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Casanova blinked at hiuy with that much hell juice in him could But I just stared at the tabletop, where the flickering light turned the dust that had gathered in the sticky bits into a topographical er than I’d ever i, poas even more important than it is now," Pritkin added "The ancient ere ongoing, with the few de badly before its discovery The power they gained fro chance in battles on a scale huine, battles that lasted hundreds of years and spread across countless worlds, battles that, if they had been lost, ht have resulted in the destruction of their entire species So yes, they caods knew that they would"

There was silence at the table for a rasp that I didn’t kno the rest of theht; I couldn’t i else, either

"I still don’t see what this has to do with my mother, or with you," I said, after a moment

"Arte As if maybe he did

"Yes," Pritkin confirods by demonkind The most respected, and the ods hunted demons!" I said hotly

"Yes, but she didn’thole for theates betorlds, a talent that allowed her to take the offensive far more easily than the rest of her kind"

"She hunted them here," Caleb said, as if he didn’t quite believe it "She hunted them in their oorlds"

"No," I said, but Pritkin was nodding

"Every source I’veShe tore a bloody swath through a hundred worlds Cassie--" He held up a hand, when I started to protest again "I’m sorry, but it’s true You must have seen the souk in Zarr Alim?"

"Zarr Aliry

"Well, if you’d had tiht have co sold by old women in the marketplace, amulets with a faainst bad fortune by the local inhabitants, even though no one really reo, their ancestors wanted protection from the face on those coins"

"And what a pretty face it was, too," someone said as a hand stroked down the side ofin it

A very faht

"Release her!" Caleb jumped to his feet and threw out a hand--and a spell Which ricocheted off the de a big black ulars so much as flinched, except for the bartender, who hurried over with a bow and another glass

Pritkin didn’t react, except to pour another drink, so I didn’t, either We both knew Rosier couldn’t hurt me He’d sworn a vohich apparently would kill him if he broke it, not to takeabout not plaguing enially, as looking in confusion from Pritkin to his father, maybe because he’d finally noticed that uess he’d kind of been too busy before

Well, except that one twin had never had a chance to clean up after his joyride out of hell As a result, Pritkin’s bare chest was streaked with dirt, his hair shed little puffs of dust if he moved too fast, and he hadn’t lost his shoes only because he hadn’t had any on to begin with He had found some jeans somewhere to replace the ridiculous silky pants, but that was about the only iray suit, but the cut would have h shine His casual silk shirt was forest green, his son’s favorite color

Or h probably not for the sauess, Pritkin liked it because it had reminded him of home while he was stuck in the middle of the desert Rosier probably chose it deliberately, to bring out the vivid color of his eyes The ones that were soat me as he took a seat

I had to sit onthe at Pritkin "Tell her the rest"

Pritkin ignored hi, body tense and ready The only one whounder the table