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"My father’s entire estate--mine noas sold, the investments liquidated At a considerable loss, I’m certain, but we didn’t care about that Or Lucien didn’t I didn’t care about anything at that point It took several months, and I had to make a few appearances before the authorities, but eventually it was done"

"What about the Frenchwoman? How did they punish murder back then?"

"I don’t knohat they would have done," Sophia said dismissively "I didn’t leave it to thelared at Colin, daring hie on her children’s killer

Colin’s eyebrows shot up in surprise "You o, Colin Things were very different than they are now, especially for va not everyone you kill beco that bitch irin of her own "You’re right I killed the whore outright, and I ave a sideways tilt of his head "Sounds good to me What about your husband? What happened to him?"

"I have no idea I wanted to kill him, too, but Lucien wouldn’t let me Teodosio had no part in the deaths beyond lust and stupidity And fewoffense"

"I think I’htfully

Sophie ser had the power to make her weep, but the emotions were still powerful, the loss still keen, and it was exhausting to talk about it

Colin stepped even closer, his body radiating heat like a furnace, the thump of his heart loud in the sudden quiet

"I’ loosely at his sides, fingers flexing over and over as if he didn’t knohat to do with them

Sophia met his eyes "I wanted you to understand," she insisted "You asked for the reason I left, the reason I let you think I was dead that night" She reached up and gave into teer on his lips when he surprised her by not pulling away "Do you know, I still hear that café exploding in my dreams I was blocks away and still the street buckled so hard I nearly fell Everyone was screa and I looked up and saw the flames and I knew There were the rumors--we’d even talked about theovern all over the country, and I knew they’d attacked that damn café and that you were in it

She shook her head, re to be discreet or to hide ht me When I reached the café and I saw the fla fire take someone I loved I nearly went in after you I didn’t know if I could survive it or not, but I didn’t care I just knew I couldn’t live through that again But then I saw you standing across the square I saw your friend hanging onto you, dragging you away as you fought hiiven me a second chance

"I had lostI could do about that But you were alive, Colin Your life had been spared, and I wasn’t going to ruin the chance I’d been given, that you’d been given, by dragging you into the dra froo back to the United States with you The US vampire lords would never have toleratedto have that white picket fence you’d talked about There would be no children, no picnics on the beach in the sunshine I had nothing to offer you but blood and darkness So I let you walk away, and I told ht thing"

Colin reached out at last, his arainst her hair when he asked, "And what do you think now, Soph?"

She sighed and spoke without lifting her head, afraid of what she’d see in his face "I think Ime back then Or maybe I just don’t care anymore You’re the onlywithout you"

Chapter Thirty-Two

Colin swore softly under his breath, cursing himself for every kind of fool as his body reacted to Sophie’s words If what Leighton had told him about vampiric senses was true, Sophie probably already knew that his heart was thudding and his breathing was so fast he was al And she sure as hell couldn’tto bury itself in her soft belly