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Cyn nodded and whispered back, knowing he could hear "But not Kimiko"

Raphael chuckled "A for kind of cough and seeainst her Cyn drew back in alaries, Cyn, it seehtened and shook his head In a bizarre flashback to Mirabelle and the airplane, Cyn tucked her shoulder under his ared him in the direction of the bed before his vampire nature took away the option They barely ed to pull back the blanket and Raphael collapsed onto the narrow ave hi if he was as out of it as he appeared, but his eyelids never even fluttered His head hit the pillow, he exhaled a last deep breath and thennothing

She panicked a little when he stopped breathing, her lungs seizing up in sympathy as she pressed her hand down over his heart A wan beat pulsed under her palhed in relief, only to jump in surprise when his chest expanded and he drew in another breath She watched for severalwhen his body seeish, rhythue, bodies freshly dead from violence or even quietly dead at home or hospital But despite the fiction of movies and television, the truth was that life fled the body fairly quickly The personality that had once animated the flesh, the unique expressions that had sculpted the face their loved ones recognizedthose were gone forever She gazed down at Raphael and wondered how anyone could inary hair off his forehead, running her fingers back along his scalp and caressing his cheek softly Her heart squeezed in her chest, and she stood, feeling slightly perverted, as though she’d taken advantage of hihtened and looked around the sle sleeping platfor from one side and a sink and toilet in the far corner There were no s--they got that ht anyway She crossed to the vanity and used the toilet, after a very thorough scan for additional ca her nose at the harsh soap provided, and had no sooner dried her hands on a paper towel, than the lights clicked off with no warning She listened to the fading fluorescent buzz and chuckled Santillo and crew couldn’t co cameras that weren’t supposed to be there, so they’d clearly decided to punish her by turning off the lights in the less room instead They’d be disappointed to learn she didn’t care She’d been up all night searching for Liz; this would actuallyto be the floor or the bed; there wasn’t anywhere else to sit Another intentional oversight, no doubt She wondered again if Raphael was at all aware under that serene exterior, and figured he was probably laughing his ass off right about now But she was too tired to fight it

Grateful for the dark rooun out of her waistband and tucked it under the pillow, then stretched out on the bed next to the va so she faced the door She closed her eyes, grateful at least that it was nearly winter and the days were short, although she suspected this one would see

Chapter Thirty-six

Cyn woke the instant Raphael began to stir It had been a restless day for her, with people co almost constantly out in the hallway The facility had been virtually abandoned only days before, but they’d probably brought in extra staff since they were holding an actual prisoner Still, Cyn couldn’t help wondering if all that noise in the hallway had been intentional There were times when it had soundedfacility She shifted on the narrow bed, ready to sit up, when a familiar arm curled around her waist to hold her in place

"Is this my punishment or yours, sweet Cyn?" henormally, intensely aware of his closenessand the fact that the door could open at any minute

Raphael’s breath arm on her neck "Cameras?"

"The visual’s still blocked" She too spoke in a bare whisper "I don’t know about sound"

He relaxed fractionally "I have missed you, my Cyn"

"You left ainst the rush of eered by his words She was thankful for the still dark rooh she knew he could feel the sudden jolt in her pulse and probably sathered her close, sliding both arh

"I am sorry, lubimaya"

Cyn let her head rest on the thickness of his arm Lubimaya, he called her It was Russian My love You are such a fool, Cynthia

A door slaain "Boyd," he said as the lights snapped on "And others are with hi, Cyn slightly behind Raphael He’d pushed her there at the first click of the lock It was instinctive on his part, so Cyn tried to ignore the i She scowled at his back, but couldn’t help feeling a little pleased

The first person into the room was Boyd He slipped inside quickly and pulled the door nearly closed behind hi directly to Raphael with the vampire’s confiscated belt and tie

"My lord," he said, holding the it through the loops at his waist and buckling it on with rapid movements The tie came next He slipped it around his neck and turned to Cyn with a raised eyebrow There were no mirrors in the room She knotted the silk with the practiced moves of a wohtened his collar and smoothed the tie down his broad chest When she finished, he took her hand and raised it to his lips for a soft kiss, before turning back to Boyd

The lawyer’s expression inkling with poorly concealed glee as he reported