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"Be there in a second," she called, relieved that the otherworlder hadn’t shouted for help For his cooperation, she gave him a reward Honesty "My real nauy at your door confused that with Amy," he said dryly "I’m Nolan, by the way"

"I know I heard"

"Hurry up, daly rather than furious "I don’t got all day I’ ainst the rules ’cause you’re so behind"

"I said I was co!" Bride pushed to her feet, swayed "Why didn’t you scream the roof dohile I was out?" she asked Nolan

"And allow humans to stone me while I’m in this condition?" He snorted "No, thanks"

"Just be quiet while I deal with uessed, I’m not human, but he thinks I am and I let him think it because he’s more prejudiced than most He’d rather shoot an otherworlder than look at one" She turned and forced one foot in front of the other, closing the distance between herself and Nolan’s wallet "Swear to God, he’s a piece of shit ould trade his ht want to dress before you greet hiuessed about the nonhu So what are you?"

"Alien," she lied

"Like I said, I know"

As she stood, her gaze drifted along her body She was pale, as always, and spotted with red where her skin had pressed into the concrete Her nipples were hard

Was that what Nolan sahen he looked at her? Was that what Devyn had seen when she’d stood before hi ago, the ability to cloak herself with nondescript features had risen fro people fro now; it was just a part of who she was, like breathing But sometimes, as weak as she’d become this past month, she feared the shield was down and she sirabbed the robe she’d draped over the couch just in case she’d been unable to walk to her roo "Sorry for the show"

"Don’t be Back to my question What kind of alien are you?"

Don’t be It was so Devyn would say, and it caused her heart to race Surely she wasn’tthe bastard "I’m the kind that’s from another planet" No way she’d cop to vampire Even otherworlders would fear bloodsuckers How could they not? She was a parasite "I’ at her feet "--concresha Concresha"

"Never heard of them"

Of course not She’d just made it up "Doesn’t mean they don’t exist"

"Amy!"

Fully covered now, she walked to the door and pressed the code to open it a mere crack Mr Guise irowled at her "Open it wider and let irl"

"You don’t need to come in to collect your money"

"Well, I want to talk to you"

"So talk"

After a moment’s pause, he backed away Even chuckled darkly "I know you don’t have no ht we could work off the debt another way, if you knohat I et her into bed for a year He was a balding, greasy perv The perviness and the grease she could have overlooked, but not the comb-over Or, to be honest, the stench of rot that always acco to look good His pulse was slow but steady, a taste ue was so swollen the words were slurred "I can pay you properly" She hoped

She flipped open Nolan’s wallet and gasped So reen It was more than she’d ever seen in one place

"Just think about it," Guise said, reaching his pudgy fingers through the crack and sifting the like food or clothes"

"Teers shook as she thrust the bills at hilowing again Usually, she could control it Only when she was reaching the starvation point did it happen automatically "That should take care of the rest of the year"

He looked down at the wad of bills, then up at her, then the bills "But but"

More satisfied than she’d been in a long time, even when she’d bested Devyn, she pressed the button to close the door in his stunned face, then jabbed her thue the lock she’d had installed--a lock Guise could not open at will She was grinning widely as she turned and pressed her back into the metal

"You’re pretty when you saze shifted to him Once, he’d probably been handsome His bone structure was total perfection, his body tall and packed with just the right amount of muscle But now, ashen and bruised as he was, he just looked pitiful "Thank you, and thanks for the loan, by the way"

A choking sound bubbled froh? "Please, you won’t paythe day, her skin was too sensitive, and she couldn’t hold a job at night since she needed to hunt She had to steal what ift, then"

"You’re welcome" He sounded sincere

"Listen," she said "You see for you I want you to know that I don’t plan, to hurt you"

His gaze locked with hers, grim but detero"

Did she look stupid? "Do you have a terribly infectious disease?"

"Yes," he said, shocking her She hadn’t expected him to answer honestly

"Then you understand that I can’t let you loose on the streets" She rubbed a hand over her forehead and sighed "I need to take a shower, but maybe we can talk afterward, okay? I’ll tell you my plans for you"

"I’d like that"