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"By personal stuffthings that are only about me and him Like if I wasn’t happy with the way he treated ht he needed to be around o withIf I needed to talk about any of those things, I would But I know pieces of information that affect other people, and I don’t always tell his, because he has such a different perspective"

"You know you can tellYou know I’ll listen and I won’t tell anyone"

"I know that, Saot And I hope you know I’ you need to talk about I’et back to nor"

"Maybe you will," he said "But you know that if you get nervous out there, I got an extra bedroom here"

"Jannalynn would kill h my head, and I could have slappedabout Sairlfriend "Sorry, Sam! I’uess she’s not there tonight?"

"She’s working tonight, at Hair of the Dog She’s watching the phones and the bar traffic while Alcide’s having ht, she’s a little possessive," he ad at first, you know? But then I began to wonder if that rity"

"Sarain of sense she can’t possibly doubt you" (I was pretty sure Jannalynn blauy"

"Thanks," he said gruffly "WellI’ve kept you talking long enough Callabout relationship stuff, do you knohy Kennedy’sat everyone"

"Danny’s keeping some kind of secret from her, and she’s afraid it’s about another woman"

"It’s not?" Sam knew all about my telepathic ability

"No, it isn’t I don’t knohat it is At least he isn’t stripping at Hooligans" One of us had talked, which was inevitable, and the story of JB’s second job had gotten a lot of co Danny what he was doing?"

"I don’t think so"

"Children, children," Sam said, as if he were in his sixties instead of in his thirties

I laughed I was in a betterup

Derreat-uncle was at least content in a low-keyed way Tonight he wasn’t even approaching happiness; he was actively worried

"What’s up?"

"Claude’s absence isthem restless"

"Because he has such charisma that he keeps them all in line" Claude had as much personality as a turnip

"Yes," Dermot said simply "I know you don’t feel Claude’s char his own people, they can see his strength and purpose"

"We’re talking about the guy who chose to stay a" I just didn’t get it

"Claude’s told erator and pouring a glass of , but he felt he couldn’t leave without tying up his business affairs here, and he never iined that Niall would really stick to his decision On the whole, the ga here appealed to him more But he told the others, all the assortans, that Niall denied hih not explicitly, that he didn’t have the high opinion of Claude that the other fae did "Why’d he tell two stories? Which do you believe?"

Dered "Maybe both are true, more or less," he said "I think Claude was reluctant to leave this hu for hi with lawyers about setting up a trust, or so like that It would continue to earn him money even if he vanishes That way if he wants to return to this world, he will be a rich es, even when you live in Faery, to having financial assets here"

"Like what?"

Ders that aren’t available in Faery," he said "Like having the ithal to s that aren’tacceptable in our oorld"

"Like what?" I asked again

"Sos and sex," Dermot said "And some of us like huht of some wonderful products that are very useful in our world"

I was tempted to say "Like what?" a third time, but I didn’t want to sound like a parrot The more I heard, the more curious it seemed

"Why do you think Claude ith Niall?" I asked instead

"I think he wants to become secure in Niall’s affection," Dermot said promptly "And I think he wants to re option they have cut off, since Niall closed the portals and guards theed "I’m his kinsman, so he has to shelter me and defend me But he doesn’t have to confide into have it both ways," I said