently had fewer rights than a pixy, and I was tired of it

"I can't help you, Ms Morgan," the wo the man behind me forward, and he shoved me aside as he handed her his form and old driver's license

"Please!" I said as she ignored rew nervous, the spicy scent of agitated Were rising up

"I just bought the car," I said, but it was obvious this date was over "I need to get it registered And otta drive home!"

I didn't - I had Wayde for that - but the lie wouldn't hurt anyone

The woman eyed me with a bored expression as the man took a an You need to go down to the social security office and straighten it out there I can't help you here"

"I tried that" My teeth clenched, and the eted as we both vied for the scrap of worn carpet "They told me I needed a valid driver's license from you, a certified copy of life from my insurance company, and a court-documented form of species status before they'd even talk to me, and the courts won't let me make an appoint, and I lowered my voice

"I can't help you," she said as the man pushed ht forms"

Shoved to the side, I closedin one of the faded orange plastic chairs under the s as he waited forWere was one of Takata's security people, havingfrom around his casual jeans and black T-shirt, and the small, stocky man had a lot of tattoos He'd shown up oninto the belfry despite ift" from my mom and birth father/pop-star dad Apparently they didn't think I could keep myself safe anymore - which bothered me a lot Sort of Wayde had been on er had dulled

My eyes opened, and seeing that I was still in this nighthter and stoh, Wayde was carefully staring at the ceiling, his feet spread wide and his arum and waited He looked like a biker dude with his short, carefully trie-red beard and no mustache Wayde hadn't told me this was a lost cause, but his opinion was obvious Thechauffeur forto the pixies

Seeingas his arood?" he asked in his Midwestern accent, as if he hadn't heard the entire painful conversation

Silent, I fumed as I wondered how the woman could treat me like I was just some jerk-ass nobody I was a demon, damn it! I could flatten this place with one curse, burn it to nothing, give her warts or turn her dog inside out If

Hands clenched in fists, I gazed at the decorative band of charht like a pretty bauble IfIf I hadn't wanted to cut off all contact with in with If I wanted to act like a de injustice, and being jerked around like this wasn't fair! But no one messes with a civil servant Not even a demon

"No good," I echoed hiet rid of my tension Wayde took a deep breath as he stood He was sht exactly, with a thin waist, wide shoulders, and small feet I hadn't seen hi one