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parenting thing.” He put his arm around his wife. “We should go home and read some more books on the subject, don’t you think?”
    “Yes, that would be best.”
    They left.
    Nathan no longer smiled.
    “You poor miserable beast,” said Steamspell. “How disappointing it must be to have actually believed that they were going to give you a home.” He laughed. “You’re a gullible lad, Boy With The Teeth. A most gullible lad indeed. Heh heh. I’d have given my right arm to be able to peek into your mind at that moment when he asked if you liked fishing. You must have been so excited.” He laughed and laughed, belly shaking, until he was forced to wipe a tear from his cheek. “Ah, there’s nothing more amusing than the self-delusion of a six-year-old. Now, all of you, get back to work.”
    As Nathan stood there, drowning in humiliation, he wondered if Reggie was right.
    Nathan had teeth that could easily bite through somebody’s neck.
    Steamspell had a neck that deserved to be bitten through.
    It was worth considering.

FIVE
    “Here’s the plan,” said Reggie. “Steamspell sleeps with his door locked at night, but Milton here survived two years on the street by breaking into garages and sleeping under trucks, so he can handle that part. He’s a light sleeper, but he’s used to background noise, so Angus and Cyrus will pretend to have night terrors and scream in their sleep, which will cover the sound of the lock picking. Nathan, you will sneak in there—make sure to have your mouth open already, to save time—and bite his jugular vein. Do you know which one that is?”
    “No,” Nathan admitted.
    Reggie tapped him on the neck. “Right there.”
    “Will there be a lot of blood?”
    “Of course. That’s the whole point.”
    “What if it gets in my mouth?”
    “You can’t do this without getting some blood in your mouth. That’s part of the sacrifice. Or perhaps the reward. Timothy’s mother was a psychologist before she abandoned him, so he’ll help talk you through any guilt or trauma afterward.”
    “What will you do?” Nathan asked.
    “Supervise.”
    “That doesn’t seem like much.”
    “It’s the hardest part of all! If this plan goes wrong, it’s all my fault. That kind of responsibility changes a boy. I’m putting myself at the highest risk of being forced to brood afterward, so you need to appreciate it and follow my instructions.”
    “But do I really have to bite him? Why can’t we just smother him with a pillow?”
    “There is too much dignity in being smothered. Steamspell doesn’t deserve it. I swear to you, if those were removable teeth I’d pluck them out of your mouth and do the deed myself, but they are not, and we must work with the gifts we’ve been given. So, Fangboy, are you with us or against us?”
    “Can’t I be with you and not have to chew through somebody’s neck?”
    “No.”
    Nathan sighed. “All right. I suppose I’m with you.”
    “Perfect! Tonight at midnight, our tyrant will lay dead before us!”
    * * *
    Ninety-six minutes after midnight, Milton was still jiggling a paper clip in the door to Steamspell’s bedroom, the unlocking of which was proving more of a challenge than anticipated. Angus and Cyrus’ throats were getting sore from all of the feigned night terrors screaming. And Nathan’s reservations about this whole murderous scheme were growing stronger and stronger with each passing moment.
    “I can’t do this,” he said.
    “Yes, you can.”
    “I don’t want to.”
    “Yes, you do.”
    “What if I go to jail?”
    “We’ve already worked out the cover story. You smelled smoke. Not wanting this place to burn down, you entered Steamspell’s bedroom with the intention of awakening him to warn him. But you tripped. Oh, how careless of Steamspell to leave so many items strewn around the floor, and how ironic that it was his own poor housekeeping that caused his demise! As you fell you screamed, which is completely understandable,