She shrugged. "Do you feel better?"
Strangely, he did. At least physically.
It was just after dark on Christmas Eve. The bear clan was slowly filing down the stairs and gathering into the two main parlors where dual twelve-foot-tall pines were decorated.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) Gallagher stood back, watching the whole crew of Katagaria and Arcadians who made Peltier House their home, gather around for the coming celebration. The tiny bear cubs climbed over pres-ents and tried to eat and climb up the trees while their fathers and mothers, in human form to make Gallagher feel more at home, pulled them back. Justin Portakalian came down in his panther form and picked up one of the smaller cubs by the scruff of his neck and rolled him playfully across the floor.
It was the most bizarre Christmas gathering Gallagher had ever seen in his one-hundred-plus years of living. He felt even more out of place than he had felt three days ago when he arrived. As members from The Howlers came in to join the party, Gallagher decided he needed a breath of fresh air and a moment of quiet to clear his head. He headed out into the cold dark night and drifted aimlessly through the French Quarter. Before he realized it, he was outside the St. Louis Cathedral.
It had been a long time since he'd last been in church. There were only a few people headed inside. No doubt most of the parishioners would wait until the Midnight Mass. He started to turn away, but instead found himself heading inside with the others.
The foyer was dark, but his Dark-Hunter sight saw the interior clearly and he moved toward the small font of holy water that rested on the wall to his left, just beside the church store. He blessed himself, then opened the dark wood doors that led into the cathedral. The beauty of the stained glass and statuary immediately took him back to the days of his youth.
Gallagher genuflected, then sat down on the last row. Here, he felt his Rosalie. Devout, she had never missed a Holy Day of Obligation or Feast Day. He had dutifully gone with her even though he'd hemmed and hawed about it. Ever patient, she would sit by his side, patting his arm and smiling to herself over the fact that she had gotten him to do the impossible.
"I miss you, Rose," he breathed, his chest tight with the pain of her loss.
He wanted to stay here where he felt her, but he couldn't. No Dark-Hunter could remain in any old church for very long before the ghosts of the past came out to possess them.
And he was too weak at this moment to fight them.
Getting up, he made his way silently out back to the font, then out to the street.
It was cool out, but nowhere near the coldness he felt inside himself. Gallagher headed downChartres Street . He didn't know where to go. He didn't feel like going back to Sanctuary and there was no real need to hunt on Christmas Eve. Since most humans were at home with their families, the Daimons tended to stay in as well.
"Hel-lo!
"
He paused at the familiar sing-song voice. Turning around, he found "Simi" behind him.
"Hi," he said, half-expecting to see Ash with her.
But apparently she was out alone. Simi bounced up to him. "What'cha doing out here all alone?" she asked. "Did you forget how to find Sanctuary?
"
"No. I want to be alone for a bit.
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"
She cocked her head and frowned. "Why? Were the bears mean to you? Mama can get a bit cranky whenever I play with the cubs. She thinks I'm going to eat one, but bleh! They're way too hairy. Now if she'd let me skin one, I might be interested."
He laughed in spite of himself. "Are you joking?
"
"Oh no. I never joke about hairy food. It's disgusting." She looked up at him. "If they weren't mean to you, then why did you leave?
"
"I don't know. I guess I didn't feel right being there.
"
"Why?
"
He shrugged. "What are you doing out here?
"
"Not much.Akri is off with that red-headed demon so he said I could go play just so long as I don't eat nothing not cooked by a human. But all my favorite places are closed so I thought I'd go find the bears myself and see if Jose, since he's human, would make me up something good that wouldn't makeakri mad if I ate it."
"Akriis Ash?"
"Yes.
"
"And the red-headed demon?
"
"Artemis the bitch goddess. You know her. She's the one who stole your soul.
"
"She didn't steal it.
"
Simi blew him a raspberry. "Of course she did. She steals everything." She stood up on her tiptoes and stared into his eyes. "Hey," she said, taking his chin in her hand so that she could move his head back and forth while she examined him. "You're hurting in there. That would makeakri very sad. He doesn't like for his
Dark-Hunters to hurt and the Simi don't like it whenakri is sad. Why are you hurt?
"
"I miss my family.
"
Releasing him, she nodded sympathetically. "I miss mine too. My mama was good people. 'Simi,' she