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"Good," Jen said "That’s fine I’d be glad to have him there Daise?"

I waited "Yeah?"

"I don’t knohich would be worse," she whispered "Even though it’s been awful, Bethany’s still my sister If she didn’t rise, at least it would be over, you know? If she doesI don’t know if I could ever consider her fa that way?"

My heart ached "Not for an instant"

Bethany’s rising was scheduled for ht two days from now Very clever of the House of Shadows to wait until so dead to send out an invitation to the resurrection

I spoke to Cody, who readily agreed to attend in his capacity as an officer of the law He was still pissed off about what had happened with Heather Simkus

I talked to Stefan, too

Well, actually, it was Stefan who contacted ress in the art of conjuring and raising aback on you," he said toback But I’ve been getting better"

He laughed "Come to my apartment We’ll spar This tirateful for the offer I was in a foul e off it

True to his word, he came at ing attack of Cooper’s beast By contrast, Stefan’s approach was deadly and disciplined He wielded his hunger like a sword, battering straight atdeftly to cole We circled each other in his living rooht sparkling on the river beyond hisgleaes and runes of its blade I let it fillit blaze Stefan’s pale blue eyes were like sun-shot ice, his pupils waxing and waning as his desire warred with his discipline

There was a part of me that wanted him to lose control, that wanted to fall into hier into that cool, deep well of stillness within him And another, darker part that wanted to explore what lay beyond that stillness, to unleash the full extent of the emotions I tried so hard to keep in check, to allow Stefan to unleash the full extent of the ravenous hunger he kept under ironclad control

Since that was a dangerous, possibly cataclys around each other like a pair of binary stars until Stefan called a halt

This time, he closed his eyes and took a moment to collect hi down the back of ood Not only that, I realized that although I’d sheathed dauda-dagr, I hadn’t droppedme; it had already becohts

Stefan opened his eyes and s"

"Yep"

As before, he went into the kitchen to pour a couple of glasses of water I wandered over to the display case with his father’s cere before his queen, wondering about the story behind it Stefan returned to hand lass of water without comment

"Thanks," I said to hi the bond between us "But then you probably knew that, didn’t you?"

He inclined his head in acknowledgment "I sensed your unrest"

"My best friend, Jen--Jennifer Cassopolis, you met her the other day--her older sister’s been out at the House of Shadows for eight years" I took a drink of water "This "

"I see"

I shookI was out there last week There was an, um, altercation Under the teriti Jen’s sister And I didn’t do it" My temper rose like the proverbial phoenix froain directed at my own hesitation "Iher But I didn’t fucking do it, Stefan"

Stefan pointed at the couch "Sit"