Bitten in Two by Jennifer Rardin Page A

song, we’d gathered a smal crowd, who clapped politely and gave me a handful of euros for our performance.
    “Thanks,” I said, waving goodbye to them as they moved on down the street. I glared down at the cat. “You are a pain in the ass, you know that?” I held my finger under her nose as she opened her mouth. “Don’t. Sing. Don’t talk.
    Just act like a damn cat for a second.”
    I stood watching the portal, the flames that framed its rectangular entry flickering from blue to orange and back again as I waited for Raoul to open it from his side. A car slowed down and a grinning old man with hair sprouting from his ears leaned out the passenger door. “Hel o, pretty lady!”
    “Get lost!” I yel ed.
    Come on, Raoul. I have now done a cappella karaoke and convinced the natives I’m a prostitute, all so you can get a date. Open the damn door!
    The shadowed entryway swirled and then cleared. I looked straight into his penthouse, a tidy black-and-white-themed bachelor pad located high above the rooftops of Sin City. He stepped into view, his boots polished to a gleam, his trousers and jacket creased so sharply if you looked at them too long they’d give your eyebal s paper cuts. He held out his hands and I stepped forward just far enough to set Astral into them.
    “She’s in a musical mood today.”
    He nodded, his clear blue eyes busy taking in my T-shirt. When he laughed out loud I nearly fel off the curb.
    Relaxed Raoul was a whole different guy. Like somebody you’d want to go bowling with, because between frames you knew he’d have you rol ing with stories about when he and his buddies had once hung a gigantic sign lined with old-lady bloomers from the high school roof that said NOW
    WE KNOW WHY NOBODY BAKES LIKE GRANDMA!
    I said, “One thing.”
    “What’s that?”
    “I stil haven’t figured out quite what you are, but I know you deserve the best. If she doesn’t treat you right, move on.”
    Stil smiling, he said, “I’l go one better. If she breaks my heart, I’l sic you on her.”
    I nodded. “Works for me.”
    He lifted Astral, who’d been rubbing her paws against his buttons, as if she was fascinated by their shape and texture. “Thanks for this.”
    “You’re welcome.”
    He looked over both shoulders. Touched Astral on the forehead and whispered, “Some celestial interference, if you please.”
    Astral yawned widely, but her mouth didn’t close again.
    If any sound was coming from it, I couldn’t hear. But suddenly I felt… tense. “Raoul?”
    “My scouts have discovered information that not everyone thinks you should be privy to. They fear, if you knew, you would throw this mission and run back to America. They don’t know you as wel as I do, but they have more power.” His voice went even lower. “So listen closely and be careful who you repeat this to. What you asked me about before? About the… tool and what the demons could do with it?”
    I swal owed past the sudden dryness in my throat.
    “Yeah?”
    “Don’t al ow the demon in your party to get ahold of it. If she did, she could turn any one of you into spawn as wel .”
    “How?”
    “They’re stil questioning the informant, so I can’t be sure. I only know she’d have to use her own blood and another item, the source of which we haven’t pinpointed yet.” He looked around again. “You’l be careful?”
    “Of course. And thanks. For everything. But I should real y go. Because I’m sure it looks like I’m talking to myself in the middle of the sidewalk in Morocco. And I think I’ve pul ed al the weird stunts this neighborhood can handle for one day.”
    He nodded. “I’l be in touch.” The image of his place grayed out, and I turned back to the riad before I was, once again, staring into a black hole. It just felt like I was doing too much of that lately.

CHAPTER EIGHT
    Monique Landry had probably been born smiling. In fact, I’d never met a person I believed more when she said, “I’m delighted