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As he poured water over the wound, I grittedmyself I wouldn’t scream When he dried it and sprinkled on the antibiotic powder, I decided to forgetto torturethe palan to lose track of the pain, and when he ran his fingers upthe silken ht, just follow aze met mine, and I wanted to jump him then and there It was only with difficulty that I pulledon the corners of his lips, and the warlow of his body receded back out of my aura

I looked around the roo me, and I wondered if they knew just how close I’d coht there in the kitchen Morio had been using his powers of mekuramashi on me

"You should bottle that and sell it," I said hoarsely "I’d buy a whole case"

"Only too happy to help I’ll help h so that only I could hear

I sed hard, thinking that ere done with Luke, there was only one sure way to relieve the tension ere under "When we have the tiht kiss on my lips

Just then, Menolly returned "Wisteria’s locked up and the key is safe with me" She held it up for us to see, then slid it into her pocket "Nohat about Luke?"

What about Luke, indeed?

"I guess there’s no putting it off" I athered around the fireplace "If this works like it did with the harpy, then we’re in trouble"

Delilah pulled out her long knife Guns wouldn’t work on Luke, unless we happened to have an AK-47, and that wasn’t even in Chase’s arsenal Menolly extended her nails Morio closed his eyes, and I could feel the energy rise around hiic And Chase pulled a weapon out of his jacket, one I’d never seen hi look

He sround in defense other than just pulling a trigger, Camille Trust me, I kno to use these You said bullets won’t be effective against a demon of Luke’s caliber, and soood, will it?"

I laughed "Chase, you’re all right Okay, we’re ready I just wish Trillian was here with us--we could use his talents Let’s see," I said, looking around "I needwater"

"I’ll get it," Delilah said, taking the stairs two at a ti around the roo?"

"Thanks I’d norht candles, but Luke is a creature of fire, and if he shows up in the living roo He could use them in his attack and burn down the house just thataround as I tried to assess e uisher from the kitchen We could probably blind him with it At least temporarily" The truth was, I had no idea what effect the foam would have on a demon, but it couldn’t hurt to try

Chase trotted into the kitchen and brought back the extinguisher As he set it down next to ht his hand in mine

"Chase, I hope you and Delilah enjoy what you’ve found together--for however long it lasts," I said, keeping my voice low For all I knew, Menolly and Morio were both listening in All of us had better hearing than an FBH, but Chase didn’t have to know that

"I’ve been pretty snide to you over the months," I continued "But Delilah likes you, and you seelimmered "I know I’ve been a pain in your side since we met You’re just so… I don’t know Vital? Alive? But the other night when Delilah and I orking together alone, so just happened I’ve never looked at her before like that, but without you around, I could see her for who she is"

I wanted to tell him he had no idea who she really was, that he’d barely scratched the surface And I’d be right But I also knew that was for him to discover, and for Delilah to reveal

"Just remember, she’s half-Sidhe And the Sidhe may look human, but we’re not" His expression told me I was about to overstep ed the subject

"Okay, I’ll want the coffee table in front of the armchair and--here comes Delilah with the bowl"

Delilah bounded into the roo bowl in one hand and in the other, a bottle of water that caerian Well was a holy spring that bubbled up froh in the mountains It flowed so quickly and so fast that it had becoroup of priests who lived far up the slopes of Mount Tygera in an ancient er was one of the oldest spiritual brotherhoods in Otherworld, and the monks were as reclusive as they were deadly However, they had no objection to people using the blessed water, as long as no one harmed or defiled the river, the monastery, or the mountain

I poured the water into the bowl and set it on the table, waiting a ht played on the surface I motioned for everyone to be seated "When I start, please be quiet If Luke coateway from hell, then you’ll be the first to attack because it will take me a moment to break out of trance Are you ready?"

Everybody nodded

Taking a deep breath, I closed ed to Luke, I’d have to use a variation of the location spell I lowered y, and liquid silver raced through my veins as I formed a question in my mind

"Where is the deht now?" I opened an to for like a DNA helix Miniature tornadoes swept across the bowl as theto for parade of Faerie fire danced