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Lazaro shook his head His handso darker "I’m sorry, Melena Theleft"

Sorave stare She couldn’t hold back the grief, the tears It all flooded out of her on an ugly, shuddering sob And then her knees did give out, and she sank back down to the sandy floor of the cave

Lazaro’s warm hands were still clasped on her arms as he crouched down in front of her She couldn’t stop the wracking anguish, noforward into his ar to hi, she didn’t know

She only knew that after she didn’t think she could cry any her Still keeping her upright when the rest of her world was cru all around her

"Why?" she murmured into his bulky shoulder "My God, he knew this He was so afraid he was going to die soon Who would do this to hiently pulled her away froht scowl "Your father feared for his life?" Confusion flashed across his features, then settled into suspicion "Damn it Why didn’t he tellHe had plenty of opportunity to say soer in any way"

Melena shook her head, heartsick "He didn’t knoho he could trust He’d been having pre to die soon He didn’t knohen, or where the betrayal would come from He wasn’t sure of anyone anymore"

"Not even me," Lazaro replied "Jesus Christ, why didn’t he cancel the da? He could haveBut it was too iht Neither one of us knew" She thought back on the time she and her father spent with Paolo Turati She had detected no hidden agendas No duplicity or har her in unreadable silence "You need to tell ht you with hiave him a weak nod There was no one He had nothing left to lose if word of his paranoia becaer needed to protect hi with hio--he couldn’t bear," she corrected herself quietly, "to go anywhere unless I was there to assure hiht that it wasn’t only ht It was lance if soood or not"

"Your Breedmate talent," Lazaro murmured There seemed to be a trace of relief in his tone "So, when you looked at Turati and the others on the yacht tonight?"

She shook her head "There was nothing to fear from any of them"

"Did your father voice his concerns to any of his colleagues in the GNC?"

"No"

"Anyone outside the Council?"

"No one," she replied, certain of it