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"I’d like to get my hands on that jade cat and destroy it," Terence said softly

"Aye," Aiden agreed

"Ruby is a good person," Zane said, revealing more than he should to these Brothers

"So were they all, I iine," Julio responded darkly "And so will be those the deht"

Chapter 7

The passing of the day was too fast to suit Ruby, as she realized that it o to sleep, hoping for un to think of as one very-strong entity Marielle, however, wouldn’t allow Ruby to sleep Did that mean there was a way to stop the plans? Why else would Marielle work so hard to keep Ruby froht were inside that piece of jade as surely as the deer than anyone knew Perhaps they could coot her head in the right place

She should’ve taken one of Zane’s classes, she supposed Or at least not laughed at him

Ruby stared out of her bedrooo to the bathrooether, which made for short, aard steps Her hands were free, and et away, but whatever drug Marielle had given her last night still had Ruby woozy, and she knew a failed escape attehtly bound She did not want her hands trussed as her ankles were!

Maybes were not enough

She sat up, her back against a thick stack of pillows, and stared out of theIt was a cool day, but the sun shone through the thin curtains Ruby focused on the light She tried to dis else--Marielle, the jade cat, the possibility that this day would end very badly If she did have a gift of some sort, if she could hear the demon’s previous victims in her dreams, then why could she not hear them now?

Deep, even breaths lulled her, and in her mind she did her best to picture the women who had come to her She reht, but there were five she could remember very well Five victims Five souls who only wanted to help her Had those five been a touch clairvoyant, as she apparently was? Was that why they had been able to reach her in her drea while there was nothing Not an idea, not a word, not a shi--heard her She asked again, How can I hurt the demon? What was it about that totem that made the demon’s flunky snatch it away? She re else that dangled there What was she searching for? What did she need?

A single word finally came to her Silver

Ruby blinked hard Of course! In every horror movie she’d ever seen, silver did the trick Vampires and olves Silver crosses and silver bullets She didn’t knohy, and at theto ith

She turned to look at Marielle, as staring at the jade cat with a dreamy expression in her eyes "I have a request," Ruby said

Annoyed to be interrupted from her admiration of the delare "Why should I care what you request?"

"Because no matter what, ere friends Good friends, Marielle" She reached back into her dreaht

"Besides, I suspect a happy soul is tastier and ry one"

"You want so to eat," Marielle said

"There’s a Death by Chocolate cake in the fridge, and double chocolate chunk ice cream in the freezer"

"You want both?" Marielle asked, her blue eyes widening

"I don’t exactly have to worry about howtoday, now do I," she snapped

Marielle relaxed "That’s true" As a precaution, she quickly bound Ruby’s hands and tied them to the headboard

"Since this is ht," Ruby called before Marielle left the room "I want the cake and ice creaood fork and a good spoon I feel like such a putz, saving all that stuff for special and never using any of it"

Marielle huffed a little, et what she’d asked for, but then the girl asked,

"Will I find all that in the dining-rooe of hope that filled her Marielle couldn’t be allowed to see even a hint of that blessed hope