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She hesitated only a h the foyer and up the stairs He stood silently until he was certain she was in her chambers, then he turned to make his way down the hall

He knew precisely what he would discover in the s into the crae, dour-faced wo pan in her hands

With his lips twitching in a I thought I would find you still awake"

The wohtened a hapless thief into an early grave

"I won’t be having anyMiss Jocelyn"

"She is safely in her chambers," he reassured the loyal servant

"I warned her there would be nothing but trouble living in such a place," Meg ust "Perhaps now she will listen to reason"

Lucien grimaced "I would not place too much hope in such an occurrence She is devoted to her work a the poor"

Meg gave a click of her tongue "Devoted enough to end up with her throat slit, no doubt"

He stiffened "Oh, no I will not allow that to happen," he retorted in fierce tones

The servant regarded hilance "And hoill you protect her when you are here for only a feeeks? Soon you will be back a your fancy friends and Miss Jocelyn will be alone"

"I will be here for as long as Jocelyn needs aze squarely, his features as hard as granite "I will not allow her to be har said with a sniff

Lucien barely sed a sudden laugh He wondered what the older woman would think if he assured her just how different he truly was Obviously her opinion of London dandies was not entirely pleasant, but he could not iine that the notion of a vampire beneath her roof would be any easier to bear

"I can safely assure you that I aentle heaved herself out of her chair, the frying pan still clutched in her hand

"I shall wait and see"

"As you wish" He sent her a kindly s I will keep watch upon Jocelyn"

She waved the pan in a warning gesture "Not too close a watch, mind you"

"Believe in me"

He watched as the servant wearily made her way out of the kitchen and toward her own small bed behind the pantry For a moment he considered whether to return to the warehouse and attempt to track A in convincing the traitor into returning to the Veil than he had been when he first arrived in London Worse, he still did

not know exactly when Aave a slow shake of his head

He could not leave Jocelyn in the darkness of night It was the tied in blood lust were at their strongest And, of course, there was always the danger of Amadeus’s henchmen

He would do precisely as he had prouard over the wo a very necessary part of his life

A wo more than just his passions to life

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Six

Hidden in the cellars of a local brothel, Amadeus sat beside the man chained to the heavy table For nearly a week he had patiently tortured the foolish dandy, careful to keep hi him to tumble into oblivion

It was tedious, delicate work Only a master such as himself could possibly maintain such a fine line between life and death