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The woori ht shift in angle as the woe with her camera Malachi had to smile The clever female had spotted the tail, and she’d captured her pursuer before he could duck away But she didn’t give Malachi notice before she turned and sped out into the sunlight just as the call to prayer began to echo through the heavy suori finally shook off the hazelnut vendor and turned, picking up his pursuit Malachi continued to follow at a distance, watching hinored thethe crowded streets as she ht near G&uu a few blocks before she stopped near the lobby of one of the larger hotels
Then she stepped into the glass-fronted building and out of sight The Grigori stopped a block aatching for a few moments before he pulled out a mobile phone, called a number, and spoke animatedly to whoever was on the other end After a quick conversation, the man took one last look at the hotel, then walked away, back toward the train station
But Malachi waited The Grigori didn’t know he had been spotted, but Malachi had seen the quick recognition on the wonized thewatched Perhaps, like hie human; Malachi would have to be careful He sat down at an outdoor café to wait, ordering a tea and continuing to munch on the roasted allasses and pretended to read a newspaper someone had left on the table
A full forty-five ered at the entrance for a fewa map in front of her as she scanned the streets frolasses Satisfied her follower had left, she started back up the hill
She crossed the street, heading toward the hippodrome The hairs on Malachi’s neck rose as he walked The walls whispered, centuries of secrets held in the cobbled brick and raffiti flickered black and grey in the corner of his eye He saw the woraveyard before she keptin the sun
Who was she? And why had she attracted the attention of the Grigori that ? More, why had the soldier not hunted her in the coet Their wicked charm was relentless If the woman survived the encounter, she was discarded To follooth of the hippodroht near a sed a car co lot as she put herinto a dead-end street before she took a sudden left and disappeared Malachi followed cautiously, hoping to not appear too conspicuous as he approached a building tented for renovation He stopped to read a sign detailing the improvements to the structure, which housed a museum Then he watched from the corner of his eye as the woman approached what looked like an old Ottoman house but was probably one of theup in the last few years A discreet doorman stepped outside, opened the door, and spotted him Without a pause, Malachi walked away
He turned back to the hippodro red lanterns in front of the Chinese restaurant near her hotel before he began the trek back to Galata The wo at the sain if he wanted to As for the Grigori’s odd behavior…
He’d have to ask Da like it before His watcher had centuries ht be prone to recklessness, but he kne to use the resources he was given
Stuffing the alhts turned to decidedlyand tooone last glance toward the wood-fronted house, he started back toward hoerator
"Doesn’t anyone buy beer besides me?" he yelled to the empty kitchen "If you don’t buy it, you shouldn’t drink it!"
From upstairs, a faint voice ca You’re back in Istanbul, Mal; we drink raki" It was Maxi for the city to cool before he eed
"Or tea," another voice added in the same thick Russian accent If Maxim was upstairs, so was his cousin, Leo "Gallons of tea"
"Oceans of it"
"If only the Bosphorus floith vodka"
"We should get the brothers in Odessa working on that…"
Da upward as the cousins continued to rib each other "Drink water You’re not used to the heat yet"
Malachi grimaced "I’ll be fine I was born here"
The watcher pulled a bottle of water from a cupboard and threw it toward hi as he threw the plastic bottle "But you haven’t lived here for hundreds of years The city has grown, and thatinto the kitchen fro his hand out to Damien for another bottle of water The paleconsidering the air conditioner had broken around that time His dark brown hair was plastered to his forehead, and his normally pale skin was flushed "Human activity produces heat More hue Bloody humans and their automobiles will kill us all"