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Not where she and Phillip hadtheir short e

Not here, where she’d kissed hith of him next to herjust before she drove a lethal stake into his heart

Not on this bed, or in this roo Is Criticized

Maxhis quiet footsteps with the call of a night anih the trees

The last ti silently across the tries, was nearly two years ago That ti access to the residence, for Victoria had dis

She had been expecting the return of her husband as well

Max had followed Rockley through the house, unseen and unnoticed by the vampire as driven purely by the need for his wife’s blood He could have staked the creature on ates of the estate, as Rockley crossed the threshold of his own home, as he mounted the stairs, drawn by Victoria’s scent and her heartbeat

But Max had waited

Instead, he’d followed, listened, paused outside of the door Rockley had left open The door leading to the chamber where she slept

The sounds, the un lips, of sighs, inti at last forced him to peer into the roo bitter disappointht to come, for he was prepared to do what had to be done, what she was too bloody blind, too weak to do

Then he saw her arht above the rued the stake down into the dark

He saw the srief, and he lowered his stake

When at last she pulled herself up to sit, her rich, black curls had poured over her shoulders and gauzy white gown That e of pale skin, shadowed eyes, a streak of tears, was indelibly printed in his ht over her features, haunted yet determined, when she turned to look at him

At last, she truly understood

And that was the ht, he had no need or desire to enter the house His destination was the s that he approached afterhouse

The wooden doors curved at the top, forentle point, but they weren’t locked They h

The space was ser than a parlor Four rows of benches lined each side of the aisle, padded with red velvet cushions Candles of varying heights and widths burned around the altar and on the floor The body, bound in white cloth, lay on a table in the center of the dais Frankincense burning in a shallol led its scent with that of the s

"Max" Kritanu pulled sile and strong as a ray until the death of Eustacia, only six ht His face also showed the depths of his grief: hollow any cheeks, his skin so taut it shone, the squareness of his jaw "

"Of course Ishort work of the distance He paused at the altar, facing the body of the ht years

Death was nothing new to hierly accept it for himself He’d wished for it more than once Eustacia had said that was part of the reason he was so skilled as a Venator

But that didn’t rieve for the loss of a friend

After a moment of prayer and commendation, he turned to Kritanu "I’s

The elderof all of the in his black orbs "Briyani made his own choices, Max, just as you do He fully understood the risk of staying with you I’lad he did You should not be alone"

Max’s lips pulled in a hureat chance in coht I told you it wasn’t necessary"

"I wanted to see hiood-bye" As he hadn’t been able to do with Eustacia Or Father Or his sister Giulia "I kno to move about unseen"