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An eyebrow rose And damn it! Everybody could do that but me

"No," Pritkin told me "They’re in deliberations They didn’t seem to feel they neededthe rest of the way up And checking him over

He looked okay Well, actually that was a lie "Okay" was a relative ters But he didn’t look any more beat up

Unfortunately, that was about the only plus

He hadn’t found any extra clothes to go with the dirty jeans, which were now also cut in several places, and scorched down one side, probably the result of the near miss on the rooftop His hair, always terrible, was now extra Pritkin-y,stylist on suicide watch Although it matched his face, which was a stubbly mess, and his left eye, which was black and swollen, and his right aret in the door at Rosier’s looking like that," I told him, after a minute

His lips pursed "Should I worry that you sound pleased?"

"I do not!" That was ridiculous "And I meant you look terrible"

"Would you like a lanced around We were still on the sofa, only so us from the view of the rest of the lobby That seeuess even hell has so earth proud He was standing by a pillar, arms crossed, eyes watchful, face back to its usual fuck-with-me-and-die expression, maybe kicked up an extra notch or two because of where ere His knee-length leather duster was likewise looking sharp Of course, it arar up any little boo-boos alht be self-cleaning, too, because he was suspiciously lacking in dirt

Casanova, on the other, other hand, was bringing our average back down again, although less because of looks than attitude He was still sprawled on the couch on my other side, and heBecause his handsome face was pasty and cru around the lobby blearily, as if trying to see through the bland beige glaether, ere a sorry lot, and then ?" I asked, tucking a li, because even that hurt

"A few hours," Pritkin told ht it best to let you sleep It’ll likely be hours yet before we hear anything"

I digested that And, unfortunately, nothing else My stoain, more forcefully

"Does this place have a coffee shop?"

"No," he said, getting up, and griuess I wasn’t the only stiff one "But there’s a food cart next door If I reht, it’s one of the safe ones"

"Safe?" Caleb frowned, like that word didn’t couys who just tried to kill us?"

"That was before we reached the council," Pritkin said, and stretched, cracking his back I tried that, too, because it sounded like it would feel awesome, but I was too bendy I just flopped over So I pretended to be touching my toes since I was already down there

And, God, one, cut and bruised and traces of hell gunk between the toes

And after everything, the running and the fighting and the althat hat did it

That hat finally hadup

Until a pair of honest-to-God flip-flops were dangled in front of my face

I looked up "How--"

"Shop around the corner," Pritkin told me, about the time that I noticed his nice, clean, flip-flop-clad feet

"You got a bath!" I accused, staring at then on a nearby wall Which had an arrow pointing down a hall and a curly script that read Bathroo else to take care of "Be right back," I told hi at the sign suspiciously "Hoe knohat’s in there?"

"What?"

"There’s a toilet in there," Pritkin told hiuely amused "Many of the demon races have bodies, you know"

"And what if one of those bodies attacks her?" Caleb delanced around unhappily "This place is crawling with threats"

"Not for us Once the trial started, we came under the council’s protection And I believe you remember their security staff?"

Caleb scowled, but he didn’t see with her," he announced forcefully

"You are not," I told hioes I don’t care which of us it is, but you go nowhere by yourself Not here"

"I just told you we’re under protection," Pritkin said, looking at his friend impatiently

"Yeah, the council’s protection Why doesn’t thatto test the Cassie will be perfectly safe"