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Nohat?

She went back into the hotel, and, luck of luck, Dottie and Chelle were standing in the lobby, looking around When they caught sight of her, they rushed over

"Where have you been?"

"We&039;ve been searching everywhere"

"Oh, I got caught in a tangle-had to help a ht We called hiht? Mrs G&039;s going to be waiting at the door foraround the lobby even as she spoke, watching for anyone who appeared to be looking for her

"Sure, Mace A pajareat Haven&039;t done that in months"

Still leery, Macey insisted they leave through the exit at the far end of the hotel, opposite the main entrance They hailed a cab and rode off

As she watched for anyone whothem, Macey realized she&039;d opened one hell of a can of wor for her

Whenever he could il at Old St Patrick&039;s just before the sun rose Not only was the church always empty at that time, still as a tomb, it was also the least likely time of day for him to be found and aoons

And it required hi of dahich only added to the experience

So to speak

The first few ti turned undead, Sebastian thought he&039;d self-combust as soon as he stepped over the threshold But when he brushed his fingers over the vis bulla at his belly and rubbed the red signet ring from Wayren into his other palm, the blaze of pain ebbed and he was able to continue inside That was how he knew he still had some humanity, some bit of his soul, buried deep inside

Not to say it was pain-free, those moments inside a holy space Not in the least But Sebastian bore it, as he&039;d borne his "long proht-or, rather, thisfour-thirty, Sebastian found he wasn&039;t alone in the nave The single other occupant was a woin Mary on the left side of the church A collection of red candles,with tiny flalow in the dim space He could tell she was a woman sile of awareness shuttled through him as it did when Wayren was present, and he frowned, his attention settling on the veiled figure

It wasn&039;t Wayren But there was so, that sizzled between or around them

He htly as he forced hi where he always did: at the fourth row froot the ih not as old as he hiainst the incessant pain, he knelt in the pew, and the old woman returned to her prayers

As he settled in place, Sebastian noticed the five rings on his er in 1821, thanks to a bloodthirsty young woalado, but it was the ever-present copper bands that captured his attention

Even though it had been so long, he still occasionally tried to dislodge the the last century, thank fortune, the circles would neither twist nor turn It was as if they were affixed to his flesh Part of him

And there they would reh his heart

There was always the possibility of decapitation, or even frying to a crisp in direct sunlight, but when he thought about his death-which was absurdly often, considering the fact that he was immortal-Sebastian pictured the fast, painless pike to the heart Poof He&039;d be gone

And whoever killed his

That&039;s why you&039;re here

The voice was in his head, fir in his ear

The rings The pool The prism To keep them safe

He opened his eyes and turned Wayren was there, s at her eased the throb of incessant pain

Sebastian looked over The old wo in front of a bank of candles

"She&039;s quite devoted" Wayren glanced toward the veiled figure "As are you"

"How delightful to see you again so soon," Sebastian murmured "You disappear for more than a decade, and then you appear tw The Blood Club slyice in less than a"Now, Sebastian, sarcasm is not one of your best attributes Best to leave that to someone ields it better"

"Like Chas?"

Her eyes twinkled "You said it I didn&039;t"

His irritation deflated, but he couldn&039;t quite bring himself to a full smile Besides the physical pain, there was still the despair and weariness that had cloaked him so heavily as of late He felt finished

"It&039;s because of Macey"

He looked at Wayren "Reading ed "It was upon your face, Sebastian You&039;re weary and ready to pass the torch-and now that Macey Gardella is here, you believe it&039;s time"

"It should be time"

"I cannot speak to whether it should or shouldn&039;t, whether it is or isn&039;t I can&039;t even say whether she willAll I can do is bid you be strong, for the challenges you face-all of you-will be great And there will always be the easy way out"

"I haven&039;t taken the easy way out for a hundred damned years," he hissed, fully aware that he&039;d just cursed in a holy place And at Wayren

But again, she ray eyes "And you thought Victoria Gardella was strong She cannot hold a candle to you, Sebastian Never forget it"

With those words wrapping around hisover hi a brief glance toward the praying woain soon"

"As do I"

Sebastian walked out of the church and allowed a splash of the burgeoning dawn to touch his bare skin Then, the searing pain still throbbing on his face and hand, he pulled his coat and hat closely around himself

He&039;d walked no more than half a block, huddled under his protection, when two pairs of black shoes and legs appeared in his vision They straddled the ay in front of him

Sebastian looked up and then over to see an automobile, its door open, and twonext to it He gripped his coat tighter, knowing thefell or was pulled away, he&039;d fry-which left hi hiuely familiar voice drew his attention to the vehicle, and Al Capone eed "I believe it&039;s time you and I had a talk"

The Blood Club sly

Despite the fact that she and her friends were up past three o&039;clock, talking and giggling, Macey didn&039;t sleep well at Dottie&039;s She had too s on herat five-thirty, she left and went back to her flat, secure in the knowledge that at least she wouldn&039;t encounter any va for her, they&039;d&039;ve given up by now

She tried not to think about the possibility of Capone&039;s thugs waiting for her too

But there was no one threatening lurking about, and Macey slipped up the stairs to her flat She tuot up and went to work-all without seeing anyone, even Mrs G (Although she heard her talking loudly on the telephone when she passed by her door) When she was finished at the library, she stopped by Cookie&039;s Temple wasn&039;t there, but there was an adorable new hat Macey coo to Flora&039;s

But when she arrived at her friend&039;s boardinghouse, Macey hit a dead end

"That Flora&039;s not here," said her bad-tempered landlady She reeked of spirits, and Macey had to step back off the stoop to keep froot that job now"

"What kind of job? On a Saturday night?" Macey glanced up the street, hoping against hope she&039;d see her best friend loping houilt If she&039;d been around instead of being so busy with Temple for the last feeeks, she&039;d know all about Flora&039;s job They would have gone out to have a celebratory cup of coffee or, better yet, a chocolate sundae at Frank&039;s

"Saturday? Is it Saturday?" The woman looked around as if to see the day of the ritten in the twilit sky

Macey gritted her teeth "What job? Where is she working?" Maybe she got a position at a department store Chelle worked on Saturdays sometimes

"Some placeI don&039;t know" The landlady-whose na to sort out her et hoh, she&039;d catch Flora co back It was nearly seven o&039;clock And if there was one rule her best friend had, it was Fridays and Saturdays were for fun Since she&039;d ht, surely Flora had social plans for tonight

In anticipation of this, Macey had already dressed to go out in a loose, silky frock with a dropped waist, perfect for vigorous dancing Two strands of fake pearls hung to the wide sash at the bottom of her hips and another of Cookie&039;s hats-this one a crocheted cloche-sat on her head As she stood on the stoop, the handkerchief-style dress he breeze

Macey looked up the road again Surely Flora would be coo out-even if she wasn&039;t going with Macey Butif she orking for one of the garet off the clock until seven, or even later Those girls worked long hours for low pay, and in such cramped spaces

The landlady blinked, then refocused Macey could almost hear the slosh of moonshine in the woirl just left for her job She don&039;t co now Wakes the whole house, she does, sla the door"

Macey felt an uncoht, coerous a prospect than she&039;d realized even awith the sters

The April evening was getting cooler now that the sun had gone down and Macey pulled her wrap closer around her shoulders, wishing she hadn&039;t given away her heavier velvet one last night "I need to find her Do you re at all? A restaurant or theater "

The landlady scratched her red-veined nose "Nah Nothing Maybe a blue circle, though" Her bleary eyes becaht She wore a blue circle to work"

She wore a blue circle? Whatever that meant, Macey didn&039;t kno she&039;d find out, for the landlady was clearly finished with the conversation and slaet back to her hooch