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General Buchanan nods "I agree with Ash We can’t do that"

"Yeah, our best bet is to use disguises," Beetle says "We’ll blend in with the other citizens There’s going to be a crapload of people there The guards can’t keep tabs on everyone"

"What about the red dots on the stage?" I say

"They’re Purian Rose’s bodyguards," Aest problee"

"It’s risky, mate, but we don’t have et Evangeline to Purian Rose before they stop her"

"You make it sound so easy," I drawl, and he s out the details, although the whole ti rests on its success

"It’s not enough to get Purian Rose to declare a cease-fire; we have to get the country to turn against the Sentry government so they don’t put another one of those assholes in power," Roach says, glancing at Enores the jibe

"We’ll tell theet the evidence to the news stations Who can we trust?"

E "I have contacts at SBN news We can trust the My heart leaps up into my mouth Natalie and Day step onto the balcony Their clothes are covered in Evangeline’s blood, their hair glistening with sweat

"Well?" I say

Natalie gives a small nod "It seems to have worked, but Yolanda said the next twenty-four hours are crucial Evangeline could still reject it"

"Can I see her?" Elijah asks

Natalie nods "She’s conscious"

Elijah leaves the balcony and Natalie turns to me, a mischievous look in her eye

"Someone has a crush," she says

A knot of jealousy twists in ether, but I force it aside, knowing it’s stupid to feel jealous I have no claieline Besides, I’d rather Elijah focus his attention on her than on Natalie

The rest of us head inside I follow Natalie to our bedroom and slump down on the bed while she takes a quick shower I close my eyes for what seems like a second, but when I open them, it’s dark outside Natalie isn’t in the rooo in search of her I find her in the library with her parents It’s an oval roo with books General Buchanan is by the open , s in the red leather chairs beside the white marble fireplace On a table between theany table Natalie turns, sensing me She waves me over, and I take a seat beside her

"It didn’t really sink in earlier, with everything that was going on But Polly was like Purian Rose, right?" Natalie says to herand Lupine in her?"

Emissary Buchanan nods faintly Fla in the hearth "We realized it at the first ultrasound Dr Craven couldn’t find a heartbeat, and I thought" She sighs sadly "But then he spotted her fangs"

"What?" Natalie splutters

"They develop in utero in the first feeeks after conception," Emissary Buchanan explains "It was apparent then that she wasn’t normal"

I wince at the word Normal Natalie’s father stares out the , one hand thrust in his pocket, the other holding the cigarette

"Craven ran some more tests after she was born and confirmed what she was," Emissary Buchanan continues "Thankfully, because she was predominantly human, we could pass her off as one of us, with a few moderations"

"Moderations?" Natalie asks

"You neutered her," I say

Emissary Buchanan nods "She wore veneers No one suspected a thing Lots of Sentry girls have cose"

"Did Polly knohat she was?" Natalie asks

"She didn’t know she was different until you were born," Eirl didn’t have a heartbeat and craved blood But then you ca with her Your father and I explained to her what she was, and who her real father was, but that she had to keep it a secret"

"So she always knew?" Natalie sinks back in her chair, her blond curls fra her face "What about her heart? Surely someone noticed she didn’t have a heartbeat"

"You didn’t," Eenerally don’t go around checking each other’s pulses, Natalie Why would they? Besides, she looked human," Emissary Buchanan says

"And we made sure Craven did all her medical examinations, so he could fake the results," General Buchanan says fro"

"Did Purian Rose know she was his daughter?" Natalie says

"I told him she was Jonathan’s," Emissary Buchanan replies

Over by the , General Buchanan’s expression hardens He takes a drag of his cigarette S ribbon<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>