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"Me too," he breathed, and I wondered where Jenks was

"This way, please," one of theThe walls were bright, and with the artwork from multiple periods and schools on the walls and pedestals, it felt as if ere in a museum The air stank of vaet out of here Da

"You okay?"

"Ask lass-and-wood door and gestured for us to enter Heart pounding, I went first, thinking it looked like any other corner office apart froation rooht behind us, his motions vampire quick

"I don’t like it ely bare, desk "This is my office Please, sit down We have tiht?" I said, and he laughed, gesturing at the chairs

"Sit down, Rachel"

That made me feel oh so fuzzy and warm, and I eased into the leather chair closest to the door Trent hesitated, then took the other "I wasn’t aware that you worked for the IS," Trent said

Corers atop his desk, clearly pleased "I don’t The office cah business here to warrant keeping it, but not enough to have a secretary Thank you for saving ?"

My eyes narrowed "Ivy," I stated, and he s the Turn, but it fell flat against

Lifting the chair underthe desk Sitting back, I put my ankles up on it It wasback, Cor "Would you like so to drink?" he said, the words precise and clear

I took my feet off his desk and leaned over it, the flat of ht under his face and I could watch his eyes dilate to a full, angry black "Where’s Ivy?"

Trent cleared his throat "I’d like a black coffee," he said pleasantly "I don’t knohat Rachel wants Second-guessing her is a iveninto the leather chair and trying to keepin so much vampire pheromones My God, they were thick down here "Coffee," I said, and thethe door behind him "Cormel, this is stupid Felix walked into the sun How ht to the point," Cor nevertheless"

"It will kill you," I continued, wanting to get out of here "Don’t ask me why, but I don’t want to see you dead"

"Dead?" Cormel’s pupils shrank, and I breathed easier "No, you siress out of the trap we’re in Felix was not sane I a "The longer you’ve been sucking people dry, the harder it is to survive the trauma of your soul Give me Ivy and I’ll see what I can do for the newly undead, but you having your soul will cause you to suncide Landon knows it He’s counting on it Why are you listening to him?"

Trent dryly cleared his throat, but I fixedhim to look away His lip had curled up to show a littleexactly what I want," the vaer for our souls after weadapt Can you iht "The power of the undead with the strength of the living?"

I thought of Nina, swaying the croith just that "It’s a dream, Cormel"

A flicker of unease crossed hi his fingers, he said, "Indications show that with enough time the emotions will fade"

"Guilt takes forever to fade"

"We have forever," he shot back, and agitated, I turned to thein three cups of coffee It save Cormel his first, then Trent, and finally me The man practically backed out, and my eyes narrowed at his fear

"To live forever will elevate us, ," Cormel said, his attention on the tiny spoon as he sifted as probably salt into his coffee I’d be willing to bet it shifted the flavor reat forever is," I said, deciding to skip the coffee

"Yet you’ve given Ivy hope," Cormel said "You must believe it’s possible for the undead to survive with their souls if you gave Ivy a ic to capture hers"

Shit, he’d found the soul bottle "If you took it fro I hadn’t pushed ht

"I didn’t take her ic," Cormel said Expression blank, he sipped his coffee "You’ve failed to convince er"

"Then you’re going to die!" I exclaiestured for soer you’re dead, the s you do to stay alive, and the harder it is to survive the guilt in your soul It’s only the newly undead that !" Cor!"

I said nothing, not having even seen hiri to ed fro his confidence "They gift me with their blood, their aura, their soul How can it be wrong?"

"It is," I said softly "That’s why you hen you get your soul back You can’t have everything you want"

"Remember that," Cormel said as the door to the hall opened and Landon was shoved in He looked disheveled, in the saured he was about as happy as ere to be here, but the shiave e Trent reers steepled and his ankle across one knee You shouldn’t be here, I thought, worried

Landon pulled hireen robes and that hat that Newt favored "Rachel," he said, givingto Cormel "I told you it wouldn’t last if they’re alive Kill theaze flicked to the two thugs just inside the door and back again "We didn’t send them back Your spell fell apart"