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Stacey handed Felicia a tissue "That’s no reason to nick somebody’s father, dear"

Felicia blew her nose loudly into the tissue "I know, I know I didn’t want to do it, but Maxi everyone a big favor by keeping one prisoner"

I narrowed my eyes "Did Maximus put the bounty on my dad or me?"

She shook her head "No He didn’t even know about you two until Mortimer found the bounty online and showed it to hi the answer to his issues"

Her answer brought up another thought which prood, they were people He killed those people trying to turn them and you and the others helped him How can you live with yourself?"

Her eyes widened to the point where I thought they’d fall out "What do you mean he killed them? He didn’t kill anyone! He said they died because they were too weak to undergo the change He gave theivepeople His attempts to make thes That ly! Maximus is the one who turned me and Mortimer and several others He said he needed your dad’s blood to be more potent so the weak people could survive as well He wants ied few"

I shook my head unable toabout va to the to protect him at all costs Probably both

"Ain’t no way Maxis," Ryland said "You either can or you can’t, and it sounds like he can’t"

"Hoould you know?"

"I’h her face couldn’t get any paler, being a va to kill htened whisper

Ryland showed her his teeth His silvery eyes gleas worse than death

"Ooh," Staceylike awe She shook her head when she noticed what she was doing and blushed like a school girl

Either the olf didn’t notice, or he pretended not to "Va Only one of potent blood and focus can enable the virus toeither will unleash a vaion the likes of which you’ve never seen"

"Then how did he changeto bite it off?"

He gri me? Vampires taste as bad as hellhounds"

Her lower lip quivered but she held out a pale finger to hier, pulled from under his ninja caer fast and touched a bit of parch on the tip Felicia sucked on her finger when he let go

"Why does silver hurt so bad?"

Ryland ignored her as he hter from his pocket and set the paper ablaze It burst into a white flae sy within a few seconds

"What was that about?" I asked, clearing the afteri thehter away "It’s a blood test Her blood is clean of infection and points to a vampire of just over two centuries old as her bloodis that old," she said "Maximus is just over a hundred and fifty"

"And that’s way too young to be a blood master" Ryland wrinkled his forehead "Hell, two-hundred is too young, so whoever did it must have some special blood, or been turned by one of the ancient masters"

Felicia knitted her eyebrows "Maximus claims he was turned by an ancient master"

Ryland snorted "Yeah, well he claims a lot of stuff, this Maxi I’ll bet he has so people for hih the process anyway"

"When you say blood master, does it mean that vampire can control you?" I asked

"It depends Froht us at the Academy, the old masters have a lot of control over their brood How er door opened and Smith climbed in He saw Felicia’s red-rimmed eyes "Don’t fall for the teary-eyed act God knows I gave her enough aasped "I’s aboutyour reputation and what you did to them, I don’t see how their opinion of you could be any lower"

Ryland pulled into traffic and headed for Shelton’s He sniffed the air through his open , his eyes casting about, ever watchful The sun just barely lit the sky on the horizon, but gray clouds threatened to loomier day

That’s when they came from the shadows A lot of them