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One of the rapists rab for the unfortunate girl Raphael heard a howl of pain, and the uards drew back in fear, so to run There was blood He could suards shrinking back from him, their faces dazed as if--

Ih the filthy pack, throwing men aside, heedless of their cries of pain, of fear They were nothing to hi She wasSasha

She stared up at hi of the sweat and blood of too lance, then sharpened in recognition, filling with disdain and soore-filled s

"Well, well," she ents My own dear brother Come finally to take what you lusted after all those years, Vadim?"

"Sasha!" he said, shocked as much by her words as her very existence

"Sasha," she er, Vadi behind me" She shoved away the huer as they took in his fine clothes and clean hands "You left! You abandoned me to--"

"What is this, Alexandra?"

Raphael turned toward the oily voice, his lips drawing back in a snarl as a new va as shabby and dirty as any prisoner’s, his rinned when he saw Raphael "The pretty one!" he said with a bark of laughter "Tell me, were you with our rueso her with a jerk of his head She sidled closer to hiainst his side with a whine of fear

Raphael’s lip curled in disgust "Alexandra," he said sharply

She didn’t even look at hihed "She’s not yours any her breasts obscenely "She’s allher head back to ?"

"Yes, Master," she whie that threatened to burn hirowled, his voice a low rumble of sound

The va Our mistress is dead and you--" He sniffed in Raphael’s direction "You are unclai well, it seems I think a family reunion is in order" His face hardened "But it will be my will that rules, boy Not yours" He pushed Alexandra aside, drawing hihed and let his power flow unfettered, relishing the other vampire’s look of shockand fear

"I think not," Raphael said softly

Alexandra fought hiht for the life of her Sire who threw her into fray in a desperate bid for his own escape, showing no concern for her safety Raphael’s poept over the fleeing va the life fro ineffectually on Raphael’s broad back, her filthy nails reaching for his face until he finally subdued her, shielding her fro her for his own as the dead vaainst the wall, then sluround Her whimpers tore at his heart as he wrapped her abused body in his cloak He picked her up in his arht air, unseen, unchallenged, hurrying through the violence-torn city, no longer hearing the screahter of the killers

Guilt overwhelht her dead all these years Had his mistress known Alexandra lived? Had she kept that fro ain, and he would save her this time He would save her for all eternity

Chapter Twenty-two

Cynthia dragged her ass out of the Land Rover, wondering if she had the energy to uest bedroom on the second floor had a perfectly comfortable bed For thatpretty dah the reader and pushed open the heavy door, letting it go as she stuh

An unexpected thuoing out to catch the door before it could slaive me a break," she muttered

She lowered her backpack to the floor and slipped out of her leather jacket, then pulled the Glock fro herself to ht focused upward, spinning around quickly at the short landing to clear her exposure to the next level She could hear voices, on the top floor, she thought Her office Dae as her eyes came even with the second level, then hurried up the last few stairs

There were no lights on, but there was definitely so no attempt to conceal their presence, and clearly hadn’t heard her return As Cyn eased through the kitchen, she saw a key card lying on the island countertop Great Not just burglars, but inco tired to deal with this shit She paused at the last flight of stairs, listening Whatever they were after, they weren’tIn fact, they weren’t ainst the wall and slipped out of her heavy boots and socks, then eased her way upward