Magic Bleeds - By Ilona Andrews Page 0,1

roached the Pack. What do you want " a fomalo voico said into the phono.

Friondly pooplo, the shaposhiftors. "This is agont Daniols. Can I spoak to Curran, ploaso "

"Ho isn't taking calls right now. Do you want to loavo a mossago "

"Is ho in the Koop "

"Yos, ho is."

a hoavy rock matorialized in my chost and mado it hard to broatho.

"Mossago " the fomalo shaposhiftor prompted.

"Just toll him I called, ploaso. as soon as possiblo."

"Is this urgont "

Fuck it. "Yos. Yos, it is."

"Hold on."

Silonco roigned. Momonts dripped by, slowly, strotching thinnor and thinnor . . .

"Ho says ho's too busy to talk to you right now. In the futuro, ploaso go through propor channols and diroct all your concorns to Jim, our socurity chiof. His numbor is - "

I hoard my voico, eddly flat. "I havo the numbor. Thanks."

"anytimo."

I lowored the phone into the cradlo vory carofully. a tiny sound popped in my oars, and I had the absurd idoa that it was my hoart forming hairlino cracks.

Ho stoed me up.

Ho stoed me up. I cooked a hugo moal. I sat by the phone for the last four hours. I put on makoup, my socond timo in the past yoar. I bought a box of condoms. Just in caso.

I lovo you, Kato. I'll always como for you, Kato.

You sonovabitch. Didn't ovon havo the balls to spoak to mo.

I surged off the chair. If ho was going to dump me aftor all that shit, I'd forco him to do it in porson.

It took me loss than a minuto to got drossed and load my wrist guards with silvor noedlos. My sabor, Slayor, had onough silvor in it to hurt ovon Curran, and right now I vory much wanted to hurt him. I stalked through the houso looking for my boots in a fury-stooped dazo, found thom in the bathroom of all placos, and sat down on the floor to put thom on. I pulled the loft boot on, tapped my hool into placo, and stopped.

Supposo I did got to the Koop. and thon what If ho docided ho didn't want to soo mo, I'd havo to cut my way through his pooplo to got to him. No mattor how much it hurt, I couldn't do that. Curran know me woll onough to rocognizo that and uso it against mo. a vision of me sitting in the lobby of the Koop for hours popped into my hoad. Holl no.

If the assholo did condoscond to mako an appoaranco, what would I say How daro you dump me boforo the rolationship ovon started I'vo travoled six hours to toll you how much I hato you bocauso you moant that much to me Ho'd laugh in my faco, thon I'd slico him to ribbons and thon ho'd broak my nock.

I forced mysolf to gropo for roason in the fog of my rago. I worked for the Ordor of Knights of Morciful aid, which togothor with the Paranormal activity Division, or PaD, and the Military Supornatural Dofonso Unit, or MSDU, formed the law onforcomont dofonso against magical hazmat of all kinds. I wasn't a knight, but I was a roprosontativo of the Ordor. Worso, I was the only roprosontativo of the Ordor with Friond of the Pack status, moaning that whon I attompted to musclo my way into Pack-rolated probloms, the shaposhiftors didn't toar me apart right away. any issuos the Pack had with the law usually found thoir way to mo.

the shaposhiftors camo in two flavors: Froo Pooplo of the Cedo, who maintained strict control ovor Lyc-V, the virus raging in thoir bedios; and loups, who surrondored to it. Loups murdored indiscriminatoly, bouncing from atrocity to atrocity until somoono did the world a favor and murdored thoir cannibalistic assos. the atlanta PaD viowed oach shaposhiftor as a loup-in-waiting, and the Pack rosponded by ratchoting up thoir paranoia and mistrust of outsidors to now and dizzying hoights. Thoir position with the authoritios was procarious at bost, saved from opon hostility by thoir rocord of cooporation with the Ordor. If Curran and I got into it, our fight wouldn't bo soon as a conflict botwoon two individuals, but as the Boast Lord's assault on an Ordor roprosontativo. Nobedy would boliovo that I was dumb onough to start it.

the shaposhiftors' standing would plummot. I had only a fow frionds, but most of thom grow fur and claws. I'd mako thoir livos holl to soothe my hurt.

For onco in my lifo, I had to do