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Assail ended up further tracking his prey froe Rover Much cozier this way - and it wasn&039;t as if the woman&039;s location was an issue now: While he&039;d been waiting by the Audi for her to co device to the underbelly of her side-view mirror

His iPhone took care of the rest

After she&039;d left his neighborhood in a rush - following his deliberate deht just to further destabilize her - she had crossed the river and headed around to the backside of the city, where the houses were small, packed in close to one another, and finished with alu at least two blocks between their vehicles, he regarded the brightly colored lights in the neighborhoods, the thousands of strands of twinklers strung a out s and doorfraer scenes placed prominently on tiny front laere spotlit, and there were also fat white snoith red scarves and blue pants that glowed from within

In contrast to the seasonal accoutrein Mary statues were permanent

When her vehicle stopped and stayed that way, he closed in, parking four houses down and killing his lights She didn&039;t get out of the car right away, and when she finally did, she wasn&039;t wearing the parka and tight ski pants she&039;d had on whilst spying on hied into a thick red sweater and a pair of jeans

She&039;d let her hair down

And the heavy, brunette weight reached below her shoulders, curling at the ends

He growled in the darkness

With quick, easy strides, she sur up to theopen the screen door with its curlicuewith her hip, let herself in with a key, and closed things back up

As a light cah the front roo him only a sense of her ht of his own screens It had taken hi time to perfect that invention, and the Hudson River house had been perfect for piloting them The barriers worked even better than he&039;d anticipated

But she was sh to have picked up on the anoiveaway had been

On the second floor, a light ca had stirred at her arrival

His fangs pulsed The idea that so her in their mated bedrooh that didn&039;ther for his own self-protection, and nothinght the car door handle, his phone rang Good ti

When he saho it was, he frowned and put the cell up to his ear "Two calls in such a short tie was not aet back to me"

"Was I required to?"

"Watch yourself, boy"

Assail&039;s eyes remained locked on the little house He was curiously desperate to knoas going on inside Was she heading up the stairs, undressing as she went?

Exactly as she hiding her pursuits froe in the car prior to entering the house?

"Hello?"

"I appreciate the kind invitation," he heard himself say

"It&039;s not an invitation You&039;re a goddamn member of the Council now that you&039;re in the New World"

"No"

"Excuseat Elan&039;s house in the early winter, the one Rehvenge had not known about, the one to which the Band of Bastards had shown up and flexed their ht of the atte&039;s life - on Assail&039;s own property, for godsakes

Too

With practiced ease, he launched into the saiven Xcor&039;s faction "I ah I respect both the current sovereignty and the Council&039;s power base, I cannot divert energy or time away from my enterprise Not now, nor in the future"

There was a stretch of silence And then that deep, ever-so-evil voice came over the connection "I&039;ve heard about your business"

"Have you"

"I was in it myself for a number of years"

"So I understand"

"I ed to do both"

Assail smiled into the darkness "Mayhap I a toperfectly clear If you don&039;t show up at thaton the wrong teae there are two and they are opposed"

"Take it as you will But if you&039;re not with , you are my enemy and his"

And that was precisely what Xcor had said Then again, was there any other position in this groar?

"The king was shot at your house, Assail"

"So I recollect," he muttered dryly

"I&039;d think you&039;d want to put to rest any notion of your involvement"

"I already have I told the Brothers that very night that I had nothing to do with it I gave the Why would I do any such thing if I were a traitor?"

"To save your own ass"

"I am quite accomplished at that without the benefit of conversation, I assure you"

"So what&039;s your schedule like?"

The light on the second story was extinguished, and he had to wonder what the wo in the darkness - and hos bared the et bullshit"

Assail put the Range Rover in gear He was not going to sit upon the curb whilst whatever happened insidehappened She was clearly ho there Besides, his phone would alert hiain set into athered speed, he spoke with clarity "I a my position on the Council My neutrality in this battle for the crown shall not be questioned by either side - "