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"Let me tel Chrysandra" I hustled over to my waitress and tapped her on the arm "Keep an eye on Derrick Help him learn the ropes Chase needs me"
"No probleht" She looked a little worried Norht I stopped and looked into her eyes, trying to get a feel for where her jitters were co about hilanced over at him, then slowly shook her head "Not at albutthere’s soer on it He’s more than he appears to be, but I don’t sensehe’s not hostile, but I think he walks with danger"
"Most Supes do, nowadays" I frowned "Fetch Tavah from the baseoes wrong, Tavah should be able to take care of hts in the base the portal to Otherworld and keeping track of the guests who ca visitors in
"Okay Wil do" She ran down the steps as I hightailed it over to Derrick "Listen, Derrick, I’ve got to go out Chrysandra wil help you out, and while I’e I’l be back as soon as I can Okay?"
He nodded, eyes on the drink he was"Not a problem Got it"
And with that, as soon as I saw Tavah appear at the top of the stairs, I fol owed Chase into the icy night
Winter in Seattle vacil ates between mild and nasty, but the past couple of years had been pretty rough Instead of the incessant rain, we’d actual y seen snow--enough to stop the city in its tracks for a few days Last year it had been the god-giant Loki, with his Fenris wolf,a run on the city because ofmore natural factors were at play La Niña had come to town We were in a colder, wetter spel
And noo and a half weeks before Yule, it was cold enough to snow and I’d already considered putting snow tires on
The chil didn’t bother me, but Chase buttoned his trench as we headed out He held the door open for entleman--and we hustled to his car I could tel he was cold; the breath puffed out of his ine
The streets were packed with shoppers looking for Christh traffic, Chase flipped on the radio and Danny Elf
"Dead Man’s Party"
"Man, I re to this at one of the local clubs alh school and dating a girl nah and was in ful retro littery spandex and she looked like one of the B-52 girls"
I glanced at him "Do you miss those days? The days when you didn’t know about us or the de wheel as aited for traffic to inch forward "Trick question No way to answer that truthful y" Giving me a sideways smirk, he added, "Yes, I do, but only because life was much simpler then Choices were black and white But I have to say, since you three entered my life, I’ve never been bored Scared shitless, yes Bored? Never"
Snorting, I leaned forward and turned up thewith Nerissa and ood on the dance floor"
Chase’s turn to snicker "Right While I’d be the envy of a thousand ainit ht be fun Hel , I have no clue as to what htened "Look--Santa"
A sidewalk Santa was ringing his bel for the South Street Mission in front of a smal boutique
The winter was chil and cold, and a lot of people were out of work Gauging fro many coins for charity
"Santa’s a freak-ass scary dude in reality Ca" I stared at the pseudo-Santa through the e passed by and fel silent Santa passing out presents
The Tooth Fairy handing out coins for teeth The Easter Bunny hiding eggs Hu to their myths in the hopes that they’d ward off bad luck and evil, that they’d bring prosperity and security How little they knew about the truth that hid behind their fairy tales, or whatdown their chio Boingo A part of me felt sorry for Chase
We’d thrown a o back to what he’d been, to the life he’d expected to lead Col ateral da a nasty trail, and there’d be far more by the time this demonic as over
It took us another twenty ation) headquarters I knew this building al too welIt seemed like my sisters and I were here al the ti was escalating
Most of the building was underground--the bottoue, in-house laboratory, and archives Third floor down held the jail cel s for the Otherworld th-enhanced Supes Second floor doas the arsenal--containing a vast array of interesting weapons viable for use against anything froiants The main floor contained both police headquarters and the ht there was another level below the ue, but we didn’t knohat it was or whether it real y existed
Chase led n, I thought Straight to the er, and right noasn’t in the mood for trouble
But as I took a seat opposite his desk, I happened to catch a gli out of a file on his desk Crap Blood andwas always covered in blood these days
"That’s your trouble, I take it?" I nodded to the pictures
"Yes, and I wish you could take it as far away froh "I don’t knohat to s, at least I’d knohat I was dealing with, but there’s so on" He motioned for me to scoot my chair closer and laid out the photos in a line for me to look at