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I Found Something" Simon Said As He Walked In. He Whipped Out An Old-fashioned Key From His Pocket And Grinned At Me. "it Was Taped To The Back Of My Dresser Drawer. What Do You Think? Buried Treasure? Secret Passageway? Locked Room Where They Keep Crazy Old Aunt Edna?" "it Probaly Unlocks Another Dresser," Tori Said. "one They Threw Out Fifty Years Ago." "its Tragic, Being Born Without An Imagination. Do They Hold Telethons For That?

-Kelley Armstrong

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I Found Something" Simon

Kelley Armstrong

...

I Found Something" Simon Said As He Walked In. He Whipped Out An Old-fashioned Key From His Pocket And Grinned At Me. "it Was Taped To The Back Of My Dresser Drawer. What Do You Think? Buried Treasure? Secret Passageway? Locked Room Where They Keep Crazy Old Aunt Edna?" "it Probaly Unlocks Another Dresser," Tori Said. "one They Threw Out Fifty Years Ago." "its Tragic, Being Born Without An Imagination. Do They Hold Telethons For That?

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He Had A Newspaper Rolled In His Hand, Bearing Down On Me Like A Puppy That Had Piddled On The Carpet. "bad Chloe,” I Muttered. "what?” I’d Forgotten His Bionic Hearing. “bad Chloe.” I Gestured At The Rolled-up Paper And Put Out My Hand. “get It Over With.

There Are Risks You'll Take For Yourself Because You Know That If Your Plan Goes Wrong, It'll Be Too Late For Regrets. But If You Risk The Lives Of Others And Fail, You'll Have A Lifetime To Regret It.

I Called. Why Wasn't Anyone Here?"- Elena We Were Here." Clay Said. "around, Anyway. You Should Have Left A Message." I Did. Two Hours Ago." - Elena Well That Explains It. I've Been Out, By The Gate All Day, Waiting For You, And You Know Jer Never Checks The Machine."- Clayton I Didn't Know How Clay Had Known I Was Coming Back Today When I Hadn't Left A Message. Nor Did I Question Why He'd Spent The Entire Day Waiting At The Gate. Clay's Behavior Couldn't Be Measured By Human Standard's Of Normalcy... Or By Any Standards Of Normalcy At All. Bitten

Then He Reached Up And Tore My Shirtfront Open. "not Much To See, Is There?" I Said, Struggling To Talk With A Crushed Windpipe. "i Know, I Know, They Can Fix Things Like That These Days. Call Me A Feminist, But I Think A Woman's Worth Should Be Defined Not By The Size Of Her Bust, But - " I Rammed My Fist Up Into His Adam's Apple. He Grunted And Stumbled Back. "- By The Strength Of Her Right Hook.

Go Out And Ask Her Into The Alley.” Clay Looked At Jeremy As If He’d Just Been Told To Dance The Rumba On A Public Thoroughfare. I Bit Back A Laugh. “just Walk Over To Her And Point At The Alley. Maybe Say…i Don’t Know…something Like ‘fifty Bucks.’ ” I Looked At Jeremy. “does That Sound Right? Fifty?” His Brows Shot Up. “why Are You Asking Me?” “i Wasn’t—i Just Meant, As A General…” I Threw Up My Hands. “how Am I Supposed To Know How Much A Hooker Costs?

Derek Caught My Arm Again As I Started To Move--at This Rate, It Was Going To Be As Sore As My Injured One. "dog," He Said, Jerking His Chin Toward The Fenced Yard. "it Was Inside Earlier." Expecting To See A Doberman Slavering At The Fence, I Followed His Gaze To A Little Puff Of White Fur, The Kind Of Dog Women Stick In Their Purses. It Wasn't Even Barking, Just Staring At Us, Dancing In Place. "oh, My God! It's A Killer Pomeranian." I Glanced Up At Derek. "it's A Tough Call, But I Think You Can Take Him.

He's Having A Vision," I Said. "that's What Happens." (maya) "attractive, I Know," Corey Said Between Gritted Teeth. "and Now I Get New Witnesses To My Humiliation. Wonderful." "we're Used To It," Chloe Said. "derek Used To Do That When He Changed. Only Worse." "thank You For Sharing," Derek Muttered. She Grinned. "you're Welcome.

I Have To. I've Been Fighting It All Night. I'm Going To Lose. My Battle Is As Futile As A Woman Feeling The First Pangs Of Labor And Deciding It's An Inconvenient Time To Give Birth. Nature Wins Out. It Always Does.

We’re Not Naked, We’re Skyclad!

It Wasn't About Wanting To Die Or Having Nothing Left To Live For; It Was About Letting Go. You Live Your Life Doing What You're Supposed To Do, Following The Rules, Following Your Conscience No Matter What Your Gut Tells You - And Most Times, That's Okay. Control Is Good. It Allows You To Believe In Certainty And Absolutes, Like Lining Up The Perfect Shot. But When You Hold On For So Long, And Hold On So Tight, Every Once In A While You Have To Close Your Eyes And Jump." Kelley Armstrong - Exit Strategy

Wild Dogs? Or Just Clayton? -nick Sorrentino (bitten)

To Distract Myself From Thoughts Of My Father, I Decided To Check Out The Dead Body.

Umm, Correct Me If I'm Wrong, But Aren't You Suppose To Be Dead? Currently Being Chased By Two Cabals? You're Waltzing Around Vancouver, Eating In Restaurants?" (ash)"hell No," Corey Said. "i Never Waltz. I Do The Fox-trot Sometimes Though.

And He Says I Have Lousy Timing

Hello, Aaron," Brigid Said, Sliding Up To Him And Running A Finger Down His Chest. "you're Looking Good . . . As Always." Aaron Lifted Her Finger Off His Shirt And Let It Drop. "put Some Clothing On, Brigid." She Smiled Up At Him. "why? Tempted?" "yeah, To Cover My Eyes.

How'd You Communicate?" "paper And Pen. Amazing Inventions. Anyway, Once We Were In Buffalo, I Led Him Here. We Couldn't Figure Out A Way In And He Got Stressed And Apparently That" -- She Waved At Him--- "is What Happens When A Werewolf Gets Stressed. By Then, The Garage Door Was Open, Some Staff Guy Bringing In A Car. He Took One Look At Derek And Decided It Was Time For A New Job

There Are Lots Of Things In The Folklore, Like They Can Only Be Killed By A Silver Bullet, That Don't Realistically Work, If You're Trying To Say They Have Existed For Hundreds Of Years, Unknown.

I Slid Closer, Feeling His Arms Close Around Me, Tightening. Our Lips Touched-- "derek?" His Dad Called. "chloe?" Derek Let Out A Growl. I Laughed And Backed Up. "we Seem To Get A Lot Of That, Don't We?" I Said. "too Much. After We Eat, We're Going For A Walk. A Long Walk. Far From Every Possible Interruption." I Grinned Up At Him. "sounds Like A Plan

This Is What I Wanted. This Guy. This Life. This Me. I Was Never Getting My Old Life Back, And I Didn't Care. I Was Happy. I Was Safe. I Was Right Where I Wanted To Be.

I Don’t Care If I Get One At All. Just As Long As I Keep Getting Anniversaries.

Let’s Just Say That Being Able To Contact Ghosts Makes For Some Very Interesting Ménages á Trios… And Ménages á Quartre, And Ménages á … Whatever Five Is In French. ~jaime Vegas

With No Chance To Take Off, I Had To Play My Role, Searching For The Rendezvous Spot, Which Gave Me The Excuse To Look For An Escape Opportunity. Maybe A Hole In The Wall Too Small For Tori’s Mom To Follow Me Through Or A Precarious Stack Of Boxes I Could Topple Onto Her Head Or An Abandoned Hammer I Could Brain Her With. I’d Never “brained” Anyone In My Life, But With Tori’s Mom, I Was Willing To Try.

Sure. You Get All Slutty With Rafe. You Freak Out. You Cry Date Rape Drug.' - Hayley

I Moved Up Beside Jamie."i Have To Go." She Frowned At Me. "where?" I Pressed A Hand To The Bottom Of My Belly. "my Bladder.it-" Ah." She Gave A Small Laugh. "we Interrupt This Life-or-death Situation For A Pregnancy Pee Break. Don't See That In The Movies, Do You?

He Was Trying To Tell Me Something.' Derek Snorted. 'aren’t They All? Must Be A Rule In The Ghost Handbook—if In Danger Of Evaporating, Make Sure You’re In The Middle Of A Dire Pronouncement.

Yes," I Said "you Were Saved By A Girl. Horrible, Isn't It?" He Slid Out And Looked Down At My Bare Legs. "not Just A Girl, But A Half-naked One. Now That's Hot. If I'm Still Unconscious, Don't Wake Me, Okay?

Using Supernatural Beings To Build The Perfect Weapon? Intriguing Idea." "not Really," I Said. "they Did It On Buffy The Vampire Slayer. A Sub-par Season. I Slept Through Half The Episodes.

Supernatural Beings

Got Your Text,” He Said When I Climbed Out. “how Much Did It Hurt?” “not At All,” I Said. “apparently, I Can’t Get A Tattoo Because I’m A Witch.” “i Could Have Told Them-” He Stopped. “oh, You Said Witch.” “ha-ha.

Urban Survival Rule 22: Never Annoy An Armed Man.

He Said "cool" Like I Say A Spanish Word When I'm Not Sure Of The Pronunciation.

You Think I Led Him On? For What? Kicks? I Don't Have Enough Exictement In My Life, So Maybe I'll Tease A Nice Guy, Get His Hopes Up, Then Laugh And Skip Away?

Kids Who Don't Eavesdrop On Adult Conversations Are Doomed To A Childhood Of Ignorance.

I Saw My True Power. The Darkest Power. The Greatest Power. ~jaime Vegas

It Reminded Me Of What Dad Said After Every Snail’s Crawl Home From Albany When Snow Hit.“it’s New York, People. It’s Winter. We Get Snow. If You Aren’t Prepared To Deal With It, Move To Miami.

We'll Meet You Here. Hopefully Everyone Will Be In Human Form." A Wry Smile. "though I'll Warn You, He's Not A Whole Lot More Pleasant That Way. At Least As A Wolf, He Can't Talk.

I Could Only Stare, Any Sense That Maybe I Understood Him Evaporating As It Always Did. I'd Glimpse Something Underneath, And He'd Snatched It Away So Fast It Left Bruises That Called Me A Fool For Hoping For More.

Oddly Enough, I Find The Best Hostages Are The Live Ones. - Karl

Tell Her To Be Quiet, And She Got Louder. Tell Her To Stay Back, And She Pushed Me Into The Line Of Fire. Tell Her To Watch For Our Pursuers, And She Hovered At My Shoulder Instead. Open The Door To Listen, And She Wanted To Drag Me Back Inside. Ah. The Beginning Of A Beautiful Friendship.

Ooh, Big Day In Town For Our Park Warden,” I Said. “they’re Even Making You Wear The Uniform. Hayley’s Mom Will Be Happy. She Thinks You Look Hot In It.” Dad Turned As Red As His Hair. Mom’s Laugh Floated Out From Her Studio. “maya Delaney. Leave Your Father Alone.

Dad!" He Shouted, Loud Enough To Make My Ears Ring. "dad! You Need To Get Down Here!" (derek) Chloe Held Open The Door And Whispered To Me, "i Could Say He's Not Always Like This, But I'd Be Lying.

Sometimes Humans Hit On A Moment Of Profundity More Complete Than Their Dim Minds Could Comprehend, And They Took That Nugget Of Truth And Dumped It In The Refuse For The Bards And The Poets To Find, And Mangle Into Yodeling Paeans Of Love.

What's Wrong?" I Didn't Say A Word." Something's Up. What Is It?" Nothing." His Head Turned, Gaze Going To Mine. "yeah?" Yes." A Snort And He Returned To His Bowl.

And Unless I'm Remembering It Wrong, Mermaids Don't Sing And Sirens Don't Swim." "ariel Sang In 'the Little Mermaid'," Corey Said. Sam Came Over To Join Us. "do I Even Want To Know Why You Remember Her Name?

I Could Shave My Head And Wear A Sackcloth And Still Get A Whole Lot Of Ghostly Wrong Numbers. Makes Me Wonder If There’s Some Kind Of Ghost-necro Porn Industry Down There. ~jaime Vegas

Cleavage Is Great," She Said. "like An Extra Pocket.

Antonio- "just In Time, Pete. Five More Minutes Of Reading This And She'd Have Been In A Coma." Peter- "are We Such Bad Company That You'd Rather Hide Out In Here Reading That Old Thing?

I Want You To Have Big Dreams, Big Goals. I Want You To Strive To Achieve Them. But I Don't Want To See You Beating Yourself Up Every Time You Make A Mistake.

Missing Someone

Simon Had Drawn Three Pictures. In The Top Left Corner, Like A Salutation, Was A Ghost. The Middle Had A Big Sketch Of Arnold Schwarzenegger As The Terminator. The Third In Place Of A Signature, Was A Lightning Bolt Surrounded By Fog. Beside The Drawing, Someone Had Scrawled In Inch-high Letters 10 A.m. Tori Snatched It From Me And Turned It Over. "so Where's The Message?" "right There." I Pointed From Picture To Picture. "it Says: Chloe, I'll Be Back, Simon.

...in Some Ways I Relied On That- Someone To Keep Me Thinking, Keep Me Striving To Do Better, Keep Me From Burying My Head And Praying It All Worked Out.

Tori Joined Us For Dinner --in Body, At Least. She Spent The Meal Practicing For A Role In The Next Zombie Movie, Expressionless, Methodically Moving Fork To Mouth, Sometimes Even With Food On It.

Isn't It Possible That I'm Not Feigning Interest? That I Really Do Want To Know More About You?" "you've Never Been Interested In Me Before." "you've Never Been Interesting Before." -cassandra And Paige

He Looked Like A Yanni Fan At An Iron Maiden Concert.

This Is The First Adventure I’ve Survived Without Being Kidnapped, Attacked, Knocked Unconscious Or Possessed By Evil Spirits. A Ripped Blouse? Ruined Skirt? Bad Hair? I’d Call This Progress. ~jaime Vegas

Oh, My God! It's A Killer Pomeranian." I Glanced Up At Derek. "it's A Tough Call, But I Think You Can Take Him.

I'm Not Going Anywhere, Not Without Chloe." Derek

I Grew Up Writing About The Paranormal, And I Blame Too Many Saturday Mornings Watching Scooby Doo.

Rae Burned Me. She Has Matches Or Something. Look, Look..." Tori Pulled Down The Collar Of Her T-shirt. "leave Your Cloths On, Tori," Simon Said, Raising His Hands To His Eyes. "please.

One Of The First Lessons A Necromancer Learns Is The Art Of Playing Dumb. Of Course, One Problem With Playing Dumb Is That Is Seeps Into Your Everyday Life. ~jaime Vegas

You'll Wrest A Burning Sword From An Angel, But You're Afraid Of Bats?" "i'm Not Afraid Of Them. I Just Don't Like Them. They're...furry. Flying Things Shouldn't Be Furry. It's Not Right. And If I Ever Meet The Creator, I'm Taking That One Up With Him." "that I'd Like To See. Your One And Possible Only Chance To Get The Answer To Every Question In The Universe, And You Ask, 'why Are Bats Furry?'" "i Will. You Just Wait.

Reviews Are Great. I Can Read Negative Reviews And Say, You Know That Point They Made... They Were Dead On.

Bigger Room, Darling. Like I Said, We Need A Bigger Room.

Undying Grattitude?" Simon Looked At Me. " Cool. Dosethat Come With Eternal Servitude? If So, I Like My Eggs Sunnyside Up." I Smiled," I'll Remember That.

Demon, Angel, All The Same Thing If You Go Back Far Enough, Or Cut Deep Enough.

Your Mother Sets You Up Blind Dates? With Guys Like That?" The Corners Of His Mouth Twitched. "she Doesn't Like You Very Much, Does She?

What Am I? Let's Just Say I Won't Fetch A Stick For You. I Won't Beg For Treats. And, No Matter How Nicely You Ask, I Will Not Roll Over And Play Dead.

Believe Me, I Have Better Things To Do Than Sabotage Your Friendships. No One Else's World Revolves Around You, Cassandra." -paige To Cassandra

Dangerous? Do You Remember What Xavier's Power Is? Teleportation. Limited Teleportation, They Guy Can Move About 10 Feet. Worst Thing He Could Do To Me? Poke Me In The Eyes, And Go "nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk" And Zip Away Before I Can Smack Him," - Elena

Maturity Is Highly Overrated.

I Leaned Forward And Kissed Him. His Eyes Widened, Then His Lips Parted And He Kissed Me Back, Mouth Warm And Firm Against Mine And That Floating Feeling Washed Over Me And Through Me, And It Was So Amazing That When It Ended, I Just Stayed There, My Face So Close To His I Could Feel His Breath, See Those Incredible Amber Eyes, And That Was All I Could See, All I Wanted To See.

He Obviously Needed More Practice, But No Matter How Often I Abandoned Him Out There, His Sense Of Direction Never Seemed To Improve.

Do I Pass, Dr. Saunders?

I Like Daniel. He Takes Care Of You." I Blinked. "oh My God. Did You Really Just Say That? He Takes Care Of Me?" Dad Flushed. "i Didn't Mean It Like-" "takes Care Of Me? Did I Go To Sleep And Wake Up In The Nineteenth Century?" I Looked Down At My Jeans And T-shirt. "ack! I Can't Go To School Like This. Where's My Corset? My Bonnet?" Dad Sighed As Mom Walked In With Her Empty Teacup. "what Did I Miss?" She Said. "dad's Trying To Marry Me Off To Daniel." I Looked At Him. "you Know, If You Offer Him A New Truck For A Dowry, He Might Go For It.

Elena?" "yes, Unless Nick Found A Woman In The Forest, Which I Suppose Wouldn't Be Too Surprising.

When You Accept A Leadership Role, You Take On Extra Responsibility For Your Actions Toward Others.

Hunting Humans For Sport? Eating Them?" The Bitterness In His Voice Cut Through Me. "yeah, I Caught That Part." "that Doesn't Have Anything To Do With You? He Lifted His Eyes, Gaze Shuttered. "no?" "not Unless Being A Werewolf Transforms You Into A Wolf And A Redneck Moron.

Never Go Easy On Allies If You Ahve To Take Them Down. Especially Allies. You’re Already Fighting The Urge Not To Hurt Them. Counteract That And Hit Them With Everything You’ve Got.

You Want To Keep Looking?" I Asked. "yeah, Maybe." "i'll Leave You To It, Then." I Started For The Door. "no." He Said It Quickly, And Reached For My Arm, But Stopped Before He Touched Me. "i Mean, If You're Tired, Sure, But You Don't Have To." Derek Doesn't Want Her To Leave ♥

Remembering. Forgetting. I'm Not Sure Which Is Worse.

A Girl My Age Had Been Murdered In These Woods And I'd Seen Her Last Terrified Moments, Watched Her Bleed To Death In This Forest. A Life Like Mine Had Ended Here, And It Didn't Matter How Many Times I'd Seen Deaths In Movies, It Wasn't The Same, And I Wasn't Ever Going To Forget It.

Boo," I Said. He Reacted As All Mutts React When I Confront Them. He Leapt From His Chair And Dove For The Nearest Exit, Shaking In Terror. In My Dreams. He Glanced At Me And Started Looking For Clay. It Never Failed. Mutts Only Quaked When I Appeared Because It Usually Meant Clayton Wasn't Far Behind. I Was Nothing But A Harbinger Of Doom.

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