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Opening ht as wellThere’s no point It doesn’t know the anse need"

"Wait," Gil said She stepped in front ofmy view of the skull "We can ask him other questions This is the perfect tio insane Not to ether and to the et to Death’s Angel before Tatius discovers I’lanced at the sky How long had I been gone? Had Samantha reported my defection to Tatius? "Getto be my apprentice, remember, babe?" Avin smiled at Gil "Trust me, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to study the dead"

She frowned but nodded "All right I’ll cooodbye

And for the first time, I waited anxiously to be thrown into the void

Chapter Eleven

Snow crunched underto my fishnets "Gil, this is not where you picked me up"

"It’s close" She shuffled in the snow "I’ve read about these clubs No one should notice you co"

My teeth clenched in an effort to ward off a scream of frustration I needed to be back in Tatius’s rooh the front door of Death’s Angel and winding h the lower levels was bound to draw attention My jaw cracked as I forced my teeth apart Gil took one look at my face and backed up before I uttered a word

"Uh, you probably need these" My ruined boots appeared in her hands, and she dropped theo Lots to learn"

She vanished

Great Just great

Leaning down, I snatched the broken boots fro I’d been led underground twice since beco a vampire I should be able toTatius’s suite, that was another et to it

If I eveninto the club wasn’t a probleh to the VIP area, but that here e round I’d forgotten about it A keypad was inlaid into the wall beside the door, but I didn’t have the code A fingerprint reader rested above the keypad, and I pressed my left thumb to the panel The sht flashed red

The door didn’t unlock

Crap

Behind me, in the VIP room, an unseen door crashed open

I julanced around for so but the door I couldn’t get past and the one I’d just entered froed open, this one closer With nowhere to hide, I leaned on the round and crosseda relaxed pose

The door across froefast--inhuhtened,

Otherwise I didn’t o with the locked door at my back?

The men stopped in the middle of the hall, still several yards away Tore , but the third wore black jeans and athe other two His head cocked to the side, his chocolatecolored eyes pinching quizzically as they slid over me

"You’re the Hermit’s companion, aren’t you?"

That was a complicated subject, and at least one of Tatius’s vah lies, so I let hi ot locked out"

I smiled as I said it, but he only frowned atover my--probably very expensive--water-stained dress, the broken boots dangling frorass-stained fishnets Then he nodded at the otherout of the hall and back the way they’d coht betweenenough that the urge to squirm traveled all the way up my spine Then he reen light flashed as a loud click resounded in the short hall

"I’ open the door

"Kita" I stepped around hi into the stairwell beyond the door

I expected him to escort me down--probably all the way down to the council room, but he stayed at the doorway

"Don’t wander the city With all the shit going on with the Collector’s visit, pande over all the lesser va back in place

I blinked at the door for a long heartbeat A friendly warning? A dire one? Turning, I hurried down the stairs The waiting room was empty, thank the stars, but now I had to find the door With all the walls draped behind heavy layers of fabric, that was easier said than done, but after awith the drapes, I located the hidden door and slipped into the hall beyond