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others.
    â€œOne of us goes in and trances the prey into following them somewhere secluded, then we all move in. Extra points for trophies—something personal—from the prey. Drugs don’t count. Now that we’ve got the ground rules, who wants to play the bait?”
    â€œOoh! Ooh! Me!” Lilith said, waving her arm as if she were begging the teacher to call on her in class.
    â€œVery well, Lilith it is,” he said with a laugh.
    She turned and peered out from between the trees at the men loitering on the west side of the central fountain. She saw a fat African American guy with a gray beard sitting on a bench with an INew York shopping bag stuffed full of what looked like wadded newspaper and discarded fast-food containers next to him.
    Ewww. She wasn’t going to put the moves on some old, gross Buddha-belly guy. Whoever she picked had to at least be young and in good shape.
    She zeroed in on a tall, gangly dealer leaning against one of the large carved granite outcroppings that were set into the fountain’s sit wall like the points of a compass. His face was turned away from her andhis hands were hidden in the slash pockets of his navy blue hooded jacket.
    The dealer’s head swiveled like a radar dish as she approached, giving voice to the ubiquitous cry of the dealer: “Smoke? Smoke?”
    Lilith stopped and turned to face him but didn’t speak. Reading this as interest from a potential customer, the dealer motioned for her to move closer.
    â€œHow many?”
    Lilith didn’t step closer but instead favored him with a half smile. She saw the look on his face change from one of pure business to one that anticipated, hoped for, pleasure.
    â€œYou lookin’ for something more, baby? ’Cause whatever it is, I got it,” he bragged.
    Lilith ached to say something catty, but she didn’t dare speak for fear of breaking her concentration. Since the easiest way to control a mind is to have the prey willingly focus on you and look you right in the eyes, being physically attractive is a distinct advantage.
    As the dealer stared at the beautiful young girl before him, he suddenly realized he couldn’t take his eyes off her. It was as if the entire world had telescoped down to her achingly perfect oval face and eyes, which seemed to glow in the dimness like those of a cat.
    Lilith thought, Come with me, as hard as she could.
    Although his arms and legs were numb, as if someone had shot them full of novocaine, the dealer was seizedby the desire to walk with this strange angel, wherever she might lead.
    Lilith smiled to herself as he began to move toward her. However, before her prey took a second step, his head suddenly whipped to one side, as if he had heard someone shout his name—and then he stepped back.
    What the hell?
    Somehow the dealer’s mind had slipped free of her control. This was definitely not supposed to happen, at least not to her. Lilith furrowed her brow, redoubling her concentration.
    Look at me.
    As the dealer slowly turned his head back toward her, Lilith could see that his eyes were unfocused and his jaw slack: obvious signs that the clot was indeed mesmerized.
    Come with me.
    The dealer stepped forward yet again, only to suddenly stop and wobble slightly on one foot, like a kid playing a game of freeze tag.
    Lilith’s face began to burn with frustration. She had no doubt the others were giggling their asses off as they watched her from their hiding place in the shadows.
    NOW!
    Her command echoed in the dealer’s head like feedback from an electric guitar, causing him to lurch forward as if he’d been jabbed with a pitchfork. However, afraction of a second later he jumped backward, slamming into the granite outcropping so violently it looked like a phantom hand had shoved him against it.
    Lilith scowled as she tried to figure out what was going on. The way her prey moved was more like a puppet on a string than an animal