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The room was furnished casually, with leather couches and armchairs scattered about in an almost random pattern Since only vampires lived here, the heavy furniture was iven ti Cyn with hie ar inward His security people spread throughout the room, with a couple stationed behind him, between his chair and the emptyThe ere bulletproof, of course, and the possibility of an attack negligible within the co to take

He sat down, nodding for Wei Chen and the others to sit with him Duncan took up his usual station to his master’s left, while Cyn slouched on the wide ar in to rest her arm on his near shoulder She still wore her weapons, despite the fact they were now safely within not just the co itself with its for hierous What if it was a trap? What if the huest prize of all--not just a varowl at the uments, all of which he’d rejected He had to be here These were his va

"My lord"

Raphael was jerked out of his thoughts by Wei Chen’s soft voice He speared the nest leader with a fierce gaze "I want details, Wei Chen Everything you’ve discovered about these estured at a va next to him "Loren is our security--"

"I am aware of who Loren is," Raphael interrupted coldly

Wei Chen’s lips treive me, my lord Would you prefer Loren to--"

"I don’t care who gives the report, as long as so"

The nest leader paled so badly that Raphael feared he would topple over where he sat As a vareater than any other va as most of Raphael’s closest security staff However, Wei Chen was not a fighter, which hy he lived here The Seattle coh risk area before the recent murders The vampires here maintained a fairly low profile They were mostly professionals, many of theeeks Cyn called them in private Most worked exclusively via co in person with their clients and/or human counterparts Wei Chen was a financial consultant, chosen to lead the compound because of his corporate e others

"Loren, perhaps you could give us the specific details of what has happened thus far," Duncan, ever the diplo the air out of the rooave a self-assured nod He opened a folder on his lap and began speaking "Sire, as you know there have been two previous attacks, three now, after this vicious assault on Jereet of this latest atrocity was, in fact, Jeremy himself, that--"

"It was" They all looked up as Jeremy walked slowly into the room, his exhaustion obvious, but his face full of deter to force her to reveal ed "Your mate?"

"She is well, ht you here this evening A hu her--"

"Peter Saephan," Raphael confirmed "He is an excellent healer, and I have trusted him with the life of my own mate on more than one occasion" He twisted histo himself if to no one else, the reality that repeatedly drew Cyn into situations requiring Dr Saephan’s skilled care

"I will tell Mariane Thank you,with the effort of ht’s terrible trau with himself over some internal debate, until finally he approached Raphael and dropped to his knees

"I ith her, my lord," Jeremy whispered "I was there" His eyes, when they uilt "But I couldn’t reach her I tried," he said desperately, ht, than anyone else

Jereather himself His back stiffened and when he spoke next, his voice with firm with resolve, "I am not a soldier,down these animals The blood of my mate has earned me a place in the hunt"

Raphael heard the unvoiced desperation in his plea Jereh to save Mariane’s life That it was Raphael’s blood which saved her lessened the pain of his failure, because Raphael was master to every vampire in this compound, his power so far beyond theirs that it transcended description But still, his failure to save his e this attack on her