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have to use a sledgehammer to drive a point home to Stewie.
 I got it already. Stew wrenched his gaze away from my boobs long enough to glare at
his brother-in-law.  It s not like it s the first time and it s not like it s rocket science. Give
me some credit.
I went downstairs to write Dottie a note about the wards before I could say anything
unfortunate. Bubba followed a few minutes later.
We drove to the PharMart in Bubba s behemoth of a four-wheel-drive truck. It s an
older model but tricked out with every conceivable luxury, including the requisite chromed
mud flaps with a naked woman and a bumper sticker proclaiming him a  PROUD
REDNECK. He calls the truck Baby. His vanity plates say: BADA55. How he got that
past the censors at the DMV I ll never know.
PharMart is one of the bigger pharmacy chains. The stores are all pretty much
identical: big tan brick boxes with windows all along the front. Their product selection is
good and they re not terribly overpriced. This particular store is the one where I usually
get my prescriptions filled. It was also the site where Bruno, Matteo, and I had set the
trap for Lilith that had gone so terribly wrong.
More important, that was where Dahlmar had given me my sire s head.
Better than roses, in my opinion.
I felt the power of the PharMart s wards buzz across my senses as Bubba steered the
truck into the parking lot. It didn t occur to me until we were pulling up next to the Ferrari
to wonder how Creede had managed to drive three large men in that tiny two-seater.
Had the king ridden in his bodyguard s lap? Creede was leaning against the building,
smoking a cigarette, looking perfectly comfortable and casual. I assumed Dahlmar was
in the car, hidden behind the tinted windows. Ivan wasn t visible, but I was betting he
wasn t in the car. Probably out of sight somewhere, keeping an eye on things.
They had passed test one. The real Dahlmar and Ivan would know about PharMart.
Fakes wouldn t. Of course I d still spray them all down. In this game, safe was definitely
better than sorry.
 So what s the game plan? Bubba asked. I d filled him in on some of what was going
on. Not all. I hadn t had a chance to ask King Dahlmar if I could reveal his identity, so I
hadn t given Bubba any names.
 You stay here. I get out and make sure they re what and who they re supposed to be. If
they are, we head out for your boat.
 It s going to be a little crowded if we re all going.
 Yeah, I agreed.  But I m hoping that getting out on the water will make it harder for
people to use mundane magic to track us. I unfastened my seat belt and turned to open
the truck door.
 Mundane magic?
I sighed. I probably shouldn t have worded it that way.  As opposed to siren magic.
Sirens are water creatures. The ocean s their thing.
 You re a siren now, he pointed out.
 Yeah, but I don t have magic. I sounded grumpy. Then again, I felt grumpy. Funny,
when I was growing up, I d wanted desperately to have some sort of paranormal talent.
I d failed the tests so miserably that they d checked to make sure I wasn t a null. I wasn t.
But back then, I hadn t been a siren, either.
But so far, other than the illegal psychic manipulation and the ability to drive seagulls
insane, I haven t discovered any magical ability.
It was ironic. All of the kids I went to school with had some sort of talent. I d wanted one
so bad, just so I could fit in. Now that I did have paranormal abilities, I desperately
wished I was rid of them. Some people are just never satisfied.
Bubba turned, unfastening his seat belt.
 I thought you were staying here.
 Groceries. He pulled out his wallet to check the contents.  More people, more
supplies. We ll need a few things. I won t be long.
I couldn t argue. It was a sensible thing to do. We were going to be out on the boat
several hours at least. At least. Bubba swore he knew where the Isle of Serenity was. But
the wards around the island had pushed his boat away. He d tried, but he couldn t even
swim underneath with the poles.
I wasn t kidding about Bubba being a fisherman. The fish near the sirens island stay
inside the magic circle. Bubba could see them, but he couldn t cast to them. It s enough
to drive any boat captain to drink or to try to swim through the barrier. With his fishing
pole in his mouth.
Speaking of drinking, I d probably have to go inside and stock up on the ever-handy
but God-am-I-sick-of-them diet shakes and some baby food. I swear, if the vamp that
tried to sire me wasn t already dead I d hunt him down and kill him as painfully as
possible. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]