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Prologue

Malibu, California

Raphael was drowning, trapped in a whirlpool of pain and losssolike razors into his soul He raged at the bonds that held hihtainst the skin of his chest, shredding as left of his heart The merciless sun forced him to lie dormant while he howled in silence, the voices of his dead children deainst those who had destroyed them

Five centuries old and the most powerful vampire on earthand still he could only wait

The hours ticked by, and then the minutes

The sun was still a molten sht that held hi her close, pulling her onto his lap and less words of reassurance He reached out to his va, but especially to Duncan as near enough and strong enough to have felt the biting edge of Raphael’s nighthtmare that was all too real

Cyn jerked her head up, studying hiht, her eyes red and swollen, her lovely face streaked with tears He kissed the his own face ith blood

"What was that?" she de!"

"Tears, lubimaya, only tears Two of mine have died, their lives stolen--"

Across the roo in his arms to stare at the intrusive device as if she’d never seen it before "Who?" she asked fearfully

"That will be Duncan," he said soothingly "I need to speak with hi her fear for hi the co her pressed to his side, her heart beating strong and sureand alive

He crossed the roo onto Cyn as he picked up the cell on the third ring

"Duncan Marco and Preston are gone Contact the Seattle co"

Chapter One

North of Seattle, Washington

Colin Murphy downshifted as he ravel had been laid here a couple years back, but the rains had washed away h to s sripped the wheel, his tires sliding on the uneven surface before the heavy 4X4 dug in and forged ahead Say what you will about Aht to hiave the dashboard an affectionate pat as he leaned forward, squinting through the rain-spattered windshield

Lillian Freunshots over here Colin wasn’t really a police officer--ood people of Cooper’s Rest paid hieared up and headed out He didn’t really knohat to expect, though Mrs Fremont had been adamant about what she’d heard, but the woood two , and situated as she was on the opposite side of a shallow dip in the forest floor, it was just possible she could hear quite well over there Especially if what she’d told him was true

Of course, in his experience unfire sounded like, expecting it to be like what they heard incity, either Most people up here had guns of their own and knew firsthand about gunfire