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AS THE initial shock faded, a cold, dark hatred grew in the pit of ot about the vampaneze and vampets and focused entirely on Steve My best friend The boy whose life I’d saved The man I’d welcomed back with open arms I’d vouched for hi he’d been plotting against us
I would have gone for him there and then, and ripped hi Debbie as a shield Fast as I was, I wouldn’t be able to stop hi the knife across her throat If I attacked, Debbie would die
"I knee could not trust hihtly less wrathful than I felt "Blood does not change I should have killed hihed, pulling Debbie even tighter in to him
"It was all a ploy, wasn’t it?" Vancha noted "The hooked one’s attack and your rescue of Darren was staged"
"Of course," Steve s I suckered the the hu it would draw Creepy Crepsley back"
"How did you know?" Mr Crepsley asked, astonished
"Research," Steve said "I found out all I could about you I made you my life’s work It wasn’t easy, but I traced you in the end Found your birth certificate Connected you to this place I tea the course of h theh - had gonewhat I did about you and your movements, it wasn’t difficult to join the dots
"What did happen with Murlough?" Steve asked "Did you kill him or merely scare him off?"
Mr Crepsley didn’t answer Nor did I
"No ured that if you caain"
"Very clever," Mr Crepsley snarled His fingers were twitching like spider legs by his sides, and I kneas itching to wrap them around Steve’s throat
"What I don’t understand," Vancha reen and the other vampaneze and vampets "Surely they’re not here to assist you in your insane quest for revenge"
"Of course not," Steve said "I’m just a humble half-vampaneze It’s not for h, which interested them, but they’re here for other reasons, on someone else’s say-so"
"Whose?" Vancha asked
"That would be telling And we aren’t here to tell - we’re here to kill!"
Behind us, the vampaneze and vampets advanced Vancha, Mr Crepsley and Harkat spun to face their challenge I didn’t I couldn’t tear , but holding herself steady, looking appealingly in my direction
"Why?" I croaked