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"He--I--"

"Cardinal Stoss is the grand master of our order He would have issued the orders to dispose of the woman, as well as the body of the vrykolakas" A hint of scorn entered Hightower’s tone now "I have no doubt, based on your past record, that someone will believe you They will throw you in jail, and extradite you, and interrogate you, just as they did before in Rio But this time, John, the church will not defend you Quite the contrary--they will think you are mad They do not know about us"

"None of them do?"

"I told you we must keep our secrets from everyone, even the church Did the cardinal tell you the penalty for betraying the Brethren?"

"Yes"

"Then your choice is sih the huain, and eventually you will be killed for betraying the order That would be a tragic waste of a good et what you think happened in Rome and do the work God intended you to do"

John stared at him "I can’t" His voice broke "I’m not worthy"

"None of us are We can only aspire to be You wanted to be a warrior of God We have given you the ht to protect the church we love, the people who depend on us, and God, as you were meant to"

The bishop seized his hand and pressed it painfully between his "Before you decide, there is so else you htower nodded "She has disappeared again"

"Don’t we have to take a bunch of guards with us?" Alex asked as Cyprien opened the door of the Mercedes for her

"Not everywhere" He seemed amused "Are you concerned for your safety? I will protect you"

She looked hiray trousers and a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow He’d used a black leather thong to tie his hair back in a short ponytail The look was half GQ, half deuys caught you and stuck your head in a blender?"

"That was in Rome, and they beat e difference" She climbed in "I feel so ot in behind the wheel

"What for?" She sat stiffly against the soft leather "The only way I’ll die in an accident is if I’m decapitated"

"If the police stopit, I’ll be issued a ticket" Cyprien clipped on his own seat belt "I will have to pay a sizable fine"

Alex looked sideways at hiine

Cyprien drove directly to the French Quarter and had the car valet-parked at a private jazz club When Alex went to go inside, however, he took her arm and led her away from the entrance "Let’s walk for a little while"

Like they were tourists, or on a date? "Aren’t you hungry, or thirsty, or whatever?" She was, and she kicked herself for not having given herself a booster before they left the house

"We need to talk before we hunt"

"Whoa, right there" She tried to yank her arm free "I do not hunt"

"We need to talk before I approach soive me a little of their blood, while you observe, and no one dies" He slid his hand down her arers with hers "What would you call that, besides a hunt?"

"Gross"

Cyprien sighed "Alexandra, if you are going to despise and resist everything we are, and everything we do, you will be lonely and unhappy And very thin"

"I don’t bite people, and I don’t take blood froave her a horrified look "The blood you inject does not come from animals, does it?"