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The rooh voluri across the s When the door shut behind theht in the roonus snapped his fingers and twin fires leaped up in the fireplaces on either side of the room The fla scent, like burning joss sticks

"Oh!" Tessa could not stop a s her lips

With a grin Magnus flung hireat marble-topped table in the center of the room, and lay down on his side, his head propped on his hand "Have you never seen a warlock do h "Please refrain fronus I expect Camille told you she knows very little of the Shadow World"

"Indeed," Magnus said unrepentantly, "but it’s hard to believe, considering what she can do" His eyes were on Tessa "I saw your face when I kissed your hand You kneho I was immediately, didn’t you? You knohat Camille knows There are some warlocks and demons who can shift--take on any shape But I have never heard of one who could do what you do"

"It cannot be said for certain that I’m a warlock," Tessa said "Charlotte says I’m not marked like a warlock would be marked"

"Oh, you’re a warlock Depend on it Just because you don’t have bat ears …" Magnus saw Tessa frown, and raised his eyebrows "Oh, you don’t want to be a warlock, do you? You despise the idea"

"I just never thought … ," Tessa said in a whisper "That I was anything other than hunus’s tone was not unsy Now that you know the truth, you can never go back"

"Leave her alone, Magnus" Will’s tone was sharp "I must search the room If you won’t help, at least try not to tor oak desk in the corner of the roo the papers atop it

Magnus glanced toward Tessa and winked "I think he’s jealous," he said in a conspiratorial whisper

Tessa shook her head and moved toward the nearest bookshelf There was a book propped open on the es were covered with bright, intricate figures, so as if they had been painted onto the parchold Tessa exclaimed in surprise "It’s a Bible"

"Does that astonish you?" Magnus inquired

"I thought vas"

"It depends on the va they’ve been alive, what kind of faith they have De Quincey actually collects old Bibles He says there’s hardly another book out there with so lanced toward the closed door The faint swell of voices on the other side was audible "Won’t we excite so in here like this? The others--the va at us as we ca at Will" In so as a va"

Tessa glanced over at Will, as ruloved hands "I find that hard to credit co fronus ignored this "Will doesn’t behave like the other huates He doesn’t stare at his mistress with blind adoration, for instance"

"It’s that monstrous hat of hers," said Will "Puts ates are never ‘put off,’" said Magnus "They adore their vauests were also staring because they know of ht be doing here in the library … alone" He wiggled his eyebrows at Tessa

Tessa thought back to her visions "De Quincey … He said so her relationship with a olf He made it sound as if it were a cri on his back and twirling his walking stick over his head, shrugged "To him it would be Vampires and olves despise each other They clai to do with the fact that the two races of demons that spawned them were involved in a blood feud, but if you ask me, it’s simply that they’re both predators, and predators always resent incursions into their territory Not that vampires are all that fond of the fey, or my kind either, but de Quincey rather likes me He thinks we’re friends In fact, I suspect he’d like to be rinned, to Tessa’s confusion "But I despise hih he doesn’t know it"

"Then, why spend time with him at all?" asked Will, who had moved to a tall secretary between two of the s and was exa its contents "Why conus with another shrug "He is the head of the clan; for Camille not to come to his parties when invited would be construed as an insult And for o alone would be … careless De Quincey is dangerous, and no less to those of his own kind Especially those who have displeased hian, and broke off, his voice altering "I’ve found so" He paused "Perhaps you should have a look at this, Magnus" Will came over to the table and set down on it what looked like a long sheet of rolled paper He gestured for Tessa to join him, and unrolled the paper across the table’s surface "There was little of interest in the desk," he said, "but I did find this, hidden in a false drawer in the cabinet Magnus, what do you think?"

Tessa, who had azed down at the paper It was covered with a rough blueprint drawing of a hus, and plates of haed jaw, open sockets for eyes, and a mouth that ended just behind the teeth There was a panel in the chest too, just like Miranda’s All along the left side of the page were scrahat looked like notes, in a language Tessa could not decipher The letters were utterly unfanus, cocking his head to the side "An artificial hu Humans have always been fascinated by the creatures--I suppose because they are humanoid but cannot die or be hurt Have you ever read The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices?"