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"You’re worried about her"

She stared at him

"Maybe Ann isn’t the suspicious type I wouldn’t want her to be too trusting--of anyone here And she doesn’t particularly believe in evil or things that go buical to believe in what you couldn’t see yourself"

"But I can be very suspicious"

She was startled when he didn’t reply It was suddenly as if she wasn’t there His eyes were on the dance floor He didn’t rise at first, but he was tense as herifles had just walked into the place

"We’ve got to get your cousin out of here," he said, standing then

"What?"

"You heard et out of here"

"Why?" she asked, startled by his sudden change

He looked down at her, features taut, yellow eyes an intent blaze "For once, trust me" She didn’t knohat power of force or sincerity lay in his gaze She found herself rising--trusting hi hiether, weaving their way through to Ann While Tara talked to her cousin, she noted that Brent was studying everyone on the dance floor

"So early? Why ht I’ve had in ages Oh, don’t worry, I’ any of these wolves seriously, Tara, but I aht, well, e God, is it sweet Tara, you could let Brent take you ho within an hour or so"

"No! I’ friends or whatever, all the tio," Brent interrupted He was staring at Ann

Ann suddenly sed "Sure If you say so"

Tara was perplexed and amazed at the instantly acquiescent tone in Ann’s voice Linking arht for the door

"Oh, the bill!" she said

"Lucian covered it before he left," Brent said curtly "Let’s go, now" When they were out on the street, Tara noted that he was staring at the bar, still tense, and perhaps, still trying to determine exactly what it was in there that he had suddenly found so disturbing that they had to leave

"The felloith the very blond hair was quite nice," Ann said, walking along in the direction of the car

The girls reether Brent was behind them

"Which fellow?"

"Ah, let’s seeI think he must have been about six feet two or three Great, sculpted features Nice shoulders different" She was s as she watched Tara "It was the same man, Tara, the American I met today"

"Why didn’t you introduce me?"

"I barely know hiht that he uess what? Willem was thereat least I think he was there I’ at a corner table I like the blond I hope to see hiain He isvery handsolanced over her shoulder to see if Brent remained several feet behind hie a man for his mind and his manner, but well, voila, there it is, I cannot help but be iood muscle as well But this man, Rick, ah, he’s courteous as well With such a sense of hulish, and when he speaks French!"

"The French hate A back at Brent

"Tara! I never look down ht, well, maybe now and then But for this man "

"Brent, where’s your car?" Tara asked

"In the lot And so is yours"

There wasn’t a great distance between the bar and the lot where people parked for La Guerre But once they had left the neon glow of the bar behind, the street suddenly seehts burned brightly at all hours of the day and night

Old buildings, soled with a few modern structures

By day they were businesses, soht

They were closed And dark And the street lahts-- quite beautiful, actually, Art Moderne, frouard over the parked cars

The laht and safety

Instead, they helped create a world of shadow and shifting dark shapes

Brent had paused He was listening And watching the shadows

Tara looked around, as he was doing She felt a strange dread growing in her, see to make her muscles heavy, constricted

Shadows shifted

They appeared as giant wings, dark sweeps in the night that played fro The breeze suddenly seeh they were barely into autumn

"Go," Brent said suddenly, and very softly

"What is it?" she asked Nothing, there was nothing around the, the seasons were shifting

And the shadows

Were nothing more than shadows

And yet

She could still feel that sensation That prickling at the nape of her neck The heaviness of fear, the paralysis of terror

Terror