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His gaze shifted to Salasses, all of which already sparkled like diahth-of-an-inch discrepancies He polished all the bottles as well, a kaleidoscope of aainst the mirrored wall He tidied and swept The man had pride

Another bartender, Sam’s nephew, served drinks up and down the bar, but Sam stuck close to Thorne If a Warrior of the Blood was present, Sam served him personally He had for over a century now

Thorne tapped his glass on the counter Saht as well tell aze snapped to his He scowled He shifted his knee into the bar then forle with his hands around the turooved scar running down the inside of his left wrist, an old cut that extended al an ear toward hiravelly than ever Too

Sa to tell You’re bleeding froh at the iaze He lifted the tuh swept out of his parched throat, and he soothed it with a long solid slide of vodka He let the burn float back up He no longer winced He hadn’t winced for years He’d ently

So at the back of his mind What was it Kerrick had said? An itch he couldn’t scratch? Daht he had an itch

ThorneMarcus back"

Salass in his hand then swooped with preternatural vaht it before it hit the floor "Holy shit," he led back and forth He was a small man with a barrel chest His shoulders were broad and he had no hips He wore suspenders because there wasn’t a belt capable of holding up his pants "Things are so bad, jefe? I thought she said she’d only bring him back if he sucked the black off the bottoed but then what the hell else could he do? The decision was already ht now--he tapped the bar again

His phone buzzed as Sae He smiled "Luken just texted," he called out "He took six down and he’s headed in"

Sam let out a whoop "Six That Luken He’s one powerful warrior"

Thorne nodded Luken was the peacekeeper of the bunch, and with Marcus heading toward Second later tonight, Luken’s ability to keep the brotherhood on an even keel would be put to the test

"All the warriors in later?"

"Within the hour"

Alison stood with her arms wrapped around her stoiven tied man called Kerrick, Warrior Kerrick Over the past ten minutes he had made his intention clear--he uardian? He had reiterated, about a dozen tiht What did any of thisand because of all the adrenaline in her systes shook like she had a chill Was she looking at her death, right here, right now?

Despite the number of times the death vamp shifted his position, however, Warrior Kerrick had kept his powerful winged body between her and the beautiful pale-skinned creature still on the railing

She understood the warrior’s tactic: to bring the killer in close, rather than risk beco separated from her, which would leave her vulnerable to attack

Oh, God Was this even happening? She shifted her arh her once et control of these sensations She refused to look at the black-winged creature any longer She focused instead on … Kerrick Yes, his name was Kerrick … Warrior Kerrick

She drew in a deep breath Better

As ht question the reality of the situation, she had to admit that if this was still part of an elaborate hallucination, she had one fine iolden color, in marked contrast with the pale death vamp He wore a black leather kilt and a harness, which ran down the center of his back between his wings On his feet were gladiator-like sandals He looked made for war, an ancient kind of war, a war conducted in the desert

The argument between Kerrick and the killer continued, alith the warrior’s refusal to negotiate The death va to make a pass or two and look at Alison, but he never failed to return to the refuge of the two-story catwalk perch, a standoff that afforded her the chance to continue her appraisal of her would-be guardian