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"Who’s the , but to one Poof
"That’s weird He was just there," I said
Ivan shook his head "Freakin’ ive me the willies"
"Do you knoho he was?" I asked
"Nah But he was asking questions before you got here"
"What kind of questions?" I didn’t knohy I was so intrigued about so sensors
Ivan looked at me and said, "About you"
Well, if that wasn’t the perfect end to a perfectly craptacular evening Why in the hell would a e sereeted me at the front door
"Follow h the doorframe as he led me inside the Do that, likeof the double staircase My boots scuffed the limestone steps, the sound unnaturally loud in the cavernous room When we reached the top, hecarpeted corridor At various intervals, we passed guards standing still as statues next to priceless artwork set in niches along the blood-red walls
Finally, we reached the doors to the antechamber A handful of other va strawberry blonds; only a few had darker shades These were hangers-on, hoping to curry favor A pair of older vampires,to each other
As usual, all conversation ceased when I walked in
More art hung here--landscapescri over arched hich reached frorounds of the estate Past that, the ocean sparkled in the ht
At the back of the room stood two doors, each emblazoned with a bronze relief The left panel showed Lilith seducing Cain, which resulted in the creation of the vaht depicted her coronation as the Queen of Irkalla following her e to Asmodeus On either side of these, torches sat in brackets, illues
The sound of static frouards spoke into it in low tones
"Sabina Kane," he announced finally
In unison, the guards each grabbed a handle, sweeping the large panels open with a flourish I could feel the stares of the others as I moved The words "killer" and "mixed-blood" were muttered in hushed tones Once I passed the portal, the doors closed, locking out their judght in my peripheral vision, but my eyes were focused on the hts, the Do wooden table in the center of the chamber
Lavinia, with her dark carmine hair, sat at the center with one fe the three was secured by her age Some vampires, the bold ones, joked that she pre-dated the discovery of fire In reality, no one really knew for sure when she was born Hell, she was uess, like everyone else, I was too afraid to ask
"Sabina," she said as I approached Her voice was a seduction, husky and infused with quiet authority "Welco before theht hand--a sign of respect
"Protectors of all Lilis of the Great Mother upon each of you"
"And to you, child," Lavinia said "You may rise"
I stood and clearedon the way here Lavinia clapped her aze back to her The sound of shuffling feet ca a tray He opened a bottle of wine and poured a burgundy liquid into four stelass to my lips The smell of oaky wine and metallic blood tickled my nose The first sip exploded onto as my esteeent s sip "Where did you find this?"