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She’d worn casual clothes tonight--jeans, flat-soled boots and a thick sweater The hunt was likely to involve a lot of trah the woods, especially since there wasn’t much other than woods around here The clothesshe usually avoided in her never-ending quest to be taken seriously in the male dominated world of vampires

And it was definitelyfootsteps outside her door just a o For centuries vampire lords had chosen their er the better, and that equaled male Modern times made that less necessary, but the tradition continued, because the vaot turned and the lords were ood example of the testosterone-laden ranks of Va all the vaht with him from California

For her part, Sophia was more powerful than most of the vampires she met, but female still equaled weak in one the route of Raphael’s lone female, Elke, who appeared to be every bit as rown up in a culture where beauty was a woman’s best, and sometimes only, weapon And she knew she was beautiful, just like she knew it fed the males’ misperception of her weakness But then her beauty was so before she’d ever becohts

But tonight, she’d forgone appearances in favor of practicality She had no intention of trudging through the underbrush in four inch heels and a silk blouse Her only concession was her hair, which she’d left hanging down her back instead of the more practical braid she usually adopted in such situations She told herself it had nothing to do with the possibility that Colin would be around, that he’d reether

She was usually very good at lying when it served her purposes But she’d never been very good at lying to herself She soothed her vanity with a final glance in the mirror, then opened her door to an empty hallway Apparently Raphael’s va the steep stairs froree of security in the co vaood care of his people That was his reputation, so she shouldn’t have been surprised But the reality had exceeded even the reputation She was ihtly disloyal to Lucien because of it

She heard laughter as she ca on a wash of cold air Recognizing Colin’s deep voice, she looked up eagerlyand frowned Colin was there all right, but he ith Raphael’s wo like old friends, as if they hadn’t just o Sophia’s eyes narrowed in displeasure, but she quickly erased the expression If Colin wanted to waste his ti carefully, while pretending not to, Sophia heard the woht and head across the wide expanse of the great roouards, this one human They were met by the pale, blond Elke, as dressed in a suit just like the males wore Sophia watched soreeted Elke, spending a few minutes more in cheerful conversation Did she have any friends like that? Sophia wondered Or even acquaintances? Anyone hohthearted conversation? The ansas no Not in Vancouver, not even in Rio which had been her home for years She had no one What startled her was that she had never noticed the lack until now

She studied the s Raphael’sbeauty in other wonized it in others But this Cynthia used her beauty differently than Sophia did, less consciously, perhaps, but she used it all the saave her a breezy confidence that made others accept her more readily, that let her take chances a less self-assured person would never have dared

Sophia glanced around, noting the nue Eyes which included Colin’s She frowned, feeling the jagged edge of jealousy scrape across her gut, so she rarely experienced As if aware of her reaction, Colin glanced over, his gazemoment Sophia started toward him with a smile, but before she’d taken two steps, he shook his head in disgust and spun away froust of cold, damp air to swirl around the sparsely furnished roohtened in irritation So he could spend an entire day with this Cynthia, as clearly off li for Sophia? As Raphael’s Cynthia had been heard to sayFuck that!

She scanned the great roo stairs up to the second floor With a burst of speed, she cut him off before he reached the first step

He recoiled a bit at her abrupt appearance, but then acknowledged her politely enough "Sophia," he said "Is there so you require?"

"A car," she said simply "Not one of those enormous trucks, but a simple sedan will do"

The Seattle compound leader see the others on the hunt tonight The trucks are unwieldy but--"

"Later," she interrupted "I need to run an errand first Your Sheriff Murphy and I are old acquaintances"