“Unbelievable,” Audrey’s voice squeaked as I pushed past her. “Here we are, talking to you about your freaky little-boy encounter back in Breaux Bridge and how your caramel macchiato tasted like cardboard, and boom! You just zone out like one of the kids from Children of the Corn.”“Um, Aud, babe … I don’t think those kids zone out. They’re just freaky twenty-four-seven. It’s a year-round thing.” Gabe’s response drew a half-hearted laugh from me, but it was quickly reined in when I reached the Book of the Ancients.“Whatever, Gabriel,” Audrey said to him. “My point is, it’s freaky, okay? She gets this glazed-over look in her eyes, like she’s gonna whip out a butcher knife and go all Michael Myers on us or something.”I glanced over my shoulder to cock an eyebrow at her.“Oh, now you pay attention.” She cocked an eyebrow back.“What is it with you and the cheesy horror-movie references?” Gabe muttered. “Hey, now. Halloween is a classic,” Gavin scolded him. “Don’t go hating on the classics.”

“He likes you. You like him, you're just scared. Well," she glanced over her shoulder and dropped her voice, "unless you tell me he's some freaky psycho-killer..." I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Then I'm not letting you mess this up for yourself. Your creepy hermit status is officially over.”

“Oh, you have to hear this,” Nick suddenly said with a grin. “Look for the house where the dog is barking.”I reached out and listened. “They’re going to kick out the dog from the house?” I arched my eyebrow.“Not ‘they’, her. The little fella peed on her new, expensive shoes, so she’s freaking out.” He laughed.“Talk about overreacting.”“It’s a woman. What would you expect?”

“Here I am baking cookies and looking all over the house for you,” she turned her attention to Gabe and uncovered his eyes, “hoping to bring my man something to munch on, and instead I walk in on your crazy monkey sex! Thanks you two, now I’m officially scarred for life.” She swatted the air in front of her, as if she could shoo away the images, and darted over the broken dishes and cookies, up the staircase, with a flustered string of expletives.Gabe watched her ascend the stairway and let out another amused cackle. “Oh don’t mind her. She’s acting like she just witnessed her parents in the act.” Bending down, he snatched a cookie and gave us a thumbs-up. “You look hot, kids. Carry on.”

“I don’t want Tiamat to go back,” said Jeremy sullenly. “I want her to stay here with me.”Miss Priest laughed. It was not a horrible laugh at all. “What a terrible idea!” she said. “Why do you want her to stay?”Because I love her. I don’t want to lose her.”Miss Priest reached out and took his chin in her hand. She looked into his eyes. “You silly boy,” she said. “Nothing you love is lost. Not really. Things, people—they always go away, sooner or later. You can’t hold them, any more than you can hold moonlight. But if they’ve touched you, if they’re inside you, then they’re still yours. The only things you ever really have are the ones you hold inside your heart.”

“Um, what's cooking in that sadistic brain of yours?" Jen asked nervously.Sally's eyes snapped open. "I was just thinking that maybe if you met someone else then you could get past your furry problem.""My furry problem? Really? You make it sound like I have abnormal leg hair growth or something." Jen rolled her eyes."Look." Sally stopped Jen before she could walk out of the room. "Let's just give it a go. You, me, and Jacque – tonight. We'll get Sorin to take us somewhere where there are going to be guys. Then you can do your thing.""My thing?" Jen asked, raising her eyebrows."Yeah. You know, your thing. The hottie hunting thing."Jen laughed. "Man, it sounded like such a good idea at the time."Sally groaned. "Oh, come on, Jen."Jen interrupted her before Sally could continue. "Don’t. Don't do that whiny voice.""Then say you will go tonight," Sally challenged. "Or are you chicken?""You really like living on the edge, don't you, Thelma?""Hey, I'm just calling it how I see it.”