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Chapters (86)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. Booklist
  4. Dedication
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. 74
  79. 75
  80. 76
  81. 77
  82. 78
  83. 79
  84. 80
  85. 81
  86. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“I know that. But she won’t go. She’s afraid of the man who tried to kill her. She’s convinced he’s powerful and could eliminate her, so—”

“So you came here for advice. Okay, here it is. Take her to Rune.”

Adam reared back in disbelief. “Rune? Madame Rune? What’s she going to do? Sell her a crystal?”

“Maybe. Sure. But back in the day, Rune was a hugely successful Hollywood psychiatrist.”

Adam had trouble believing that Rune had ever been a hugely successful anything. “Why would a Hollywood psychiatrist live in Gothic?”

“Why do any of us live here?” The vet sounded tired and more than a little disillusioned. “What is here that heals the wounds, makes the pain tolerable, keeps us putting one foot in front of the other? We don’t know, and we don’t ask.” He wiped his hand across an invisible blackboard. “Rune understands people, motivations, evasions. That’s why she’s such an intuitive psychic.”

“That’s not being psychic. That’s paying attention.”

Brocklebank shrugged. “Same difference.”

Adam wanted to argue, but...maybe. Yeah. “Fine. I’ll take Elle to Rune.”

“Not right now, you won’t.” Dr. Brocklebank sounded amused.

Adam looked and couldn’t believe what he saw. Somehow Elle had shifted the kid onto the box, curled up beside it and was fast asleep with the kid tucked into her arms. “Again? She’s asleep again?”

“She got strangled, beat-up pretty good, and she’s traumatized. She needs time to recover.”

Adam burst out, “God, she’s trouble!”

“What else do you have to do besides work alone in your shop making sharp, pointy weapons and disturbing art?” Brocklebank made Adam’s work sound like pornography. “It won’t hurt you to take care of someone for a while.”

Adam didn’t point out that Dr. Brocklebank worked alone most of the time, too. They had both taken responsibility for people and failed to save them. Loneliness was the price a person paid for surviving the world’s horrors. “She didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Nightmares?”

“Yeah.” Until he’d gone to bed with her. But he didn’t say that. Brocklebank would draw the wrong conclusions.

In fact, after one trip through Gothic, he was pretty sure the entire town had already drawn the wrong conclusions.