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Megan waited Waited and waited Peter didn’t coan to look for hiainst a building

She instantly looked at his throat, and leaned back, breathing far more easily He was clean She was about to seek assistance when he groaned and caan, I left you alone in this awful place and I I just blacked out! What is wrong withIf Laura wakens, she‘ll be worried"

They went ho; the sun rose She slept deeply, then felt a su she had experienced in years And she suddenly found herself before Lucian, as in a cool, regal fury Aaron Carter was there as well She was grateful to realize that Lucian‘s fury was directed at Aaron "You tehout the centuries we have made our rules, and the first is that we let each other live our lives as we choose-- and keep our distances Leave her be The world is a vast place e realize that we are perhaps no e"

"We could be so ued

Lucian shook his head "If there were no rules, there would be no food!"

"Lucian! You are a fool, thinking you can turn lions to lambs!" Aaron told him

"The lions perish if they eat all the lambs! We are prey to the balance of life like all creatures; the laritten by the ancients, creatures before even my time! And my preferences are none of your concern, except that you are the fool if you can’t see that the world is changing Perhaps not this decade or the next, but each year the world inches closer to a higher technology, and if we do not learn to live with it, we are doomed I warn you, don’t let this quarrel affect our world And remember! If either of you truly seeks to destroy the other, you will be condemned by your peers en masse, and hell will be all that awaits you--should those fires indeed exist" Aaron lashed out furiously "You took what you wanted, Lucian! Why can’t I?"

"Each new being an She has learned She has ht"

"Indeed? Because you have had what you want, Lucian? Because you call yourself king?"

"I a, because I know the difference between desire and excess I have survived, because I know that there are boundaries of sanity, even in our world Would you test me, Aaron? Would you come after me? Come-- come take me on!"

Lucian spoke quietly He lifted his hands, his lip curling, and he invited Aaron to provoke battle between the two

"The day will come, Lucian, I swear it"

"The day will co about your destruction" Aaron swore vociferously, and stared at Megan He pointed a finger "You, too, will have your day!" he pro one For the time"

"Thank you," she said softly

He nodded "I have a soft spot for you, you know Even if you so foolishly prefer mortals The time will come when you realize it isn‘t to be And then I’ll be there Waiting" She laughed softly "Waiting-- with your harem"

"Ouch, not fair"

"Absolutely fair"

"I still love you, you know"

"Lucian, in your oords, you don’t believe in love You lust for me-- but only for the seconds it takes you to find new entertainhed "Perhaps Still, I do have that fondness for you" She hesitated "Lucian "

"What?"

"Alec "

Lucian arched a brow It had been a very long time since she had mentioned Alec

"Yes?"

"Alec did believe in love Beforebefore I was changed, it was as if he believed we could have a life--"

"You do have a life"

"No A normal life With death at the end He told reatest power on earth, that the only true freedom on earth was in love"

"He was ro end Take care with Aaron He is powerful," he warned

"Perhaps," she told Lucian "But then, so aie put the coffee on before she showered, and it was ready when Sean finally dragged higie digging around in his refrigerator She earing nothing but one of his tailored shirts The tails careat He leaned against the refrigerator, just watching her

She let out a sigh of pleasure, then stared at him, quite surprised

"I just can’t believe it"

"What?"