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Jade shook her head ruefully "Just as old as you see o He saved htly "He believes that I saved his as well"
"But" Ann e, and he will not"
"We’ve not really worried about that yet He was deeply concerned at first, knowing that I wanted a faorgeous"
"I don’t understand," Tara said "Every tiain Lucian is a vaood vampire, a part of the Alliance now"
"Not really a part He has known about it, and in our current times, it’s a natural coalition"
"Crosses don’t bother either of them because at heart they still have a deep belief in an afterlife and the sanctity of God and ht, it’s kind of like hypnotism--if you’re not an evil person, you can’t be talked into doing evil under the power of the hypnotist?"
"Kind of," Jade said, "but the question of free will comes in often A vampire can be driven by natural instincts, just as ht, and what’s wrong, and learning to exist by a code that respects others The world is always shifting--our world is always shifting, new fears, new friends, new enemies It’s the saed in the new order But yes, I suppose it boils down to the classic fight es within hiood and doing evil"
"Why doesn’t Lucian change you then?" Ann asked
"Because he doesn’t knohat the end brings," Jade told her "I’ to take any chance Lucian isn’t I was bitten once, but like youI healed And he still doesn’t really know about the i frankly, "What about olves?"
"What about them?"
"Do they live forever?"
Tara sipped her coffee "No But they age far e ths And like any other creature, they learn with age At the beginning, as I understand it, Brent had little control He was subject to the pull of thelittle ability--unless he was under extree when there was no moon But he’s learned over the decades He has tremendous abilities And in his desire to inflict torture, Gerard endowed hiht s her lips as she told Tara, "We all have to make decisions, and choices, you know But then, I’m not really sure that you do have as many choices as someone else You must realize yourself now that you have been born to the Alliance There are many more who are Alliance across the world They may not all know it yetand usually, in times of need, they somehow find one another" She looked at Ann "You have a choice Perhaps it’s already been ed and asked Jade, "Is there has there ever been a cure for vampirism?"
"Nowell, yes, but I only know of one case where a vampire returned to a mortal life And that was rather a different case Back horoup is centered, there’s a woie Brent knows her well She was here, in France, after the war, and she was a great source of help for hi story, but she’s married to a cop in New Orleans, and I’m sure that Brent will tell you all about her, except, of course, that you should all come and visit There are really too many stories to try to explain by si suddenly New Orleans She loved the city It would be wonderful to visit--and understand
"Strange," she told Ann, "to think that the last ti the loss of a h"
"And now I’ a life with a different vahed "At least you know a little moreJade, you said that vampires can’t have children What about--olves"
"Brent Malone is really a man like any other--with a few special abilities Oh, there are so es? What are the true properties of hout time, I’m afraid, no one has had the real answer"
"If my cousin marries Brent," Ann said with stern practically, "is she likely to have a litter?"
"Ann!" Tara said
"Well, it’s what you’re asking, isn’t it?" Ann said indignantly
"You’d be most likely to have lovely children," Jade said
Tara didn’t say any more She could see that the men, who had been in the airline office in the
"We’re all set," Lucian said "But I’m afraid we leave now" Rick looked at Ann "You’re sure you’re co?" he asked
"Definitely," she told hioodbyes then," Lucian s and kisses all around, Ae, of course, because Tara was staying on in France for a feeeks while Ann was going to the States on vacation with Rick