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"I thought your own couldn’t betray you"

Raphael turned to regard her, his dark eyes unreadable "I said it was unlikely, but not impossible In any event, this is most probably not one of my own children"

"How do you know she’s still alive?" she asked suddenly, wanting to crack his ever present cool façade "Bait doesn’t have to be living"

He regarded her steadily, not saying a word, but she felt the reproach all the sahtly and said, "We arelinked, Alexandra and I, in more ways than one I would sense her death in the instant it happened Va, sweet Cyn"

Cynthia blushed, ashah she’d never admit it to him She raised her chin defiantly "Do you knoho has Alexandra, then?"

"A suspicion, nothing more Someone who has sworn an oath of loyalty and is now reconsidering"

"Kind of like your buddy Albin"

"Does it please you to know I have eneht about that "No," she said finally, knowing it was true "No, it doesn’t Will you help them?"

He frowned "Help whom?"

"I prohter You bragged to me how fair you are to your men, how you help their families when they die for you That man served you faithfully for ten years He was stupid, not malicious His family shouldn’t suffer for that They’ve already suffered enough, and only because hefor you"

"As you do" His voice was sreed wearily "So, will you give thearded her somberly, and then lifted one side of his mouth in a bare sh of relief "If you deliver the benefits personally"

"What? No I don’t know these people I don’t want--"

"Ah So there are limits to your compassion? Or is it that you don’t want to face the result of what you wrought this evening?"

He was right She didn’t want to look in so home Didn’t want to make up a story to explain why he had died, to try andhe’d done had been to protect his fauided perhaps, but he had tried

"Fine I’ll do itout at the ocean "Are you safe out here?" she asked, hoping he’d go back inside

A soft scuff on the tiled balcony warned her as he drew closer, until he was standing right behind her, his mouth next to her ear "Are you worried about ht fro a shadow that eclipsed her own She could feel his strength surrounding her, his breath stirring the s her senses He stood so close that if she inhaled too deeply their bodies would touch And she would be lost

"Please," she whispered

"Please?" Raphael repeated in a low voice "Please what, Cyn?" He stroked her hair behind her ear, fingers trailing down her neck and over her shoulder, barely touching the curve of her breast before resting his hand below her waist The slightest pressure, a ainst hi that last tiny fraction of space that separated theers stroked her belly, teasing doard A wave of need washed over her, so intense her knees al her head back against his shoulder His war out to lick slowly along her jaw, before pausing over the steady rush of her jugular

"No Please," she whispered, barely able to force out the words