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"Sophie?"
She shook herself impatiently Whatever, whoever, waited for them here, she would deal with it, because she had to Because no matter what it was, she had dealt orse and survived
"We see who anse knock," she said matter-of-factly and opened the truck door
She was struck immediately by the scent of all those flowers It was lovely, the first truly pretty thing she’d seen since arriving in this rainy place Whoever lived in this house had an appreciation for beauty
Soone before she was even aware of it She caught her breath and stared hard at the homey little cabin Impossible
Her attention shifted as a pair of dark shapes separated from the shadows and headed directly for Raphael and his party Vampires They were clearly Raphael’s and had been set to watch this place until he arrived
A light came on over the door One would have to be deaf and blind not to notice their arrival The door was pulled back and a vaguely fa Sophia took a few steps to the side to escape the porch light’s glare and get a better look She was puzzled to discover it was the wo the day
Evenfor her and instead of sensibly sla the door, she opened the screen and stood back, welco them into her houilty person So ere they here?
Whatever qualms Sophia had, Raphael had none He started toward the stairs, and Sophia set there ahead of him Raphael’s people were fanatically devoted to his safety She could only hope her own-- Sophia froze in mid-step Her own?
"Sophie?"
She took Colin’s offered hand, taking comfort from its solid warmth "Let’s see what Lord Raphael has in mind, Colin"
The woh not unattractive She ht have been pretty if she’d taken the time to fuss Her hair was a lovely auburn shade, but she had it pulled back into a tidy pony tail that did nothing to enhance her features, and her eyes were hidden behind sturdy wire rilasses
She was nervous, but ouldn’t be when confronted in theva to answer your door and find the who Raphael was--and working at the compound, she had to knohat he was--she smiled and invited them inside, as if she’d expected them
"Ms Koepke," Duncan said with his custo to fear frohly of you and your work for hiain, see on "How can I help you, Lord Raphael?" she asked
"You knohy Lord Raphael is here in Seattle," Duncan said "You know about the ht line
"What did you hear?" Duncan asked gently
Sophia watched the woentle inquiries if he truly believed she had so to do with the murders And if she didn’t, then Sophia’s question was the same as the woman’s Why were they here?
"I heard you found the awful men who did this," the woman said in a low voice "The ones who murdered Marco and Preston and then attacked poor Mariane And I heard that Lord Raphael andthat one," she added, giving Sophia a lare, "killed them all"
Sophia drew back in surprise As far as she knew, she’d never met this human before, and the woman seemed to have no problem with the others So why the hostility toward her?
Raphael was leaning against the cold fireplace, one ar to seeht it would take much more than a casual pose to reed with her He straightened i up the pose
"I’m tired of this," he said abruptly "What do you know about the men who committed these murders? About their connections in Vancouver?" he de about that"
Lucien! The abrupt awareness of her Sire drew Sophia’s shocked gaze to the dark hallway She stared as he walked slowly into the light, anger warring with relief that he was here and alive She risked a quick glance at Raphael He wasn’t surprised Clearly this was the reason they were here That big bastard had known all along that they’d find Lucien with this wo her Sire
But she was too stunned to answer, staring in horror as Lucien e room If Sophia hadn’t heard his voice first, she wouldn’t have recognized hiers bony with knobby joints and yellowed nails His black, wavy hair, once a source of shaht and sed it, hanging as stiff and straight as dried twigs And his face--his beautiful face--was parched and wrinkled, jowls hanging to his chin, his once sparkling eyes concealed beneath heavy lids and coarse brows
Sophia wanted to weep Concern radiated from Colin like a heat lamp as he moved closer, and she kneas prepared to defend her even though he had no idea as causing her distress
Her fingers brushed against his He was too much a warrior to take her hand in an unknown and possibly hostile situation, but his hand touched her lower back briefly in reassurance
"Raphael," Lucien rasped His head rotated slowly in her direction "And Sophia, my treasure I knew I could count on you"
His clouded eyes studied the other vampires in the crowded room "Duncan, of course But I don’t know these others"<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>