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"Perhaps you’d best don so the blade experimentally in front of her, frole of her wrist and felt the weapon balance more comfortably

Max snorted He riposted back at her with a deep swipe that stirred the air "I look forward to fighting unfettered--for I have no reason to hold ainst you" He ain, and the ether "Andto answer your questionit doesyou"

The hereat steps, but it was full enough for her to lunge forward He skilide, and she watched in chagrin Max landed on the floor, and she saw that he was grinning

Max grinning was a sight that riled her to the core

Victoria met his blade and forced him back several steps "Does it?"

"Yes," he replied, surprising her by pressing forward into her space Their blades slid and then he neatly stepped to the side "But you cannot forget--you are bound to protect mortals from the undead, Victoria You cannot walk away just because one of theered me?" She sliced more viciously than she’d intended, and he leaped back under her onslaught "He would have shot ate"

"An unpleasant occurrence, to be sure I don’t fault you for wanting to save your skin Butit was the ust of air next to her face "Venators have superhuin to use those abilities to pass judg ift," she replied, knowing that it was untrue "I wouldn’t"

Max lunged "But you did Last night"

"And what about your own foolish actions?" she replied, whipping her blade viciously through the air so that he was forced to leap back His suard, and he moved forward

"What foolish actions do you speak of?" he asked, dipping to the side and bringing his blade up sharply She reacted and thein the room

"Max, Lilith is here in London Clearly, she would love nothing ain"

She saw his one "And of course, I cannot protectthe blade whistle next to her ear

"You ht be a bitup, and their arainst each other before the force of her blade caused his to slide away

"I have the ain, this ti on the air, and she was forced to raise her blade higher to stop his onslaught

"But if she caught you againand bit you, put you back under her thrall--"

"I won’t give her the opportunity She cannot do it with a single biteand it required some participation on ht her unawares, slicing down the side of her ar more than scrape the fabric "Participation?"

"Christ, Victoria, it wasn’t willing participation," he snarled "If I’d known the salve she was putting on the bites would cause them to never heal, and to bind me to her, don’t you think I would have stopped her?" He slashed violently

They fought in silence for a round, and Victoria aware of the trickle of perspiration down her spine

"Incidentally, I don’t believe he’s dead," Max co back after a particularly feisty tip-to-tip dance of their swords

"Who?"

"The Runner"

"What?"

"I told youI found nothing and could locate no one who’d seen or heard any disturbances And," he said, shifting to the side, and then suddenly around her, dragging the tip of her blade with hiht interest you and may clear up theout with her weapon as he brought his down Their blades save a powerful twist

Both blades tangled, their guards twisted, and flew through the air, landing a few feet aith a dull clatter

"A draw," he said, looking down at her, barely breathing hard He’d pulled his hair back in a short, thick stub at the back of his head, but one strand fell over his face He pushed it back and planted his hands on his hips His brown feet spread wide,hiold hoop in his ear-- although Max would probably opt for silver, if he was thus inclined

"Your recollection?" she asked, noticing how the vee of his tunic revealed dark hair brushing the curve at the base of his throat He’d drawn her hand there once, beneath the warm cotton of another shirt, over flesh and th She stepped back