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"What is the de for?" I asked with an even voice

Vlad pulled out a chair at a sht maybe you could tell me"

I lowered into the seat as nervous flutters filleddumb or honestly didn’t know I’d heard this man made politics and manipulation seem like an art, and I was horribly unprepared for a face-to-face grilling

My thoughts drifted to Darius I should’ve waited for him on that street corner He would have kno to deal with Vlad This was one ti for it

"I ca the level-four demon that had been suer demon showed up instead"

"From e surenda, and by taking the su participants to aid it in its pursuit"

"I didn’t know that was possible"

"If the deh to travel independently in the Brink, it certainly is So tellas he’d probably non? That’s the demon’s name?"

He nodded There was an opportunistic gleam in his eyes, and another wave of fear washed over et out of here

And, of course, it was at that ot one, too, before the vampire lackey headed outside

At least I only had one vas went sour Granted, that one va down the coffee shop, but I’d definitely give it the ol’ college try Seattle had plenty of coffee shops; they wouldn’tmy hands around the warht here to track down a fewpeople in order to call a level-four de toto have to rely on e friends to banish it"

He studiede to cru to reveal all I knew I could feel it weighing on uts I didn’t know if this was some special superpower of his, or just the desire to buckle under his obvious expectations, but it was potent

Vlad took a slow sip of coffee before carefully setting his cup back onto the table "What would you say if I told you that the aswang you defeated started its journey in Northern California, and ht to your house"

I felt my broer as I tried to process what he’d said "Huh?"

I didn’t quite get there

"I was sure Darius knew about that No matter" He leaned back and crossed an ankle over his knee "I see he has taken your blood"

I flinched, but stoppedfor my neck A vampire’s saliva healed the bite wound pretty quickly Tea capabilities, I knew that er that Darius could take from me if he needed to, that’s all," I said "It doesn’t "

His sotten a lotof blood

That was euarding you very closely," Vlad went on "You, and any infor your past or present have been hidden or destroyed Even that which should be public record For a va no ties from which he can’t immediately walk away, I find this curious And now a de it appears to value highly, and you just happen to show up at the same place, nearly at the same time All these elements are a recipe for a hearty soup"

"I don’t know much about soup, but Darius just wants what he can’t have That’s the long and short of it He wants to control s"

Vlad took another sip of coffee, his eyes still glued toback the front of hts I felt co

If I stayed here, I was bound to reveal so I didn’t want to