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"Indeed I often wonder" He pulled back his hood, revealing a half-human, half-feline head "Youto e lord, and I would knohat you have learned Do not forcewhat I want"

Alex didn’t want to tell hineurs were, and how hell-bent they were on going to war At the same time, she knew from her experiments that heat did not kill the Darkyn The Brethren could have recovered hundreds of burned bodies fro thehed in as well She kne ruthless and unpredictable he could be

"Come on" She went over to the seats by the , sat doith hi hio How her experiments on Michael’s blood had revealed that intense heat didn’t destroy the pathogen, but merely rendered it dorrees Fahrenheit

"My test results were conclusive," she finished "Burning may not kill the Kyn It may simply put them in a state of suspended animation"

"I have read the same police reports," Richard said "No bodies of Kyn have been recovered froholds"

She nodded "I think the Brethren are taking the these fires expressly for that purpose"

"What of the unusual a on those who are able to escape? Is that being employed for the same reason?" At her startled look, his thin lips bared still-pointed teeth "One hears a great deal while walking in the gardens"

"Did you eavesdrop the last time I talked about what a nosy bastard you are?" She let her shoulders sluht I think the explosive copper rounds are supposed to slow the that makes sense Otherwise they’d shoot to kill, not to ht lost in the fires" Richard finished his wine and studied the eoblet "If your theory is correct, then I must assume that the Brethren have captured four hundred thirty-one of our kind"

"That ot out of her chair and walked blindly around the room "God only knohat they’ll do to them"

"God, me, Michael, and Gabriel," Richard said "There is another matter ill have to resolve before we attempt to recover them"

"Put your matter on hold and call your best trackers" She didn’t have tiaet theh lord said "The question is how My trackers can follow scent trails if they are fresh We will need so held captive in secret, well-hidden locations There is only one a us with that sort of talent, and she, my dear, is our unresolved matter"

As Alex realized what he meant, she closed her eyes "Oh, hell"

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Chapter Fifteen

Chris regained consciousness on a stone floor inside what looked like an ancient prison cell Shewas broken before she pushed herself up and looked around

Nottingham stood at one side of her cell, his back to her The contessa and fiveRobin, who appeared unconscious, into another cell directly across from Chris’s He tossed Robin inside and slammed the door shut

"There, it is done," the contessa said to Nottingha it squeal as she crushed its skull "The accommodations are not ideal, but I trust you are satisfied,an inch froirl now"

Salva gestured toward the door to Chris’s cell "Open it"

Chris backed away as one of the contessa’s rabbed her by the hair She didn’t struggle, aware that the th was superhuman, like Robin’s and the contessa’s He could probably snap her neck with one flick of his wrist

"She is prettier than I re into the cell to circle around Chris She paused to finger the edge of the silk covering Chris’s right breast "You can feed fro tih to last weeks Perhaps even a ham finally turned around to face her His whispery rasp echoed around Chris like the voice of a ghost "She was never part of our bargain"

"Ah, yes I only promised you Locksley" The contessa picked up theout of the cell "At last" She walked out, clutching the book in her arroan and saw Robin was out cold Quickly putting together a bluff, she said, "Contessa, I went to the Aed a surveillance team to follow me here to Venice In a few o, and I’ll use e for you and your e" Salva chuckled, handing the un "No one has followed you but us, land directly" She pointed the weapon at Chris’s face

Aware that she could do nothing more, Chris faced her death with her eyes open