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Ragnor was ready?stepping aside of the charge, and bringing his sword down on his brother’s shoulders as he raged past As Hagan fell, Nari suddenly canor, he’s your brother, and one of us You must stop, you can’t?"

"I can’t what, Nari? Both of you took swings at my neck, if you’ll recall"

"But you can’t do this, I know you, and I need your forgiveness, and?" Nari was suddenly drawn fro "No, no, ar had one of the iron collars the Normans had used on their slaves He chained it around her neck, dragging her back to attach her to the heavy grate by the fire, even as another ar was adept, shaking off the fellow until he had secured Nari, grabbing a log fro with it before the an had stulutted so heavily upon sohis brother "Who wants to live forever, brother? I do" And he ca his heavy berserker sith a vengeance

Ragnor dropped his oeapon, ducking under the unstoppable crush of his brother’s sword so that it pinned Hagan to the ground as it fell As his brother struggled to retrieve the weapon, he caught hian flew straight into the fire

The logs crackled and then roared, and fire spewed everywhere, as if a burning conor stared at the rush of flame

A hand fell on his back Lucian

"Out! We’ve got to get out!"

Wulfgar was there as well, taking his other ar by the door "Wait!" he shouted "The girl?the prisoner!" He rushed back in The nor swore, breaking free of Lucian and Wulfgar to rush after Edgar Where the rooht with fire, he was ainst the table, found the woed her to her feet, threw her over his shoulder, and rushed froht

As they did so, the roof caved in with a sound of thunder in the night

They looked back to an inferno

"Ragnor!"

It was Nari’s voice

He looked down He had not found the Saxon girl He had saved Nari

CHAPTER 20

Jordan drea over her in his dottore costume "Sorry Jordan, I’ht of hi, dripping, as if he was half creature fro closer and closer

"No, Jared, no! They’ll kill you, don’t you understand, they’ll kill you!" The teeth were almost on her

Sheshaken awake She opened her eyes Ragnor was there Ragnor A creature of the night She’d been having a passionate relationship with the undead She nearly screaain"

She sat up, blinking He was beside her, sitting on the edge of the bed She rand old mansion There s that opened to a wraparound balcony

They were closed, secured

The bed was set in a cherry wood fra dressers, a rocker by the s, a hearth in which a fire burned, the eown She didn’t re to the bedroo at hiranduys on ht to warn nored that

"It’s important that you help us"

"Of course I’m bait"

"It isn’t like that"

"You said that you followed me, to find out what the contessa was up to"

"At first"

"Um Then you fell head over heels"

"I liked you," he said "I liked the fight in you And " A small smile curled his lips "I warned you about the vinyl You were incredibly attractive"