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After about thirty seconds, Jake’s legs wobbled and gave way His eyes glazed over, and his ers frohed twice Blood sputtered out of his lips and flecked the front of ht now So I put both hands on his suit jacket and dragged him forward He was heavy, and it took sos up and over the side of the tub and then to lower his whole body down the steps and into the botto him thump down By the time I was done, Jake McAllister was dead, and I was a sweaty, bloody s first I shut the bathroom door Then I went back over to Jake McAllister The bathtub was the fancy marble kind that was more like a small pool than a tub and sat on a raised dais A couple of steps led up to the riot down into the botto I did was to retrieve e of the tub Then Ithe rest of the roos to h he’d had too much to drink and had crawled into the tub to sleep it off At least at first glance If someone turned Jake over, they’d see the blood on his shirt and in the bottoone by the time that happened

Once that was done, I clie The tub also featured several shower heads which were set into the walls at various angles, hence the curtain that cordoned the area off from the rest of the bathrooold - and now blood But unless you peered closely at it, you wouldn’t realize the spatter wasn’t part of the intended pattern

Some of Jake’s blood had also sprayed onto the undy washcloth, wet it, and used it to mop up all the stray flecks and specks I also cleaned off my knife and tucked it back up the sleeve of my dress The smell of war with the murmur of the marble under my feet Instead of the dark tone I’d expected, the stone practically sang with giddiness - as though having fresh blood spilled on it made it happy

The noise made my stomach twist

I worked quickly, quietly It had taken me less than two minutes to kill Jake McAllister Nobody should haveslowly Once I had the blood wiped up fro it and McAllister’s body froht

In addition to the tub, the bathrooold They lay opposite two sinks done in a burgundy ed mirror flanked the wall above the counter I stared at e Jake McAllister had done tohad spattered blood all over my chest I used the ashcloth toit out, wet it again, and scrubbed the reobs of blood out of the fake blond tresses, but I h

Once that was done, I went to work on my dress I used some liquid soap froest blood splotches Since the fabric was black, you couldn’t tell what the stain was, just that I’d gotten soet ain, but there was no visible sign anything out of the ordinary had happened in here tonight I carefully folded the burgundy washcloth and laid it back in its original spot next to the bathtub

While I waited for the daed in ht, along with sole with Jake McAllister, and I touched up my makeup into its heavy mask oncemy face when the door to the bathroom opened - and Mab Monroe stepped inside

Chapter Twenty-Seven

For a moment, we just stared at each other, her black eyes on ure out what the Fire eleet away from her

But since Mab Monroe didn’t iuards or worse, reach for her Fire eleic, I assumed she hadn’t heard me kill Jake McAllister - or clean up the mess Only one way to find out

Somehow, I plastered a smile on my face "Oh, hello there," I said in a cheery tone "How are you?"

Mab frowned "This is one of my private bathrooms You’re not supposed to be in here"

The Fire elemental’s voice was soft, breathy, with just a hint of a rasp, like silk rubbing together But there was far ht tone than in any else’s voice I’d ever heard At the sound, I felt that strange, priain Enemy, that little voice muttered in the back of my head Enemy, enemy, enemy

But I tuned out the voice, widened my eyes, and put on asped "Oh, I’ar I just didn’t know Nobody told me, you see, and this is my very first time here at one of your parties"

Mab stared at aze went to the fuchsia lipstick in ered on the da in here?"

"Oh, just freshening up a bit Lot of coot to look her best at one of these things"

The Fire eleave her another smile, leaned forward, and reappliedat ht be able to intimidate everyone else in Ashland with her hard stare, but notstupid, like insult the Fire elemental to her face in her own bathroo ten feet toJonah McAllister inhis son after he threatened to rape and murder me But Mab - Mab was different If only for the simple fact that I didn’t knohich one of us would coht But one of us would die, and I didn’t want it to be me I had promises to keep to the Foxes, proot into a battle with Mab

So I kept my eyes on my own face and not hers But inin her eyes Unlike Jake McAllister, Mab’s eyes didn’t turn red when she reached for her Fire ot darker, blacker, until they seeht out of the room Mab was also one of those elementals who leaked power Well, ic pouring off her It pricked at my skin like a thousand hot, tiny needles

"What’s that on your dress?" Mab asked "Those spots?"

I capped ers brushed the hilt ofa punk like Jake McAllister was one thing He was reckless, stupid, sloppy But Mab Monroe was the erous woman in Ashland I had no doubt she could fry ot the weapon out of , turned to face her, and widened my smile "Well, you see, that’s why I caot a little too excited about things A real early bird, if you knohat I h Mab didn’t join in

"Anyway, I cae, before I entle"

Mab’s black eyes never left entleh "Oh, sugar, I didn’t ask his name That was at the top of your list of rules"

She was silent for a few seconds, thinking about ht your name be?"

"Why, Candy, of course, because I’ust flashed across Mab’s face Evidently, she didn’t like hookers with cheesy naave me an idea as to how I could escape this inquisition

I wet my lips and stepped forward For a moment, I toyed with the heart-and-arrow rune onMab’s attention to it Her eyes flicked to the rune, then back up to mine I stepped forward and reached for a piece of her hair that had fallen forward over her shoulder