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As he made his way toward the staircase Cale had told hiround apart: Could it simply be this easy? This Providential?

Sonia would say, yes, if he was doing God&039;s work, the Hand of the Als so that it would happen But Chas didn&039;t fully believe that such blatant ed on their board

His favorite Biblical maxim was "God helps those who help the

He&039;d just about reached the entrance to the lower level when his belly gave a sharp twist and the odd itching feeling became uncomfortable Just then a door opened in front of him

Chas reacted before the va ainst the wall, forearainst his throat, before the sot could take a breath All in coled up at him, his eyes wide and shocked Then they narrowed a bit as he seemed to catch his breath

"Where&039;s Moldavi?" Chas asked in a soft voice, the stake&039;s point just beneath the servant&039;s waistcoat, pressing gently into his breastbone as his powerful arm eased up on the man&039;s throat

He felt the footman draw in a breath and just before the bastard was about to shout an alarh shirt, breastbone and directly into his heart

His victi back over his face, and Chas felt hi to himself-for now he had the smell of fresh blood in the house, not to mention the problem of a dead body to attend to-he wiped off his stake and stuck it back in his pocket Then he heaved the corpse over his shoulder and slipped quickly back the way he&039;d co the back door, he dumped the corpse into the space between the house and the thick yew and boxwood that grew close to the wall, hoping it would obscure the body for some time

Back inside the house, he moved with silent speed back to where he&039;d been when he encountered the va for a renewed itch in his belly that told him more Dracule were near

Before he started down the stairs, he paused, waiting, listeningfeeling There was a sound in the distance, voices ruain But it was some distance away and he started down into the depths of Cezar Moldavi&039;s lair

There was a sort of finality about it Perhaps it was because going below the surface was akin to being buried, perhaps because there was no way out but the way he cah the skull-lined catacoht He was on his guard as he&039;d never been before, listening for the sound of approach, paying heed to his body and its innate signals He had his stake in one hand, and his other fingers curled around the butt of his pocketed pistol

Aside of it being cooler, and lit only with oil laht, the subterranean corridor appeared no different than one above the ground It was painted and furnished, lined with doors just as any other hallway in a well-appointed ho at every door to see what he heard and felt

The voices had becomea stretch that seee door fro, he stopped to listen, scanning the hall as he pressed his ear to the wood, careful not to touch it and es

"And Corvindale," said a male voice beyond the door

A little prickle scooted up his spine and Chas pressed closer He couldn&039;t make out all of the conversation, but he heard snatches of it

"In London?" came a different voice, with a bit of a hiss to it That o, then, hted to see Di closest to the door, for her words rang fairly clear "Since Vienna, you know" She gave an arch laugh

That had to be the sister Chas leaned closer, his gut filled with that gnawing feeling from the proximity of vampirs

Despite what Giordan Cale had i more of an ally than a threat to his ht use and abuse her, but that didn&039;t mean that she wasn&039;t malevolent in her oay Anyone that close to Moldavi was most likely tarred with the same brush, and from the sound of her, he wasn&039;t far off in his estis was a formidable force, particularly for a man

A fourth voice joined the conversation-another ht have had about bursting into the chaainst onehi about spice ships just as so moved in the air behind him He spun around in tiht in the center of his chest

"You don&039;t look likethe epee This particular blade&039;s tip wasn&039;t blunted, however, and Chas could feel its point digging into his skin

"What does a fencing instructor look like, per se?" he replied, keeping his voice quiet

"For one thing," she replied in a voice that was low and dusky and threatened to wrap around him like a velvet rope, "he would normally be armed with a blade of his own, instead of a stake" She was strikingly beautiful, with deep blue-violet eyes and ink-black hair So much so that he felt a little treh his body

Now things were going to get interesting

"Ah, yes," he said, easing a bit away fro the door behind hi care not to jolt it Da; this had to be the sister "Perhaps it was an oversight"

"Perhaps" She followed him with the tip of her epee, and those lovely eyes narrowed "There is only one way to find out then, isn&039;t there? We shall have to fence, and you will prove to me that you are accomplished This way" She used the tip of her weapon to prod him away from the door

"But of course," he replied readily, his brain working quickly

Getting away froive hi a disturbance that would bring Moldavi and his co from the chamber

"I trust you have a place in mind?" he added And not on the other side of this door

"Walk, erously close to doing so He didn&039;t want that scent in the air, so he complied

Chas walked quickly If this was the sister, she was certainly not the downtrodden, dead-eyed creature Corvindale had described-a fact which heightened his suspicions even further Perhaps that was the way things had been a hundred years ago in Vienna, but things had obviously changed His fingers tightened around the stake

"Here," she said in that low voice when they came to a door near the end of the U-shaped corridor "Open it and go in Slowly"

Feeling the sharp implement in his nape, Chas did as she bid and walked into the roo beyond the entrance, and then he reacted

Holding on to the edge of the open door, he used its leverage to whip himself around and behind it, away froainst the door, but he was already ducking below and erupting back out froainst the wall on the opposite side

A gasp of surprise burst froainst it, her breath knocked out for athe blade down clu, he slaainst the wall, blade i the floor instead of his arm

With his foot, he slid the door closed as he pushed his forearm beneath her neck and held her there

Her eyes storlared up at Chas A little ripple of attraction shivered through him, and he pushed it firmly away She was a va eased "There is no doubt, then You&039;re Chas Woodmore"