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"Guilty as charged, I’m afraid," Owen said "It’s a small skill"

My eyes narrowed Because with every word he said, I was thinkingthe chance I could get out of the mansion before someone found his body But I decided to play it cool - for now

"What do you want?"

"I just want to talk" Owen held out his ar how easy it would be to brush it aside and buryThe knowledge flashed in his violet eyes, but his araze never left mine For whatever reason, Owen Grayson wasn’t afraid of h forcuriosity Going to get ht

I took his arm "So talk"

Owen tucked me in close to him, and the heat of his body washed over me He smelled rich and earthy, almost like metal, if h the fabric of his tuxedo jacket For the first time, I are of him as a man, as someone of the opposite sex Owen Grayson was decidedly attractive, with his strong body and chiseled features But what really set him apart was the fact that he radiated confidence the way that Mab Monroe did ic That hint of power, that confidence,And definitely so

Especially since I was still considering killing him

We walked down the hallway back toward the ballrooht there, but Owen Grayson paused and opened one of the doors that led outside We stepped out onto the stone terrace that lined this side of the ht air was cool, especially since my dress was still damp from where I’d scrubbed away Jake McAllister’s blood Antique-looking iron street la soft, hazy illuarden beyond Lowsounds drifted up to us, and several dark shapes writhed together in various gazebos in the garden Other couples stood up against trees or used soe The party must have livened up a bit, if folks had already co roses

Owen Grayson meandered down the terrace, with me at his side

"I have to confess I was quite surprised when you strolled into the ballrooan "I hadn’t expected to see you here, especially not wearing that cheap blond wig"

"Don’t care for blondes, do you?" I sniped

"Sassy brunettes are rinned

I didn’t respond

"Actually, I have a s about you a lot these past few days, Ms Blanco So ather so into my past No worries My cover ID as Gin Blanco was rock solid It had withstood Jonah McAllister’s scrutiny, and I had no doubt it had passed muster with Grayson as well But I didn’t understand his curiosity Sure, I’d saved his sister, Eva, froht at the Pork Pit Butwould have forgotten all about me by now

"You checked me out? Why?"

"You saved my sister, you saved Eva," Owen said "She’s thein the world to me I like to settle my debts I wanted to find so you liked, sos attached"

"I told you that I don’t want your money"

Oaved his hand "So you’ve said But then I got close to you, shook your hand that night in the Pork Pit And I wondered why soe of Southtoould carry five silverstone knives on her person Seemed like overkill to me"

If he only knew I had to work very hard not to reach for ain So not only could Owen Grayson sense a metal weapon in my hand, he could also tell exactly how many I had on me The usual five, at the hs, and one in my purse

"You know about my interest in metal," Grayson continued

"I also have one in weapons as well Making them is a sort of hobby of mine So you can understand my curiosity about ones as finely crafted as yours Silverstone’s not easy to shape or purchase"

"The Pork Pit’s in a rough neighborhood," I deadpanned

"The knives hed A hint of sarcasm colored his throaty voice "I’ll just bet they do But there was one ued me about you, Ms Blanco"

"And ould that be?"

Owen stopped and disengaged , he turned my hand over and held my palm up "This"

We stood underneath one of the antique streetlights The hazy golden glow covered my palm - and made the spider rune scar embedded in my flesh shiht thin rays," Owen Grayson murmured "A spider rune The symbol for patience I wondered what the symbol was"

For a moment, I was stunned Simply stunned Not only because Grayson knew about my scars, or at least this one, but also because I never showed the marks to anyone Only Finn and the Deveraux sisters knehat they really looked like besidesat them myself, for obvious reasons

Oh, soet a quick, accidental look at the But the scars had faded over time, and it was hard to tell they were really runes without studying them up close - or that I had one on each palotten fro in the Pork Pit over the years

Still, despitethe scar didn’t ed "So I have a scar Lots of people do Hardly worth "

He shook his head "Not just any scar It’s silverstone The ht, I felt it And now," Grayson cocked his head to one side "I can hear it"

I stared at him He must have more than a sain, the thought struck , soet rid of But h for me to take that final step Not yet Not until I knew exactly what he wanted

"And what does the ave me a small smile "It sounds sad Hurt

Lonely"