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Then he went back upstairs, returning to Constantia’s bed and the wreckage of his existence He lay beside his lover, blankets pulled up around his shoulders, and shut his eyes tightly

But he did not sleep

By dawn, Balthazar knehat he had to do

He rose and dressed fully, stockings and breeches and coat and hat Constantia still did not stir For a moment he looked down at her beautiful face and tried to think how to bid her farewell--if he could ever divide himself from her entirely, which at that moment seemed impossible She was poison, but poison that floithin his veins She would be a part of his vampire self forever

And yet it was easier than he would have thought to walk out of that rooain

Charity ake Balthazar had known she would be; even in life, she rose before anyone else, before the sun itself She sat in the great roo before the lingering eht of dawn froht Her eyes lifted to his, but she did not rise to greet him, nor speak

She’d had very little to say to him since the day she died

"Charity," Balthazar whispered "Is Redgrave asleep?"

"Yes" Her place in Redgrave’s bed was as assumed, and as unnatural, as Balthazar’s place beside Constantia

"Very well That gives us a chance to go"

"Go?" It was as if that were not a word in English, so flat was her incomprehension

After a century and a half of captivity, who could blame her? Balthazar reminded himself to speak slowly and clearly Sometimes Charity failed to understand, but this--this she had to understand "We’re leaving the out on our own You and ether in consternation "Leave Redgrave?"

"Yes Charity, this is our chance We can leave them behind Let them follow the war We’ll make our oay Maybe--maybe on the outskirts of a city, where we can hunt animals in the woods and nobody will bother us" Balthazar knew she would resist this--Charity liked human blood far too much--but surely it would be worth it to her, if itthe"Just us As it should have been You understand me, don’t you?"

Slowly, Charity nodded

Balthazar s to see just how sihtmare could end? He had no idea where creatures like he and his sister could find peace in the world--they were unholy, damned, no part of God’s creation--but they could look, couldn’t they? They could try Together, they rave, without Constantia, without the bloodshed It was just possible that he and his sister ht have the chance to be … happy

Then Charity said, "You want to take rave"