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Los Angeles, California

Cyn jolted awake, her heart still ha with terror She fu theshade open and letting daylight strea the nightht

The pilot’s voice caly normal as he announced their imminent arrival in the LA area Cyn clicked on the sht coht In deference to Mirabelle, she pulled theshade back down, and then stood, stretching her ar, then the floor Soht’s sleep in a bed

She made her way down the aisle to the s vampire was undisturbed, her blond hair a pale juht froain and stepped into the bathrooarea For variety’s sake, she chose a different chair Not that itand comfortable and upholstered in soft, creaned to accolance at the closed door in the back of the aircraft, she pulled up theshade once again and watched the fahts of the L A basin rise up to meet her

Cyn had landed at airports all over the world--soreen, soest cities on Earth--but there was a special feeling to landing at your hoet in your own car and open your own front door, eat froerator and take a shower in your own bathroo you’d soon be sleeping in your own bed, beneath your own sheets It was like no other feeling in the world The plane caentle thump and she was home

Part of her deal with the charter coar until after sunset It was one of those va quarters now occupied by Mirabelle It had sounded great at the tiround, Cyn was faced with the reality of waiting several hours for Mirabelle to wake up And it was not even noon

Too wound up to sleep or even sit still, Cyn prowled down the aisle and checked oncevampire She left the door to the bedroom open a crack, so if Mirabelle woke, she’d have at least a little light to see by She’d seemed pretty out of it in Houston, and Cyn didn’t want her to freak out when she woke up in a strange place

Out in the hangar, Cyn could hear the steady buzz of s on the nearby runway, mixed with the occasional whine of a private jet This airport handled only general aviation, so there was probably nothing bigger on the runways than her own chartered jet The hangar itself was big enough for two, but the co would be empty except for her

Cyn preferred to be certain, so she did a quick walk around of her own There was a ed office against one wall, with a couple of desks and the usual office paraphernalia, but the door was locked and the lights were off A pair of restroorand tour Once she’d checked the locks on all the exterior doors, she went back to the plane and sat on the stairs to rue in her backpack for her cell phone

There were several es fro It could have been Duncan calling, but she didn’t want to chance it Raphael was altogether too good at convincing her that whatever he wanted was reasonable And besides, Cyn had her pride He’d walked away froet ahold of her Was it coincidence that she’d recently been in Texas with a rival vampire lord? Cyn didn’t believe in coincidences Especially not where vampires were concerned They made Machiavelli look like a piker

There were two otherofficer at the LAPD, and one froe shelter and whose naiven to both Ramona Hewitt and Liz’s friend Kelli She called Lucia first, hoping against hope that Elizabeth had gotten the nuer’s voice held so much suspicion and resentment that Cyn wondered why the kid bothered to answer the phone at all Not that she expected anything else Luci gave "her" kids the run of the house as long as they observed sohting Other than that, they were encouraged to think of it as home--a concept which held few fond memories for most of them

"Hey," Cyn said "Is Lucia around?"

"Maybe Who’s calling?"

She rolled her eyes, but sed her impatience "Tell her it’s Cynthia"

"Luci!" The kid yelled so loudly that Cyn winced away froot a call!"

Cyn heard Luci’s voice as she approached the phone, soft and unhurried, as always If Luci ever raised her voice, Cyn had never heard it The self-appointed receptionist passed on her na, "Some chick, says her name is Cynthia"

"Cyn! Where’ve you been?" Luci exclairoaned "So what took you so long?"

"I picked up your o; I’ve been a little busy When did you call?"

"Two days ago Where are you?"

"Sitting in an airplane hangar waiting for sunset"

"Waiting for" Luci sighed "Vaht you were in Texas Someone from Child Services there called, Ramona Hewitt, and she said--"

"Yeah, she told irl, have you? Elizabeth Hawthorn? Blond, blue-eyed, on the tall side, probably with a bit of a twang?"

"No," Luci said slowly, as if running through a list in her head "No" More confidently "What makes you think she’s here?"

"She’s the reason I was in Texas Her guardian hired me to find her, and I’ave your nuet in touch"