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"Toni, call Dougal and Phineas, so they can use yer voice to teleport straight to this roo extra weapons" When Ian had sent out a psychic e, he’d merely summoned them to the Horny Devils But now he didn’t want them to accidentally teleport into the turmoil below And he didn’t want to send another psychic e that Jedrek could overhear

Toni whipped her cell phone fro, and Teddy tried to coh the wooden screen "They’re taking hostages," Carlos said quietly Ian looked at the scene below About ten of the lady Vamps had frozen in fear and failed to

teleport to safety Stanislav and Yuri were using silver ropes to lasso thee, s as the silver burned their skin and ether, and a Malcontent woman looped more silver rope around them to keep thealfive swords and some wooden stakes Ian passed a sword to Carlos "Do ye knoield it?" "I can learn" Carlos gripped the hilt "Why don’t you use guns?" "We can recover froh the heart is permanent" Ian

offered the last spare sword to Vanda "No thanks" She untied the whip from her waist "I’m more comfortable with this" "Can I have a sword?" Teddy approached hiet involved" "I want to be a hero, too," Teddy insisted Ian passed hiuard the worabbed so here" "Ye are--" Ian was interrupted by Jedrek’s boo voice

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"Ian MacPhie! I know you’re here Bring " Jedrek’s

voice was es Ian al to join him at the screen "We’ll teleport at the sah the screen "I’ll take Stan" "Then I’ll take Yuri," Dougal said "And I’ll take the wo here" "I will take the wolared at Toni "I can teleport You can’t" Toni glared back "I can handle the silver ropes to untie the hostages You can’t" "Ye’re no’ going--" Ian was interrupted by Jedrek "Don’t think you can attack e here,

and she’ll die if anyone comes close to me Nadia, you will kill the blonde to please loved hands, Nadia tied a blonde hostage to the dancer pole on the stage "Oh no," Vanda whispered "It’s Cora Lee" The bartender struggled against the silver ropes that bound her and sizzled against her bare skin

"Let un at her "Silver bullets, my dear They really hurt" When Cora Lee whimpered, he smiled "Your fear makes you even more attractive" "Vanda," Toni whispered "Do you have any wire cutters around here?" "Maybe There’s a tool kit in arded her sternly "Ye are no’ going down there" When she opened her ue, Ian continued, "This is no’ a friendly request I’er Ian turned to Carlos "Ye both stay here" "You can’t order nored him and motioned to the other Vamps "We teleport on three" He counted, and they

vanished

Ian materialized beside Jedrek and with the first swipe of his sword, he sent the gun flying from Jedrek’s hand Jedrek ju frolanced over to see Cora Lee, still tied to the pole, squir Vanda’s snapping whip to follow her ed at Jedrek, but he vanished "Damn!" Ian spun around to see where the coward had teleported Dougal and Phineas had engaged their opponents, and the clash of swords es Jedrek reappeared, standing on the bar He drew his sword, and blood

dripped frorow slippery Ian juroeak from the loss of blood

Jedrek kept his eyes on Ian as he reached down and nabbed soainst his bleeding hand "A how much those little cuts can bleed," Ian observed

With a sneer, Jedrek tossed the bloodied napkins to the floor Fro from Vanda’s office Dammit, no! She had wooden stakes stuffed in her waistband and wire cutters in her hand Staying low, she dashed to the back of the hostages

He couldn’t let Jedrek see her Jedrek had sent her the heart pendant He knew Ian cared for her, and that et By all the saints, she should have known that She should have minded him and remained hidden

Ian zipped quickly to the bar and leaped on top, forcing Jedrek to face hi his sith full force Jedrek teetered on the edge of the bar, losing his balance, then vanished

"Daht the cowardly bastard if he kept teleporting? From his position on the bar, Ian could see es had dwindled fro it five Toni was obviously freeing them as

quickly as she could But her own success would be her downfall, for with no hostages left, there would be no one for her to hide behind Jedrek reappeared on the stage "This one will die, MacPhie!" He lunged toward Cora Lee "No!" Vanda snapped her whip at hirabbed the whip and yanked Vanda toward hi pulled onto his sword "I should have killed you in Poland You would always hide in the caves like a rat" Vanda scrambled back "It will please me, Nadia, for you to kill the blonde," Jedrek ordered "Yes, Master" Nadia advanced on Cora Lee "And I will kill you, Vanda" Jedrek lifted his sword Ian teleported to the stage and intercepted Jedrek "Help me!" Cora Lee screary shriek, Vanda leaped on Nadia’s back The to for the dropped sword Ian wanted to help, but he was fending off Jedrek’s attack

Behind Jedrek, he spotted Toni sneaking onto the stage Oh, hell no He fought furiously, atteed Toni ran past the Cora Lee to the pole Cora Lee scra Meanwhile, Nadia reclaimed her sword, and she stalked toward a weaponless Vanda

Toni grabbed the silver rope that had bound Cora Lee and charged, swinging the ropes at the back of Nadia’s head Nadia cried out in pain The air smelled of burnt hair

Ian leaped back as Jedrek’s sword narrowlyhis stoed at Jedrek, but the bastard vanished oncefor his opponent

Jedrek appeared next to Toni

"No!" Ian zoo Toni with hirip

Relief swept over him when he saw Jedrek reappear on the bar with Toni At least the bastard hadn’t taken her to some secret place to torture and kill her Ian jue and ran toward theainst his chest and pressed his sword to her neck Ian froze