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I nodded, crossing the sand and sitting down I noticed Michael--the blond vampire I’d met with Jeramiah back in Chile Michael Gallow, if I reaze for but anext to him

Jeramiah arrived and handed me my drink He took a seat next toon a cushion nearby, pulling her by the arm to sit on his lap

"Well, this is Joseph," he said "Joseph Brunson"

The crowd looked at me curiously

"Hello," I said

There was an aard silence as Jeramiah started a side conversation with Marilyn My eyes roathose on the dance floor and those seated, there seeht still be more down below in the atrium I couldn’t help but notice the same black cross Jeramiah had tattooed on each of their arms--even the witches’

"Why don’t you dance for us, Marilyn?" Jera up She slipped off the sheer coverall she earing to reveal a two-part outfit that showed her pale stoan to dance a in and out

Jeramiah watched her, a contented expression on his face, before addressingwhere we have all come fro a slass of blood

"Well," he said, "I suppose the story starts when I was still a huhteen years old I’d already lost both ofbetter to do with myself once I hit my late teens, I decided to travel East Whatever few possessions I owned I packed up and set off It was a long, long journey, but I enjoyed the distraction I traveled from country to country and ended up in North India I stayed in the foothills of the Himalayas for severalhair ever since," the black-haired witch, Amaya, interrupted with a s "India was also where I first encountered a va A vampire pounced on me and infected me with his venom Hours later, I woke up as oneme to a coven situated deep within the Himalayas I spent the next God kno many decades there I lost track of time--one day just rolled into the next But it was in that coven that I met everyone you see here today--except for our half-bloods, of course They were created by us later"

"Your witches belonged to that coven, too?" I asked

Jeraain "We have six witches in total They’d been staying within the coven Amaya and I used to be lovers"

"Firmly in the past," Amaya o came the fall of the Elders They were locked out of Earth and ere free to leave Nobody was sure where ould go, though But none of us va where ere It was a set I had heard about The Oasis I’d heard of the Maslens’ demise I led everyone anted to follow e the place and et The Oasis to what it is today"