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We saw no choice but to return to The Shade Hanging around in Haasn’t going to solve anything We called an urgentin The Great Dome with our closest friends and faure out what our next step should be They’d just vanished without a trace

Noas beginning to lose track of how ed into a blur We continued havinground in circles

We’d received no calls fro it, we reached voice mail

"So we’re sure it’s vampires behind this, Derek?" Vivienne reached out and clasped my arm

I looked up into her worried eyes

"That’s the only conclusion we can come to It’s hard to make out their features frolasses--they definitely look like they could be vampires"

"But why?" Anna sat forward in her seat "Why would they want the twins?"

"I don’t know"

"If they are vaeted the twins on purpose Theyfrom The Shade"

"But what? And how can we even give it to them?"

"Maybe--"

Eli’s speculation was interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing

Sofia reached into her pocket and pulled out our phone

We all stared at it, dumbstruck

"Put it on speaker!"

Sofia flipped it open and pressed the speaker button, her hand tre

"Rose? Ben?"

No response

"Hello?" I shouted into the phone

"My naest you listen carefully to what I’asped and almost dropped the phone I took the phone fro down at it, trying to steadyheart

"We have your twins," Stellan continued "And they are still alive How long this will be the case depends entirely on your cooperation"

I wanted to grab the phone from Sofia and shout down the line at this son of a bitch It took all that I had to stopemotions would only reinforce their sense of control over us

"Continue," I grunted