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"It is the modern way," he said "To take an interest in your work is to show support, yes?"

"You support me plenty" Alex added a drop of chemical to the paper strip and waited The treated paper should have changed color, but it reht" She waved Cyprien away "This is going to take more time Go play swords with Val"

He smiled and kissed the top of her head "Don’t be in here all night I should like a shrieking orgasm myself"

Two hours later, Alexandrain his office, going over maps of the city

"Val, I need some more equipment" She handed him the list "As soon as possible I also need to find out everything we can on Dr Daniel Bradford"

Valentin read fro software--Alexandra, what is all this for, if I may ask?"

"I tested the ’insulin’ Je Guess what? It’s not insulin" She tossed a lab report on his desk "It’s plasma, two different sedatives, and what I think is a synthetic hormone I don’t knohat the hell to call it Personally I’ve never seen anything like it before"

Now Valentin looked completely dumbfounded "What does this mean?"

"I don’t know, but I can tell you thisherself with the sa treated for diabetes And since she’d be dead without insulin therapy, that would mean--"

The report slipped out of Jaus’s hands "She doesn’t have diabetes"

"Good "

Jema blinked a few ti at her "Hi" She yawned and stretched "Lord, did I oversleep again? This is beco a terrible habit"

"No, honey, you didn’t oversleep You had a bad night" He checked her pulse "I heard youfrom the hall and I came to check on you You left theopen and the rooerator I couldn’t wake you up, either, so I had to give you a shot" His pleasant face filled with sorrow "I know I said you were taking too many shots, Je theiness in her head wasn’t helping clarify things, either "At least, I don’t think I did" Herdrea to yourvery low the last couple of weeks I kno can I tell--but low for Meryl is devastated for the rest of us Now, keep those peepers open for a second" Brad-ford leaned forward to check her eyes with a penlight "Do you want ?"

"No, I can do it" She didn’t feel sick or weak, just tired and very thirsty The fact that Daniel was talking to her as if she were a three-year-old made her feel irritable, too

"I’ll see you downstairs" Daniel rose and stared down at her "You’re sure there’s nothing you want to tell ht?"

"I… fell asleep" She worked up a passably puzzled smile "That’s all I remember"

"If you say so" With one last, troubled look, Daniel left her

"Except for the visit froolden-eyed de place I’ve ever seen in ainst theht, the dreahty little secret What woht to be seduced by a demon ould shape hiht

Jema clearly remembered every moment of the drea had felt wrong The colors, the sined It had felt too real He had been too real

Thierry was her de looks, that air of edgy sensuality But he had been different There wasn’t any of that demon-lover facade as there had been in the other dreaht he had been a person So as o out and search the world until she found him A man as fantasy, who didn’t exist

Ashe had in reality