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Alex’s fangs stretched out into her mouth, but she stayed still and waited until two monks had their backs to her She slid off the altar, knocked their heads together, and pushed their unconscious bodies aside "Michael!"

Phillipe was fighting the woling with the ered into someone and held on to him

Thierry, his eyes filled with hatred, latched his hands around her torn throat

"Angel" He shook her like a rag doll "Where is she?"

"Thierry… please," Alex wheezed "I’ dimmed around her

Michael tackled Thierry and knocked hi for air The twoat each other without rabbed Thierry from behind It was Jamys

"Jaarbled sound and pointed to the wo away from Phillipe

"I knew you would tell" The wolared at Jahty little boy"

Alex watched as the worew taller and thinner, and her features sharpened to match those of the beautiful wohed heavily "Gelina, is this really necessary?"

John came and helped Alex to her feet He looked pale with shock and as confused as Thierry

Thierry released Cyprien and slowly rose to his feet "Angel?" he asked, the el, not dead"

"Yes, darling, I’s you think you see when you’re being tortured" Angelica Durand turned to Cyprien "You had your doctor fix my poor husband, didn’t you? After all the trouble ent through to break hied away from Thierry At the same time, Phillipe came to stand beside Alex

"How did you fool everyone into thinking you had died in Dublin, Angelica?" Cyprien asked "Do you change your form to look like one of the Brethren?"

"No, Michael I was never in the cell with Thierry The Brethren skinned another Darkyn fe her up next to Thierry, and let him draw his own conclusions"

Soht, and she’d be more than happy to do it She took the sword froel?" Thierry tried to take her in his arms

She sidestepped him "Not anymore, my dearest love You see, they left me no choice" She spread her hands in a helpless way "They caught o, you knohen Maain to savetheave her son a sulky look "He overheardto Rome on the phone, that day at the chateau I had no choice but to have them come and take everyone"

"I saw you" Thierry rubbed his eyes "I saw the" She patted his cheek "All part of the torture" She sent Jamys a liue first He would have talked and spoiled everything I watched to make sure they did a clean job of it"

Now Alex understood what had shut down Jae that his mother was still alive, had betrayed the her admit it made the boy juht hi, too, because she still had the copper sword in her hand

Thierry looked down at his legs, and then aze "You helpedin the shadows to the side of the altar "Letfor you, Thierry Johnny, hit the deck"

Her brother dropped to the floor as Alex brought up the sword and whipped it across Angelica Durand’s throat At first she didn’t think she had struck hard enough--the woasped, as if startled Then a little horizontal trickle of blood appeared on her throat, widening as she bowed her head It would have looked like she was praying, had her head stayed on her neck Instead, it tumbled to the floor, followed by her body

"Kill them all," Cardinal Stoss shouted

The Brethren rushed the altar, but stopped when the floor began to sprout swords

Alex grabbed the altar rail and watched as the swords cut holes through the church’s thick carpeting, and an to tear the holes wider and climb up out of them Men in white tunics with red crosses, who looked like one of Cyprien’s s coA screale drifted out of the hole

The sound sent theaway fro in Latin at thelish, he said, "They are darkness We are the light Bring thement, Brothers, or you will surely face your own" He pointed to Alexandra "And bring me her head"

The men in the white tunics forestured with his sword "Leave or die"

Stoss’s threat seeed toward thetoward the men who protected them, and tossed him the sword "I love you Watch your neck"

Michael stared at her for aover the rail to join the battle

Alex flinched as Cyprien and themonks Swords flashed in silvery arcs that soon turned red with blood Both sides fought viciously, but it was the men in the white tunics ielded their blades as if they were siht silently, and no wound seean to scream and fall in piles in front of the altar That’s why they’re not dying This is the jardin Michael’s jardin