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Nicholas walked into the library, his stoic exterior ular of the first beating heart he saw Unfortunately, the only thing in the room happened to be not only pulseless, but fas splayed, eyes trained on his laptop, Lucian didn&039;t even look up "Is Trainer dead?"

"No," Nicholas said

"Good, I don&039;t want the Order up our asses any further than they already are Is he at least scrubbed and put away for safekeeping?"

Nicholas paced the floor, pausing every few seconds to speak "I couldn&039;t find hiaze lifted--"that&039;s unfortunate"

It was ht It was a first In his hundred and fifty years, he&039;d never lost prey "His scent is so weak to me now He must be deeply hidden

But I will find him"

"I have no doubt"

"And when I do, he&039;ll be begging me to end his life The Order cannot detect torture within the Eternal Breed, only death"

Lucian grinned, i out a side of you I haven&039;t seen since ere on the front lines Up until now, you&039;ve quelled the anied from pride to unease "Should I be concerned about this new develop like that" But, Nicholas er, but aggression and a burn for gravo, the poisoned vampire blood his one to great and painful lengths to purchase for her before her death--the drug he had consumed in ied his hands through his hair, atte through it He caught Lucian staring at hi about his mouth He would do well to keep this new and slow burn inside of him a secret; no doubt it would pass in time

He came around his desk and opened his own laptop "Where are you with the Hollow of the Shadows?"

Lucian&039;s frown deepened "There&039;s so little on the location of the Order When I lived in the third credenti , I heard nothing of their whereabouts From what I&039;ve been able to find--which isn&039;ttheust "Alexander may indeed have to visit his old credenti and question hisfaers twitching over the keyboard It was a life, a reality they had sworn never to return to, and now the Order had forced them back in "Don&039;t text hiether, find it together--stand together"

"He won&039;t allow us to help"

Looking up from his screen, Nicholas raised one black eyebrow "I don&039;t care if he allows it Do you?"

A slash of smile hit Lucian&039;s full mouth "Blood brothers we are, Nicky"

There was a knock on the library door and Evans entered the room The servant looked from one brother to the other and said formally, "I am sorry to disturb"

"Not a problem," Nicholas said "What is it, Evans?"

"A note has been delivered, sir"

"Frolanced at Lucian, whose gaze was narrowed and fixed on the ancient Impure Notes were never delivered to the house, not once in the sixty years they&039;d lived there Business mail went to a box at the post office, and from time to time they would receive junkpersonal

"From your human, Nicky?" Lucian quipped darkly "Perhaps he&039;s co hinal for Evans to hand hiray forold seal in his hands, Nicholas&039;s blood froze in his veins Kettler One of the highest-ranking families in the Eternal Breed,in the Boston credenti His eyes found his brother&039;s

"Kettler seal"

"What?" Tossing his laptop to the rug, Lucian juold A growl"No"

"From a Bronwyn Kettler"

"Fuck ins," Lucian said vehemently as Evans backed up to the door "The Order has leaked our whereabouts If one can find us so easily, the rest will follow"

Nicholas read the note once, then again "She has called for a handfasting"

"You&039;ve got to be shittingShe wishes to live here, re"

"With who?" Lucian de to stand beside Nicholas, so he too could see the letter

"Alexander"

"Well, thank Christ for small favors"

Nicholas shoved the letter in his brother &039;s hand and returned to his laptop He needed to feed Soon So on the inside of his brain, desperate to get out and pounce

"She says she&039;ll be here tomorrow" Lucian snarled, then turned to the butler still hovering near the library door "Evans, send a return note; tell the veana to stop packing her bags She will not be living here in preparation for er part of the credenti--we don&039;t play by their rules"

"No," Nicholas said quickly, his tone ie roo a centimeter as he roared, "Are you insane?"

"Perhaps," Nicholas said calmly, "but no Pureblood paven, not even one who has cast off his species, can decline the call of a handfasting It is a blood voith our Pureblood feoes back centuries, even before the Order took power" He eased the envelope fro rude"

"When have you ever given a shit about being rude?"

"Our blood dictates that we at least see her"

"Your blood,another inch "My blood can go fuck itself"

"You can put those things back in your head now, Little Brother"

"We also made a vow, Nicholas To each other--no humans, no credenti"

Nicholas&039;s frown deepened Yes, and it had been so for a hundred years The three of the businesses in cities that allowed such reclusiveness, a life away from the abusive bonds of the credenti and the intrusive eyes of the Order

Nicholas took a deep breath "Tis fully extended now, eyes blistering with a hunger that had nothing to do with blood, Lucian snatched up his laptop and headed up the stairs to the second level

"Do what you will, Brother, but I a to find this Hollow of Shadows before the Order seeps deeper into our lives and your etiquette-loving ass goes morpho too"

Deep in the clouds of his mind, Alexander willed hi his waist, her nails digging into the flesh of his back For a brief ainst his body, her nails digging deeper into his flesh until she drew blood

But in seconds, his feet hit concrete and the ice-cold salt air of the Atlantic rushed at hiainst his face He closed his eyes and his nostrils widened, taking in her blood scent Nor in spice, but not this one She was scented with earth, a rich, hot blend that breathed desire into his lungs and, even though it was impossible, felt soht of the moon, Sara pressed herself closer to hier wary "It azed down at her, Alexander felt an ache run through hiroin He wanted to stand on the icy path beside the tall beach grass and reainst his, wanted to knohat she tasted like He could aline it She was a beautiful woth, her drive to be fearless in the face of so impossible and inhuman that made him crave her--made him want to crawl up inside of her and remain for days It was a sensation he&039;d never experienced and it concerned him

"Are we still in New York at least?" she asked, her eyes de to accept whatever the response was

"We&039;re in Montauk," he said

"Long Island?" Her brows knit together "Why?"

He reached up and touched her hair, her jaw "A quick detour"

"For what?"

He wanted to drop his head, have just one taste of her, the drug that rant hiht

"Listen, Alexander," she said with a hint of frustration "I&039;ic in what you said back in my apartment, and because my number-one priority is survival I&039;m admittedly scared of Tom, and I think you can keep hime captive I&039;m here because I trust you" She lifted one dark eyebrow "I deserve the same"