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Luc pulled me out of the car carefully, then carried me as if I were a bride, across the threshold into a house The sarettes touched my nose, but I couldn’t be sure if it was the house, or so was all I could e point, and I frowned No e at the Magister’s house The vampire just didn’t strike s anywhere on his property

My ar noise

"Good You’ll be able to move normally in a ed froarettes filled my nose Oh yes, it was the house that stank Whoever lived here wasn’t worried about cracking afor a sain If he really intended to kill me, would he be so careful not to hurt me now?

A door slammed in another room A loud thump, like an exterior door, but not froht sound of footsteps approaching My heart jumped into my throat Another vampire? Why the hell not? I could handle three as well as two-- not at all

"What the hell did you do to her?" The voice was fah me But the hope was quickly stamped out by dread

Claude was here But so was Luc and who kne many va spell She’s otherwise unharmed"

Movement in the corner of my eye made me start, and to my surprise, my body actually twitched

"Jesus, Luc I could have picked her up This wasn’t necessary" Footsteps against carpet, then, "Can you , and only inches from my ear "Try to move"

It took a couple of minutes, but with some concentrated effort and a whole lot of built up fear and anger, I was able to workposition

"…Fucker," I finally ain

Luc offered etic smile "I understand why you would be upset But we needed to speak to you withouta scene And Claude was otherwise detained"

"I was checking on the capture of a rogue witch--one your son is well-acquainted with You could have given me rowled

"I’ words was still a challenge Like I’d been tossed in a deep freeze and was trying to thaw my muscles Thankfullyposition wasn’t much better than the smell The couch I sat on was old and frayed, and a stack of beer bottles sat on the coffee table next to a full ashtray It looked--and sed boy who’d decided to party his early twenties away instead of actually going to college

"You’ll understand if I didn’t think you’d be likely to trustmy presence in your visions," Luc said, and the man behind him who stood in the shadows shifted almost imperceptibly Only two of theuessed if he was looking for a fight

Luc’s words sank in, and lanced down Guilt covered his expression

"You told hi did you wait, Claude? Did you call hiht, or did you wait to slither out of bed this rasp the eer and fear and such an overwhel it all was exhaustion

Why the hell had I crawled out of my comfortable bed, my safe life, to help this man? To crack openwhere it was In the past

"I’ him a chance to explain He’s an honorable man" Claude turned to Luc, his brows pinched in annoyance "I didn’t think he’d spell you and bring you here And I’ in this place"

"It’s a good thing he trusted e started to win "A good thing? I saw your face, Luc I know you were there when led for balance I couldn’t face thisdown