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"The hunt of your lives," Hunter Redfern said Hewas standing handsoathered around hiieeven saw soh rabbed his arht drea spell on him

They were crowded in the courtyard, their faceseager The first pale light was just touching thesky-not that the sun was visible, of course But it was enough to turn the clouds pearly and cast aneerie, alreenish luminescence over thescene below

"Twohuade prince,"Hunter proclaiie could tell "You’ll never have another chance at prey like this"

Maggie gripped Delos’s hand tightly

Shewasfrightened butatthesaely proud If the nobles around Hunter wereexpecting their prey to cower or beg, they were going to be disappointed

They were alone, the four of theie and Aradia and Jeanne in their slave clothes, Delos in his leggingsand shirtsleeves A little wind blew and stirredMaggie’s hair, but otherwise they were perfectly still

Aradia, of course, was always dignified Just nowher face was grave and sad, but there was no sign of anger or fear in it She stood at her full height,her huge clear eyes turned toward the crowd, as if they were all welcouests that she had invited

Jeanne was more rumpled Her red hair was disheveled and her tunic rinkled, but there wasa grireen eyes She was one prey that wasgoing to fight, Maggie knew

Maggie herself was doing her best to live up tothe others She stood astall as she could, knowing she would never be asimpressive as Aradia, or as devil- canificent

In his shirtsleeves, he was more of a prince thanHunter Redfern would ever be He looked at thecrowd of nobles who had all pro for his blood-and he didn’t get mad

He tried to talk to them

"Watch what happens here," he said, his voicecarrying easily across the square "And don’t forgetit Are you really going to follow a oing to be before he turns on you?Before you findyourselves in front of a pack of hunting animals?"

"Shut hiie could hear thefuryunderneath

And the coie could see the nobles looking at each other-as supposed to shut his thatt have to be stopped,"

Delos said "And thiswith him-but that was because I was blind and stupid I know betternow-and I knew better before he turned againstive up my life for no reason?"

There was the tiniest stirring aie looked at them hopefully-and then herheart sank

They si for the only of themselves But she could tell there wasn’t material for a rebellion here

And the slaves weren’t going to be of any help,either The guards had weapons, they didn’t Theywere frightened, they were unhappy, but this kind of hunt was so they’d seen before Theyknew that it couldn’t be stopped

"This girl ca to keepthe alliance betitches and va, his hand on Aradia’s shoulder "And inreturn we tried to kill her I’ her innocent blood, you’re allco a crime that will coaht Witches, maybe?

"Shut hi it

And this tiie followed his gaze and saw Sylvia near them

"Some beasts have to be ht at Sylvia"So take care of it now The hunt is about to begin"

Sylvia stepped closer to Delos, a little uneasilyHe stared back at her levelly, as if daring her towonder what he’d do when she got nearer

"Guards!" Hunter Redfern said, sounding tired

The guards moved in They had two differentkinds of lances, a distant part of Maggie’s mindnoted One tipped with metal-that must be for humans and witches-and one tipped ood

For vaet skewered in the heart before thehunt even began

"Now shut his lying mouth," Hunter Redfernsaid

Sylvia took her basket off her arm

"In the new order after the millennium, we’llhave hunts like this every day," Hunter Redfernwas saying, trying to undo the darandson had done "Each of us will have a city of humans to hunt A city of throats to cut, acity of flesh to eat"

Sylvia was fishing in her basket, not afraid tostand close to the vampire prince since he was surrounded by a forest of lances

"Sylvia," Aradia said quietly

Sylvia looked up, startled Maggie saw her eyes,the color of violets

"Each of us will be a prince-" Hunter Redfernwas saying

"Sylvia Weald," Aradia said

Sylvia looked down "Don’t talk to me," she whispered "You’re notI’m not one of you anymore"