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“Vampires?” he whispered. “Doc and the boss left withvampires?Are you sure?”

Angel looked at her new husband. She couldn’t help but note his gray irises were almost completely swallowed by the deepest, blackest pupils she’d ever seen. Everyone around them was like that. All the seers. All the humans.

They were high.

Everyone was so fucking high.

Even Yumi and Hiroto were blasted.

They were sonotequipped to deal with this right now.

When neither Ace nor Mika answered Cowboy’s question, Angel grabbed Ace’s arm, and shook it a little. Her voice turned fierce. Fierce but quiet. A fierce whisper.

“Are you sure?” she asked. “Are youabsolutely certain,Mika? I’ve been seeing a lot of weird shit, and––”

“We’re sure!” Ace and Mika said together.

Cowboy and Angel flinched.

Then the two of them exchanged looks.

Angel felt panic start to shiver through her, even as she tore her eyes off Cowboy’s.

“Why didn’t you stop them?” Cowboy asked Mika and Ace next.

Angel knew he was keeping his voice quiet and calm with an effort.

In fact, she could tell by how quiet and calm his voice was, that he was doing everything he could to not shout the question at both of them.

“They wouldn’t let us!” Mika snapped.

“People,” Ace added more cryptically. He held up a hand, moving it around with a flat palm as if to indicate the varying heights of the people he meant. “People were there.” Ace’s voice darkened, holding a knowing, confident, almost conspiratorial tone. “They said we had tostay here.They said we absolutely had tostay here,Ange.”

“They said they would contact us later,” Mika added. “We weren’t allowed to come. We weren’tinvited.They were very clear about that. Exclusive. VERY exclusive list.”

Ace nodded solemnly.

He was clearly in full agreement with her.

A group of seers and humans were clustering around them now, listening.

Before Angel could think of what to say, another voice rose, sharp.

“WHAT PEOPLE?” Yumi Tanaka asked loudly. “WHO IS GONE?”

She looked around, frowning harder. “WHERE IS NICK? WHERE IS MY SON? DID SOMEONE SHOOT HIM AGAIN?”

Angel grabbed Yumi’s arm. Her voice grew instantly soothing.

“Nick is okay.” She stroked Mrs. Tanaka’s hands. “No one will shoot him, Mrs. Tanaka. None of us will let them. Never ever. Never again. Never. I promise.”

But the older woman’s eyes abruptly brightened, horrifying Angel.

“Why won’t you call me Yumi?” she asked, her voice holding a note of anguish. “You won’t ever call me Yumi! I’ve known you your entire life, Angel Nichelle Deveraux. Your mother was my friend. My verybestfriend.”

Angel gripped her arm and hand tighter.

“Yumi,” she said. “Yumi… you’re like a mom to me. That’s why. It feelsweirdto call your mom by her first name. It feels… disrespectful.”