J.C. Nelson

ROSA MET ME at the door with a shotgun. Strictly speaking, not aimed at me, but you don__ really have to aim a sawed-off shotgun. She swung it toward me. __ou, get in there._ She turned her attention to the crowd. __he rest of you will take a number and have a seat._ Her paperwork skills might have been lousy, but her personal touch was something I aspired to.

Grimm always used rabbits, on account of a grudge he had with the Easter Bunny. I__ had a pet rabbit when I was little, and the first time I saw an augury I think I managed to throw up and faint at the same time. After that, Grimm had it done without me. Not that it mattered. After six years in this business, I__ gut Thumper himself for an ounce of Glitter.

I shook my head. __ thought you had a __o princesses_ rule.___ules are made to be broken,_ said Grimm.Ari sat back in the chair, her eyes closed.__f course, young lady, there__ the matter of how we sign our contracts.___ot gonna happen._ Ari threw a pen at the mirror for emphasis.

IN MY DEFENSE, I didn__ mean to start the Apocalypse. It wasn__ just my personal aversion to oblivion; I had a clear financial motive: The end of the world is bad for business.

IF I HAD a dime for every time I__e heard __e__e all going to die_ or ____l kill you,_ I could afford a better apartment. You can only listen to so many threats of destruction, doom, or death before you start tuning them all out. So I followed the wolf out of the building, then went home.

I wasn__ afraid of your average dark alley. I had standard Agency-issue spells in my coat and a nine millimeter in my purse for dealing with the less dangerous pests, but even I knew you have to be careful with an upset woman.