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Heart pounding, I raced after him, barely noticing the four werewolves who had taken up sphinx-like positions around the Empress on her stone, to a spot outside in the lee of the stage.
Bastien waved a hand at the open space with its chain circles and cages. ‘Behold!’
I looked. And stared in horror, my eyes refusing to believe what they were seeing.
The place was a hive of movement. Hugh’s boys and girls in blue had corralled the vamp centurions and a crowd of folk dressed in their designer best, who had to be the auction bidders, into some of the cages. And now they were taking statements from the huddle of Others who were obviously the ‘lots’ from the cages and their ‘coin-holders’ from the chain circles. But despite all the activity under the fierce glare of the halogen spotlights, my eyes fixed on the small group gathered at the heart of it all.
I, or someone who looked enough like me, right down to my black jeans and T-shirt, that Icouldn’t tell the difference, was standing talking to Hugh, Tavish and Fi
It was his gaze, fixed unerringly on the imposter, which tipped me off.
She was Gold Cat. Somehow she’d got herself enough power to make herself solid and then Glamour herself up to look like me, then she’d pulled a fast one and taken my place. And none of my friends appeared to know the difference . . .
Gold Cat
Gold Cat hugged the trembling girl as she sank into the sliver of ‘Ge
How’s it going?The voice of the lea
Yes. But not every “lot” is here. There are three missing. The gnome continued with the auction in the Emperor’s absence. The part of me that is Ge
‘Hmm, let me see . . . Ah, yes, here’s one. Lot number eight, the hairless cat in the blue jumper.’
Everyone froze as a tarot card appeared in front of Gold Cat. The card showed a tall, shimmering gold female, with shapely devil’s horns and a magnificent peacock tail, standing in one of the silver and copper chain circles. As soon as the gnome released her from the circle, the female smacked him on the head with her coin, then ran over, yanked open the cage and scooped the cat up, raining kisses on his hairless head before the pair vanished with a pop.
‘I wonder what misfortune will befall them from the gold coins,’ Gold Cat said, as the smiling image of the lea
‘Oh, I would not worry about them. I hear she has co
‘Hell is a place I have never visited,’ Gold Cat said.
The lea
Gold Cat scrutinised her generous proportions. Were they too large? The sliver of Ge
The lea
‘I am confused. Has the selkie not been . . . squatting in the Golden Hindfor the last few months?’
‘The ship on the River Thames, yes. He’s been quite the tourist draw. But his purchaser owns another replica, one in Devon. He wants the selkie so he can use him to drum up trade down there. Which is where the selkie’s family lives anyway.’
‘Why is . . . what’s the catch in that?’
‘Well done! That sounded more like the bean sidhe,’ Viviane nodded approval. ‘The catch is the selkie’s wife will keep his skin, and all his wages as alimony. Wrong decision, really, she should have let him go. This way neither of them will be happy.’
‘That is unfortunate.’
‘Oh, he’s got a better outcome than lot number nine. One of your pride’s ailuranthropes, I believe. No coin-holder turned up for him.’
‘Yes. Steve Dean. My pride memories tell me he was a human turned accidently by a Bite. He was given a position as one of the pride protectors.’
‘Well, Mr Kaito, International Purveyor of Rare Epicurean Delicacies, bid the highest at the auction for Steve Dean, so Steve is now on his way to the next Töhoku Fukushima A
Gold Cat frowned. ‘Can he be rescued?’
‘He’s already on ice.’
‘Ice? Does that mean he is dead?’
‘Yep.’
‘This makes me sad,’ Gold Cat said. ‘It also makes me glad I consumed the gnome.’
‘How was he?’ the lea
Gold Cat hawked and spat. ‘Ancient, big power, but bad taste.’
‘What about the satyr?’
A satisfied smile spread across Gold Cat’s face and she purred before she could stop herself. ‘The satyr is a good mate.’
‘Glad it worked out for you,’ the lea
The world around Gold Cat unfroze and she plucked the tarot card from the air before it dropped. ‘Good luck to you too, lea
‘Everything okay, Gen?’ The satyr’s concerned voice was warm against her ear.
She smiled at him. ‘Soon will be.’ She waved at the hive of activity in front of her. ‘Once we sort things out with Hugh and this is all over. Then we can go home.’ Which would be the second test.
She’d already passed the first test when the kelpie – Tavish– the one who could taste souls, had shown himself as the coin-holder for the small fluffy dog – Freya, niece, sort of,the sliver of Ge