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"You weren&039;t thinking of betrayingyou?" Niles felt his mouth fall open "Are youreal"

The man smiled coldly "Of course I&039;hed softly "I need you, Niles So even if you are a pathetic coward, I&039;m about to fulfill your fondest dreams"

"NoI have no dreams," Niles protested wildly

He opened his mouth He couldn&039;t believe it; he was about to screauards Scream? Cry like a baby, more like it

No sound ever left his lips

The ht in front of him He had eyes like fire, eyes that burned as they stared into his

And he had fangs

Real ones

Niles heard the terrible crunching sound as the

"So that&039;s it?" Lucien DeVeau said as Jeremy and Nancy finished

"We didn&039;t understand hoe had survived, untiluntil we got home and MaryMary died, and we found out who andwhat Jessica and Bryan are," Jere, "this is what I believe The Master recently discovered who Jessica is and where she lives, and he planned carefully When he found out she would be at the conference, he organized the party He knew she&039;d colance at Jessica "He didn&039;t, of course, know she&039;d arrive as a dohtfully, "I&039; closer and closer, more and more aware of the way he worked But when he cauess that he&039;s been creating havoc here for two reasons, to torture her,her suffer, and to create a trap, so he can finally kill her He never intended to be at the party here, but he knee&039;d be there, and he&039;d have free rein to kill those cops and get to theis, he soed to get to someone close to her"

"How can you be so sure?" Jessica demanded It was the first tiht in Transylvania

"I think he&039;s right," Lucien said

Ragnor walked over to Jessica, bending down, taking her hands "Jessica, perhaps whoever it is never intended to betray you The Master&039;s very powerful"

Sean suddenly ca into the roo to believe this," he said

"What?" Jessica demanded

"If you&039;ll let me at the computer"

Everyone moved away Sean sat down and quickly pulled up a web site that pro better in life:As they all stared over Sean&039;s shoulder, reading, he suddenly stood "It&039;s co," he said "And since I&039;ve seen it once and I&039; out of the line of fire"

Frowning, Bryan peeredlight flashed across the screen, followed by a red darkness, and then a face

The Master&039;s face The words he spoke see directly in the viewer&039;s head

Serve me Welcome me Bon before me Obey my every command

Bobby Munro was exhausted He&039;d worked back-to-back shifts, and he didn&039;t kno many bar suppliers he had seen He didn&039;t know if they&039;d been straight with hi over and he had to call it a night

Walking ho Jim played He could use a drink He walked in, ordered a beer and took a seat at a table in front of the band Big Jirinned Bobby sood jazz

His head was pounding TheJih day, huh?" Big Jim said

"Yeah, must have been," Barry added syuys I was really sorry to hear what happened There&039;s a real psycho on the loose, huh? I uys really killed each other, do they?"

Bobby stared at hi Jiroup "No, they didn&039;t kill each other," he said

"How are you holding up?" Big Ji hours just lying in the sun somewhere with Stacey," he said "But she&039;s been busy lately" He brightened suddenly "Hell, I&039; here staring at you? I&039; to walk over and see her for at least a fewhis money on the table "Get yourselves a couple of beers, huh?"

"Sure thing Thanks, Bobby," Big Ji a lot more cheerful, Bobby started down Bourbon Street There was a big crowd out that night He loved to see his beloved hoood mood faded a bit as he heard snatches of conversation People were talking about thecorpse

About the force&039;s in ability to stop as going on Inwardly, he groaned He was caught up in his thoughts, barely aware that the croas thinning as he moved alone

Suddenly he paused He could have sworn he was being followed Followed? On Bourbon Street? Hell, he was ined

He reached Montresse House and walked up on the porch He knocked, then saw Gareth looking suspiciously out past one of the drapes A second later, the door opened As it did, Bobby sensed once again he was being followed He spun around, ready to reach for his firearh "Shit, you shouldn&039;t follow an ar here?" Gareth asked

"Just wanted to see Stacey for a minute, Gareth, that&039;s all Didn&039;t knowme"

"Stacey&039;s busy," Gareth said

"Come on, Gareth, I&039;m beat to shit Let me see her for just a minute Let me in"

"Hell, Bobby Coet her"

Bobby stepped across the threshold, then turned to theJiht I&039;d say a quick hello to Stacey, too, then I&039;ll be on reat Your shadow is behind you"

Big Ji up the ay "Hey, Ji tonight"

"We&039;re on break," Big Ji his head "Da me around all the time like we&039;re in a flippin&039; nursery rhy," Barry said, hurt

"Ah, co Ji a s around "Lordy, this is a great place, huh?" he asked cheerfully

"Yeah, but close the door," Bobby said irritably "We don&039;t want to let any bugs in"

Stacey sat in a chair, watching over Mary She had discovered that the girl was quite happy in her little prison as long as she could watch TV and as long as she was supplied with the sustenance she needed

Gareth was prowling the house, she knew He came by at least every half hour to check on them, then, nervously, went off to assure himself that the rest of the house was safe and well protected

"Stacey?" Mary asked suddenly

"Yes?"

"What&039;s going to happen to me?" Mary asked softly, pathetically

"Well"

"Eitherhe&039;ll coh my heart"

"Mary, ht path," Stacey started to explain Then Mary jumped up in alarm

"What is it?" Stacey asked

Mary pressed her hands hard against her ears "He&039;s out there," she whispered

The way she said it gave Stacey the creeps

"But I won&039;t let him in I won&039;t, I won&039;t, I swear it," she cried

Stacey stared in alarony, fell to the floor and curled into a fetal position "No!" she cried

Stacey raced toward the door to the hallway "Gareth!"

She was relieved to hear the pounding of footsteps on the stairway Then she started Gareth was there, but he&039;d been followed up the stairs by Bobby Munro, Big Jim and Barry Larson

Gareth spun around on the other two men "Get back downstairs You were not asked up here"

"I&039;ed into the rooreat, she thought All those peopleThis was a mess They would see, they would all know

Suddenly the French doors seelass flew,the air with shards of brilliance

There was a red-blackeyes, massive shoulders, and cruel features

"Thank you ever so much for the invitation," he said, his tone pleasantly conversational Gaping, stunned,terrified , Stacey wondered what he was talking about, who the hell had asked hiirl"

Mary cried out again Stacey wanted to turn, to see who there was about to do his bidding, but she was too afraid to turn her back on what could only be the Master

Jessica stared at the ie as it faded Bryan stepped back froains control with that ie of communication," Sean said

Bryan stiffened suddenly "Da, isn&039;t it?" Sean said

"Yes, but that&039;s not it We&039;ve got to get back to Jessica&039;s," Bryan said

"What&039;s happened?" Jessica de up, eyes wide

"He&039;s on the o with theirls"

Bryan was already following Jessica out of the house On the porch, she paused and looked uncertainly at hio your way, I&039;ll go mine I&039;ll e, and suddenly she was a shadow that tore across the sky She knew that Lucien and Ragnor were right behind her

She saw the shattered French doors before she reached the balcony and warned herself to be prepared

She burst through into the rooained her form, and then froze

Hewas there

Her house had been invaded by the Master, and he hadn&039;t conized the two creatures with him from the ruined castle in Transylvania, the hip-hop female from whom she had rescued Nancy and a tall redheadedthe video The hip-hopper had Stacey in her grip this ti Jie-old tongue The redhead was standing over hi nails ready to swipe at his throat Bobby was there, too, his gun leveled But he couldn&039;t shoot, and Jessica knew they had stopped hier, but unable to do so, unable to stop what he saw happening to the woman he loved

The Master himself was headed toward Mary Tall, black-suited, dressed like any executive, he let the sound of his laughter echo through the room He seemed enor everything that was happening Two bodies lay on the floor, Gareth and Barry Larson

At that lass that lay at her feet, he reached the wo Stacey, and Jessica was relieved at the way he had assessed the situation instantly and, despite his desire to destroy the Master, had known that if he didn&039;t help Stacey, her life would be forfeit

Jessica flew at theJi a stake fro the first blow, vaguely aware of a body flying past, turning to dust into kill Stacey

The circle of protection that had kept Mary prisoner had been broken And over the shoulder of the redheaded o!" Jessica screa Mary across the rooth that would snap her spine if she struck the wall It wouldn&039;t be a fatal injury for a vampire, but itwould leave her paralyzed There was no choice Jessica leapt desperately to catch Mary before her fragile body was destroyed

As she ainst Big Jim&039;s head He cruers threaded through her hair, whipping her around She threw up an ar his hold She was di Jim before the Master could finish him Then he threw himself in front of Bobby before the Master could break the cop&039;s neck Ragnor was right behind Lucien, engaging the redhead, leaving Jessica free to act again The Master went straight for Stacey

He swept to the , Stacey in his arainst his throat The Master was rocked by the force of it, then turned and let out a snarl of rage He threw Stacey straight at Bryan, as forced to catch her, then ood his escape in a swirl of snor had killed the redhead His dust was lass on the floor

She turned to Bobby He was shaking, eyes wide "Bobby, what the hell happened? How did he get in?"

She saw Barry Larson on the floor, struggling to rise She didn&039;t wait for a reply froeyser "You bastard You whiny bastard!" she cried, striding to Barry, ready to strike hiet out "He tried to stop it"

"What are you talking about?" Jessica demanded "If it wasn&039;t Barry, then who?"

Bryan had laid Stacey down next to Mary&039;s unconscious form Then he walked up to Jessica, his eyes actually sorrowful "For the love of God, Jessica, who&039;s left?"

"Gareth?" she said, feeling ill She shook her head in denial Lucien had walked to the e, the coainst his will He"

Bryan walked over by Lucien and stooped down beside Gareth "He&039;s co to," he said

Jessica shoved past the two ht at her A crooked sasped "But he is the Master"

His eyes began to close

"He&039;s dying," she said "How? Why?"

"Could be the fact that his head is caved in," Lucienain "What does your Master want?" he demanded

Gareth&039;s mouth formed words Barely discernible Jessica leaned closer "Youand Igrainia As it was"

His eyes closed This ti The man was dead