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"You’re just going to go right in? You don’t knohat you’re walking into"

Justin glared in the darkness "I know it’s one of two things Either nothing’s wrong, and there’s no har, and we can help"

"I think it’s a little ht this was too dangerous in the first place" Justin turned back toward the warehouse "Are you co

They i The front door was ajar, and the inside security panel had been set to dayti was dark and silent Do protectively near Justin in a manner almost identical to the way Mae moved Suddenly, Dominic stopped and pulled Justin behind a stack of crates with hi, and he saw Do around the boxes, Justin could discern a spot of light shining on the floor near the far side of the warehouse and the dark shape of a , standing guard, but hadn’t seen them yet

Justin was about to whisper and ask Doed forithout warning The man by the hole in the floor spun around in surprise but was too slow Doen until he passed out

"Holy shit," said Justin, hurrying over to look The unconscious man wore a crow pendant "What was that?"

"Quiet," whispered Dominic "There could be more"

As Justin peered down at the staircase in the floor, he felt that prickling sensation increase "Yeah And they’re down there"

Doht have sent a last-lower said no such e had arrived "Wait here," he told Justin, who promptly followed him down the stairs Doaround the spiral stairs Dominic slowed even ht, and he quickly gestured Justin over to the side so that they wouldn’t be seen by those inside Doh the majority of his work really did consist of interviews and paperwork, Justin had still seen his fair share of deranged religious hideouts And as he’d told Mae, he’d witnessed other incredible things that defied explanation None of them compared to the shrine to death and blood that stretched before hi to create the ions they could

But the décor paled beside the actual activity within Two Pan-Celt men stood near a stone altar, while a woun that looked suspiciously like Mae’s at Leo Three other Pan-Celts tended soh one looked like he was past help Most horrible of all, Mae herself was sprawled out on the altar, eyes staring blankly upward as her body shook Do epinephrine," he muttered

"What?"

"Epinephrine They shot her full of it"

"Epinephrine’s adrenaline," said Justin "Not a poison"

"Might as well be for a prætorian," Doht-or-flight The ihtest increase in the body Can you see that dart in her chest?" He pointed "That is not a slight increase It’s a major dose that’s sent the implant into overdrive Not even her body can handle the a out"

Justin stared in horror, unable to believe he was seeing invincible Mae so debilitated "Will it kill her?"

"No, but it’d give you a heart attack Eventually, her i to realize it doesn’t need the body to ri;torian with an easily obtainable substance Actuallya true poison"

"How do you even know all of that?"

Doh evidence to request assistance"

He was right Justin pulled out his ego and entered the quick code that would send local law enforce it back into his pocket, he turned once risly scene ahead The two Pan-Celt men by the altar were deep in conversation Below them, Mae was still clearly out of action, but her spasular

"I wonder why they’ve kept her alive,"a flash of silver in the taller man’s hands "But they have to do it in a ritualistic way" The pieces fell together Ordinary enean--like Callista--could be killed in whatever manner was most efficient But these ard creations…they required soh the heart, on the day of the full moon, by one of the other prized servants Those whoan had created couldn’t be killed haphazardly, even if ittheir tiot her put down for a while"

"Don’t they?"

Do as they think That’s what I erous Even when you find a way to stop the" His eyes flicked to Leo with concern, butas they don’t try to kill anyone soon, we should just be able to wait for the police"