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"Mine Philip and Rebecca arethat--ih it supposedly is," Baldwin said

"This is Gerbert’s doing" Every instinct told him that the vampire was a crucial link between Benjamin and the search for the Book of Life He had been ation politics for years

"Perhaps Not every vampire in London is Hubbard’s creature," Baldwin said "Verin still intends to go to the Congregation on the sixth of Dece," Matthew said, though he knew that it did

"Take care of ht he detected a note of real worry in his brother’s tone

"Always," Matthew replied

The grandrin stretched fro with happiness When we shared the babies’ first naacy of the children’s absent grandparents would be carried into the future

"Leave it to you two to have twins that aren’t even born on the sa Rebecca for Philip, who had been staring at his grandet her to open her eyes, Ysabeau"

Ysabeau blew gently on Rebecca’s face Her eyes popped wide, and she began to screarandmother "There Noe can see you properly, ns of the zodiac, too," Sarah said, swaying gently with Philip in her arms

Unlike his sister, Philip was content to lie still and quietly observe his surroundings, his dark eyes wide

"Who are?" I was feeling drowsy, and Sarah’s chatter was too complicated for me to follow

"The babies Rebecca is a Scorpio, and Philip is a Sagittarius The serpent and the archer," Sarah replied

The de Cleroddess The arrol-feather fletches tickled htened around, e to protect that had taken root in the afterer I didn’t want Rebecca and Philip tied to son of which could never be understood by sonificant as their mother They were my children--our children--and I would make sure that they were allowed to find their own path, not follow the one that destiny and fate handed the?"

Matthew stared at his computer screen, his phone tucked between his shoulder and his ear This tie He wanted to hear Matthew’s reactions to what he was seeing on the screen

"I understand that congratulations are in order" Benjaue The body of a dead witch lay on an operating table behind him, cut open in a vain atteirl A boy, too"

"What do you want?" The question was expressed cal inside Why could no one find his godforsaken son?

"Your wife and daughter, of course" Benjamin’s eyes hardened "Your witch is fertile Why is that, Matthew?"

Matthew remained silent

"I’ll find out what makes your witch so special" Benjamin leaned forward and smiled "You knoill If you tell me what I want to knoon’t have to extract it from her later"

"You will never touch her" Matthew’s voice--and his control--broke Upstairs a baby cried

"Oh, but I will," Benjaain, until Diana Bishop gives me what I want"

I couldn’t have slept for more than thirty or forty minutes before Rebecca’s furious cries woke me

Whenher in front of the fireplace,endearments and words of comfort

"I know The world can be a harsh place, little one It will be easier to bear in tihts play on the wall? That’s fire, Rebecca You may have it in your veins, like yourbut a shadow" Matthew cuddled the baby closer, crooning a French lullaby

Chut! Plus de bruit,

C’est la ronde de nuit,

En diligence, faisons silence

Marchons sans bruit,

C’est la ronde de nuit

Matthew de Cler expression

"Dr Sharp said they’d be hungry," I told hiht in my teeth She had also explained that premature babies could be difficult to feed because the muscles they needed in order to suckle hadn’t developed sufficiently

"Shall I get Marthe?" Matthew asked above Rebecca’s insistent cries He knew that I was nervous about breast-feeding

"Let’s try it on our own," I said Matthew positioned a pillow in my lap and handedsoundly Both Sarah and Marthe had dru both children at the same time, or else I would no sooner feed one than the other would be hungry

"Philip is going to be the trouble hie eyes blinking

"How can you tell?" I shifted Rebecca slightly to make roorin

It took several tries before Philip latched on Rebecca, however, was ih to suck," I said in frustration

Matthew put his finger in her mouth, and she obediently closed it around the tip "Let’s switch them Maybe the scent of the colostruive it a try"

We made the necessary adjustments Philip screamed like a banshee when Matthew moved him, and he hiccupped and huffed a bit on the other breast just to make sure we understood that such interruptions would not be tolerated in the future There were a few snuffling moments of indecision while Rebecca rooted around to see what the fuss was about before she cautiously took my breast After her first suck, her eyes popped wide