Okay, can't remember how many times I've reread this novel, but it has been a while since I last read it and the series has moved on considerably since it was written.. There are hints or possible hints of what was to follow later..
The conception of little Maggie;
This has always been a source of debate among us, many posts, some blaming Harry, some blaming Susan, and some blaming Molly and really blaming Harry for taking the advice of at the time a fourteen year old.
Here is the conclusion I came to after this reading, blame the vampire venom and Susan's half vamp status putting pressure on her. While yeah, the two are still attracted and love one another, but when Susan first comes to Harry's place it nearly gets out of control, would have been, only Mister jumps in with a loud MEOW! Which seems to bring both back to their senses, then Martin'
comes on scene.. The person in control right? Given what happened in Changes? Maybe not so much. But the bottom line is while Harry and Susan sill liked one another it wouldn't have almost gotten out of control if it weren't for the vamp pheromones..
Molly's suggestion leading to the actual sex act;
Okay, Harry is up in the tree house and up comes Molly dressed very punk rock including piercings.
As she changes back to her conservative school uniform proper look you gotta wonder, how come Charity never noticed?? That's for another time, anyway in the course of conversation, Susan comes up and Molly suggests that Harry tie her up to safely have sex with her. Harry is a bit shocked, and though later he does tie Susan up and they do have sex, it isn't because this thirty something year old man is taking sex tips on bondage from a fourteen year old girl.
What really happened is Harry got wounded in the leg because of a gun shot, so blood.. In the course of the rescue from Nic, Susan is stimulated to the max, the tattoos on her face and body are blazing warning that anymore stimulation and she would be in grave danger of turning. Susan
and Martin decide that they needed to get Harry to a safe place because Nic wasn't keeping his side of the bargain in the trade for Shiro. Susan and Harry jump out of the moving car, more injuries, more stimulation, more blood. Then they get blasted with an entrophy curse, and the only way not to be killed is for Harry once they get to his place, was for him to set off some serious wards.. The wards work, but they work both ways, no one can get in, but also no one can get out.. Susan, to her credit knows she is in danger of turning and killing Harry, who exhausted and injured hasn't the juice to fight off a vampire. He cleans his wounds, but she can still smell blood... Then he remembers some rope that he had made up to tie up ghouls, for his protection, and hers, he ties her up, not because he wants to have sex safely with her. However the venom and vamp urges win out along with their own desires.. So sex happened, it wasn't planned, it wasn't rational, and nine months later little Maggie came along.. And no, Susan really wasn't fair to Harry at the beginning of Changes when she seemed to be blaming it all on him.
Ortega warns Harry that if the Reds are beaten in the war, there will be an in balance of power.. Which we saw later, once the Reds were wiped out, the Fomor stepped in and things got worse..
Marcone was very intrigued with the idea of the coins and they power that comes with them. Nic sort of back handedly offers him one, Marcone doesn't say yes or no, but he clearly thinks about it.
So later when Namshiel's coin is loose in the helicopter in Small Favor it would end up in Marcone's hands, and that Marcone wouldn't hesitate to accept it.
Oh on that note when Harry sends Bob out to check on Marcone, he gets torn up because suddenly Marcone has wards.. First hint that Marcone wants a piece of the supernatural action.
