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When he turned back to Skye, her sad smile told hi; she understood hiht a huht anyone could "I saw Dakota," she said "While I was on the riverbank Brothers and sisters … the bond doesn’t go ahen you die"

"Or long after death," Balthazar said "What did you see?"

Before Skye could answer, Craig and Britnee entered the roos in his hands "Okay, ants hot chocolate?" Britnee chirped

Skye went straight for it; she needed the heat Though human food had little taste for Balthazar, he wouldn’t mind some himself--vaain When Britnee cheerfully handed ato Charity, his sister stared down into it suspiciously, as if they ht have spiked it with holy water But she held on to it, and he could see a small smile of pleasure as a few curls of stea said, "Let ot psychic powers, and that does so to capture her and et some of the blood for the’s okay?"

Balthazar had been feeling better before Craig said that "The first part is right But Redgrave’s death doesn’tshot"

"They’re still co to be helpful He could see her struggling to be clear, to behave well "So rave, but they’ll look and they’ll look"

"And Black Cross is on the way," Balthazar added Charity startled; Craig and Britnee looked confused To explain to theerous Our old friend Lucas used some old contacts to send them this way They’ll take out any vampire they find, present company included"

Britnee said, "Are we about to be in a vaoing to coleeful, before apparently realizing that wasn’t the right reaction and sobering herself

Skye and Balthazar looked at each other; in her eyes he could see theknown this crisis was coe … which, ironically, had given hi power, the other vampires would have been held in some kind of check There would have been soht be and when they ed

Every vampire or tribe that ca Skye for its own use They would make wars on one another For when or how they would attack This toould be ain, just as it had been during the French and Indian War Except now the battles would be between the dead--with untold hus at risk as well The only way to prevent that catastrophe was for Skye to leave

Quietly, Balthazar said to Skye, "You can’t stay here"

"I can’t leave Mom and Dad," she insisted, as stubbornly as she always had "Not after they lost Dakota It’s too cruel, Balthazar"

"Too cruel," Charity agreed, in such a singsong tone of voice that Balthazar at first thought she was si words she’d heard, as she often did But then she continued, "Crueler if they die because of you"

That got through to Skye as nothing else had, Balthazar realized She paled at the thought Redgrave would have spared her parents because it suited his absurd ideas of his own nobility and fairness; the other va on the toould have no such qualested, "Take them with you"

"Mom and Dad?" Skye considered this for a moment "You mean, tell them the truth about all this?"

"Maybe they could handle it?" Britnee said "I ht It occurred to Balthazar that, as Skye’s ex-boyfriend, Craig probably knew the Tierneys better than anyone else in the rooht be less clouded by guilt and grief "I know they’ve been acting weird since Dakota--well, since Dakota," Craig said "But this stuff you’re dealing with is too big for you to carry alone, Skye"

Balthazar could i Skye and her parents somewhere out of the way, an unknown location where they could still lead regular lives He could make sure they re with Skye a while longer before letting her get back to being the norirl she deserved to be

At that moment the front door opened Balthazar went for Charity’s blade, now in his own coat, but the new intruders weren’t frorave’s tribe They were people he’d never seen before--

"Mo and rushed into her parents’ ar about you"

"Honey, we came as soon as we could," Mrs Tierney said "The bill’s up for a vote tonight, but we just said, screw it"