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"Aren’t you tired of denying your e to beco less than who you are?"

She desperately tried to block out the insidious voice, hearing the distant sounds of fights beginning to break out a her clan

Violence where there had never been any before

"I won’t listen to you"

"I was so proud of you," her dead master purred "A beautiful, lethal weapon who could make the world shudder in fear"

"No"

"But what have you become?" he persisted "A shallow husk of yourself A female who is forced to cower behind this Veil as if you’re ashareatness"

Her ainst the spirit holding her captive

She had to get free long enough to find a weapon She knew beyond a doubt once the spirit had fed enough to regain its strength it would send her on a bloodbath that would destroy her people

She was going to die before she allowed that to happen

Caught in the strange, motionless battle, Nefri almost missed the fao?" she whispered in confusion

The vision of Theo briefly wavered, beco a black o approaching the building Then, with a sharpto block her vision

"Bastard," her sire growled "Send hily anger "He’s like all the others, can’t you see that? He only wants to use you"

Just a few days ago the cruel taunt would have hit its mark She’d been manipulated and abused too et too close wanted so fro," she said with an unmistakable confidence

"Why else would he be with you?" Theo demanded "If he truly cared he would have listened when you insisted you preferred to be left alone"

A soft warer and pain and fear that had been coursing froh the air to infect her people

"He cares about me"

"He only wants your power," Theo snarled "With you he can take coe the Anasso"

"Nefri" Santiago’s voice cut through the vision’s filthy lies, steadying her

"Kill hian to fade beneath the reality of Santiago’s presence "Kill hio stepped into the building, half dragging a sadly deco Gaius beneath one ar her with a fierce intensity "Are you okay?"

"Stay back," she co he had never appeared despite the fact his th

She couldn’t bear it if the spirit forced her to hurt hiaze as he continued his slow pace forward "I can’t do that"

She trembled "Please"

"Trust me,to cloud her o urged, his beautiful face softened with an expression of love so pure it er

Not that the spirit was about to give up without a fight

Unable to claihtened her o" Her eyes held a growing panic "I can’t"

"Yes, you can You knoill always be here for you I will never fail you" He held out one arly unconscious Gaius in the other "Trust ?

Did he think she could actually fight off the spirit?

She ht be powerful, but she wasn’t Wonder Woman

A cry renched fro forward, her fangs fully extended It was the only warning Santiago had, but it should have been plenty to give hie her attack

Instead, he stood with an unwavering deter when she ras sank in his neck as he wrapped an arm around her waist, his voice barely audible over the terror that pounded through her

"Now, Gaius"

Chapter 29

Sally had never actually tried to walk around with an elephant on her back It wasn’t the sort of thing that even a witch did on a regular basis But after the past few minutes she was pretty sure she nohat it would feel like

Kneeling in front of the safe, which had been fully exposed by the si bricks, she felt sweat trickling down her face and her le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>