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Grigori walked swiftly down the stairs to the street, then paused on the sidewalk, all his senses alert
"Alexi, show yourself" He whirled around as the sound of soft laughter was carried to hiust of wind "Alexi, daori spun around, his whole body tense, poised for attack
A fine gray ht, then coalesced into the fornized all too well
"Alexi"
The count bowed from the waist He looked like an old-world aristocrat in a full-sleeved white shirt open at the throat, tight black breeches, and soft black leather boots
"Grigori, ori nodded curtly He had not felt fear in over a hundred years, not since the last tiaze ran over hiive up?"
"Never"
Mocking laughter rose in the count&039;s throat "I fear that foolish tenacity that you call honor will be the means of your destruction"
"Perhaps How did you escape Silvano?"
A sound of derision rose in Kristov&039;s throat "An easy task, I assure you I rested for a hundred years, closely guarded at all ti destroyed" A cruel smile twisted his lips "He was a fool to think he could hold ainst my will Stupid mortal He paid dearly for his foolishness Did you know Raori nodded
"I shall have you," Kristov said, his eyes gloith confidence "When I am ready, I shall have you both"
"No"
"Oh, yes," Alexi said with colanced up at Marisa&039;s apartment and licked his lips "And the woman, as well"
"No Leave the woman alone This is between you and me"
The count shook his head "It was the scent of her sweet blood that roused ain until I have had her, until her blood feeds er and burns in my soul She will serve me well, don&039;t you think?"
"Let us end it now!"
"No, it is too soon I feel the need for so rest, and you and Ramsey will provide it for me And the woman - " Alexi licked his lips - "she will provide aori&039;s throat as he lunged forward, his fangs bared, his hands like claws reaching for Alexi&039;s throat He felt a sharp pain as Kristov lashed out, his nails raking across Grigori&039;s face, opening five deep lacerations that stretched froori shook his head, flinging the blood out of his eyes
"Alexi!" He roared the vaer, but Kristov was gone as if he had never been there
Swearing under his breath, he went back up the stairs to Marisa&039;s apart who it was, she opened the door, her eyes widening in horror when she saw the blood dripping froori, what happened?"
"Alexi happened"
"He was here?" She slaone now"
"You&039;re sure?"
Grigori nodded
On legs that felt none too steady, Marisaa washcloth from the shelf, she soaked it in cold water, then went back into the living roo at the door
Sitting beside hiori&039;s face "You&039;ll probably need stitches," she reashes that scored his cheek began to close It was like watching a filht, the way ether
"This - " She stood up and backed away fro, unheeded, from her hand "It isn&039;t possible"
"I&039;ori replied
"It&039;s true, then," shehe said"
"Are you all right?"
"I don&039;t know" She stared at his face "It&039;s true, isn&039;t it? You are one of theori nodded He would have preferred she not know the truth, but there was no help for it now He considered erasing the meht be better if she was fully aware of the danger that surrounded her
"You look a trifle pale," Grigori remarked "I think you&039;d better sit down"
"Yes," she replied, "I think you&039;re right"
He caught her just before she hit the floor
Grigori sat on the floor in Marisa&039;s bedroo her sleep She had roused froo to bed She hadn&039;t argued He kneas the e in sleep
The , it was hard to re else, a time when he had been a , he went to theand drew back the curtains
The darkness waited outside, silently beckoning to hiht with , but he had promised Marisa he would stay with her
He stared into the distance, his thoughts traveling back through the centuries, back to the time when he had been a husband and a father He closed his eyes, and Antoinette&039;s ie rose in his o - hair as black as a eable as the sea And his children - Antonio and Martina - so young, so innocent
His hands curled into tight fists, his nails digging into his flesh, as he recalled the last ti dolls across their beds, drained of blood, of life Alexi Kristov had stood in the doorway, his mouth stained crimson, his eyes red and feverish froori had said, horrified He had heard all the stories, listened to the rue, but he had not believed it was true Alexi had been his friend, and Grigori had found a logical explanation for every accusation ain "You are a varay eyes cold and distant
"Antoinette"
Grigori reached toward her, but Alexi waved him off
"She is mine now"
"No" Yet even as he denied it, he kneas true Antoinette looked at hih pale, soulless eyes while drops of blood oozed from two tiny wounds in her neck Not huer the vivacious girl he had fallen in love with She had becoori knew she would have killed hiuished word, torn from the depths of his heart and soul
Alexi did not answer Taking Antoinette by the hand, he turned as if to leave With a cry, Grigori lunged forward, his only thought to destroy the creature who had killed all he loved
With a hiss, Alexi whirled around, a wicked gleaori&039;s arer to die, Chiavari?"
"I&039;ll kill you for what you&039;ve done!"
Alexi laughed "You? Kill led to free hith againstspeed, he wrapped his hands around Grigori&039;s throat, lifting hiers slowly squeezed the breath fro you over," he hissed "Then you would understand"
Grigori glared at the varay eyes changed then, slowed a hideous red His lips drew back, revealing his fangs
He should have been afraid, but he was too filled with anger and despair to feel anything but hatred "Go on, do it!" he screamed "Make me what you are so I can kill you!"
"I think not," Alexi replied "Were you Vah eternity But killing you noould be too kind"
Grigori struggled to free hihtened around his throat, choking the breath fro, into darkness As fro voice
"I shall let you live for now, Chiavari Life will be far more painful for you than death"
When he had awakened, the vaori opened his eyes as he felt the dawn approaching It was tio
He checked to make sure Marisa was still asleep She looked beautiful, vulnerable, lying there, her lashes like dark crescents against her skin, her lips war her scent - sleep-warne she preferred His gaze lingered on her throat, on the pulse beating there
Hunger stirred within hi low, he brushed a lock of hair frothened Just one drink
A soft sigh escaped her lips as she ca into her eyes
"Go back to sleep, Marisa," he h, her eyelids fluttered down once one
Marisa blinked, closed her eyes, and opened theht around the room, but there was no one there Yet she would have sworn that Grigori had been at her bedside, bending over her Had it all been a drea her to sleep She had felt the brush of his ainst her neck, a warm intimacy, a sense of fulfillot up and padded into the living rooori?"
He wasn&039;t there She went into the kitchen, but he wasn&039;t there, either Perhaps he&039;d had an early appointht as she fixed herself a cup of coffee And then, in a rush, everything that had happened the night before ca her that Alexi Kristov was after her, that va that saori had rushed out of her apartment, only to return a short time later, his face cut to ribbons
She drew back the curtains and stared out the kitchen , but it wasn&039;t the building next door she saw; it was the long scratches in Grigori&039;s face, healing before her very eyes
Maybe she had drea over her That had to be it What she&039;d seen, what she thought she had seen, was i into the living room, she sat down on the sofa, felt a sudden chill as she saw the washrag on the coffee table The reddish brown stain looked very dark, very oainst the white terry cloth
It had been real, all of it
Feeling light-headed, she put her cup on the coffee table There had to be a logical explanation There simply had to be
She just wished she knehat it was
Edward Ra for her when she stepped out of the elevator after work that night Dressed in brown slacks, a white shirt, and a paisley tie, his brown hair neatly co holanced around, hoping to find a security guard "What do you want?"
"I wondered if you&039;d thought about e discussed"
"I don&039;t want to talk about it" She swept past hi into her pocket for her car keys as she went
He fell into step behind her
Her hand was shaking as she unlocked the car, then slid behind the wheel, slalanced in the rearviewlot onto the street A dark blue Chevy followed her out of the driveway Ra to the police, of driving around until she lost him, but there seeo ho space, noticing, as she did so, that Ra
He aiting for her when she reached the stairs
"Mr Ra, Miss Richards I simply wanted to see you safely hoive you this"
Marisa stared at the cross on a chain he offered her It was about an inch wide and an inch and a half long She kneithout asking that both the cross and the chain werethat, if she took it, she would be ad she believed in vampires, believed what Ramsey had told her