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"Where’s Auguste?" I whispered to Vale while aited for Mel and Bea to eht After that, who knows? Perhaps he is at the club now"

I nodded That made sense As many times as the daimon had delivered me to the elephant or to Lenoir’s doorstep, I’d never seen hinations or on that delicious night when Vale had found me on the trapeze

"I can’t believe he would do that to Bea To anyone" I shivered, and Vale slung an ar me I still hadn’t fully recovered from Lenoir’s potion

"Other species do not share your moral code, bébé Daihable idea, and dark daimons don’t care anyinfant But if Auguste is there and the girls find hi as a spy, tipping off his ivable aue pressing around a rotten tooth, hunting for the pocket of pain Nope I felt no regret for Auguste He’d known exactly what he was doing, delivering me to Lenoir’s studio

Finally, the door opened, and Mel and Bea stepped out, their hands fir turquoise Bea’s eyes et and tear-stained, but her dimpled little chin was set in determination With one hand, she pointed to the stairs We didn’t need a translation to knoas tih the hallway, and straight to the trapdoor in the stage, the very one through which I’d entered this twisted cabaret of o It seemed as if a lifetied to have it back as easily as irls lifted old-fashioned kerosene la one to reveal speckled skin that uarded She handedlantern

"Best drink up, pet It’s about to get dark"

I gulped the blood and flopped onto s into the square of darkness and poking around with s Ever since we’d visited Monsieur Charmant, the cataco snake and waiting to devour round of Paris had voirls to death What would it do to ? But the blood settled in th And when I realized that I was finally on the right track to Cherie, I rin on ht

Strong hands gripped round, enveloped by darkness

"Did you bring your pendant, bébé?"

I flooded red with shame "It broke My first day at Paradis, when Limone pushed ers urged my chin up; I couldn’t see his eyes, but I could feel theentle "I’m so sorry, Vale I saved the pieces I knoas special"

"I aive you comfort, not bits of crystal"

"You did You do Don’t we need to hurry?"

His hands didn’t budge from my hips "Stay with et close"

"Why?"

"So I can do this"

He lifted ainst the cold stones I gasped, and hisme wide open I had to hold s but filled with an anie taste, for the hot hardness of his knee rammed between mine and whatever instinct told animals to rut before a battle His hands slid under my jacket and stroked the curve up and downhard over the nipples exposed by his sweeping fingers Ile and pulled his face closer, I heard an answering moan that irls stood behind hih, their faces on us and drea for a worround I pulled away fro Vale away

"Can I help you?" I asked

One of the girls, a violet-skinned daied unashaht can only help, non?"

I scowled over Vale’s shoulder as he held in a chuckle I could only suppose he wasdaimon fodder than I was

"Please don’tI don’t know Don’t eat me Or whatever you call it"

"Pfft We don’t eat people" She gave nificant look that rabbed Vale’s hand and storhts up ahead

"Try sorowled as we passed