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She moved forward toward the altar and knelt As she touched her head to the floor, I stood silent When she rose, candles around the altar sputtered to life without the aid of urine and kissed it That done, she turned to me

"What news?"

I knee didn’t have ed for soot down to business

"I’ is tomorrow"

"Excellent," she said Her slender, ether "I’ll alert Persephone and Tanith"

I nodded, but she didn’t see it, lost in thought "Are there any further instructions?"

She shook her head "I’ll be checking in with you via your secure phone I’ll reht Resentut, but I knew she only wanted to be sure the mission went off without complications She couldn’t help herself

"Yes, Grandmother," I said "I’ll be careful"

"Now, have you considered how you’ll play the n reluctance If he thinks I’er to join hiht also try to use your birth to lure you onto his side Use it to your advantage"

Her e One minute she treated my mixed blood like a shameful secret, and the next she wantedI could get to Clovis without having to share too many intimate details with him

"You must re when he wants to be"

"You’ve met him?"

"Yes, his father was a trusted adviser to the Dominae ere still in Rome Clovis showed a lot of promise despite his father’s unfortunate affair with the demon Akasha However, his mixed blood lured him away from the Lilim early on He’s been a thorn in our side ever since"

"That certainly sheds soe my sarcasm Instead, she turned and seeht prayers I stood there for a

"Grandmother," I said finally "What do you know about the Praescariu around, her eyes intense "Why do you bring up that nonsense?"

I shrugged "Someone mentioned it in connection with the Caste of Nod"

"Sabina, why are you wasting my time with questions about faery tales? The Praescarium Lilitu is a myth There is no Caste"

I nodded "So the birthmark on my shoulder blade isn’t a symbol of the Caste?"

She went very still "Whoave uy He said the syht-point star"

"Did you tell this person about your birthot the sense the answer to this question was important

"No"

"Good What have I always told you?" she said, co your mixed blood to the world You’d best keep it to yourself"

I still didn’t understand how keeping theme any favors After all, nals to all the dark races that I was mixed-blood But I could tell from her tone that Grandmother didn’t want to talk about it any more

"Like I said, I was just curious Sorry to waste your tio"

I turned to leave through the door hidden by the tapestry hanging behind the altar It depicted the firstof Lilith and Cain, which resulted in the birth of the vampire race For the first time, I noticed the serpent curled in the tree behind the lovers The erotic picture had been a fixture in my life since I could remember, but as I looked at it noondered why I’d never noticed that detail before