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They were almost home

Mere moments later, a tree slewed to one side and ca halt Out of theAlexia could see Woolsey just ahead atop its rise of ground, silvered under the h it had its own for buttresses

It ues away, for the octomaton had felled a tree across the road before thee around, even if the high hedges per, for behind them the massivefro run, instinctively forh they could stop any attack by physically i thelanced around in desperation She was aive birth She was running out of options and would have to trust one of the vauard, "Your Grace, I have a proposition for you"

The Duke of Hematol turned to face her

"We need some help, and we need a distraction if we are to est, Lady Maccon?"

"That we call out the hounds"

"And hoe do that? You definitely can’t run to the castle froer will take the word of a vaer"

"Listen to ency The Alpha feardless of their current state" I will have to change the secret phrase now

"But--"

"It ork You ency was pack code for Lady Maccon acting as muhjah She had rarely had to use the summons, and then only with a perfectly sane husband or Beta, never with only clavigers Would thelook Then he whirled and ran, leaping the fallen tree with al directly for the castle, supernatural speed in full effect

With one of their oldest and wisest gone and the greatabove their unprotected queen, the vahtly insane themselves Not as ed the octomaton, only to be swept easily aside

The metal creature raised up a tentacle to its eye slit, onceout the bullhorn that allowed Madame Lefoux to speak

"Give me Quesnel You are out of options" There came a short pause "I can hardly believe it of you, Alexia, helping vampires They tried to kill you!"

Alexia stuck her head out of the door-sideof the carriage and yelled back, "So? Recently, you also tried to kill me In my experience, murder could almost be an expression of affection" It took an enore,at her stomach She hated to admit it, even to herself, but Alexia Maccon was afraid

Then ca of a sound, one that Alexia had grown to love very

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

A Clot of Vaood dozen strong And a dozen olves is like two dozen regular wolves in size alone Normally, they were also one of the better-behaved packs When other packs were feeling snide, they called Woolsey tame But no olf behaves himself on full rave risk She also knew her smell would attract her husband Even in the throes of full-ht try to kill her, but he would coh charis the the need to break away and trail blood and raw meat across the countryside They would all follow hi them all to her

So it proved to be

They poured out the lower doors and s of the castle, howling to the skies They evolved into a kind of cohesivedown the hillside as one silvered blob, likeas they neared, and they were swifter than Alexia ree at a world that forced such a cost of immortality upon them Any human would flee, and Alexia could see that even the vampires were te toward theest of the lot, a brindled ith yellow eyes, intent on but one thing--a s breeze It was the scent ofnew co boy, fresh meat to be consumed Underneath was the smell of rotten flesh and old bloodlines--other predators invading his territory Do it all was the odor of industry, a monstrous machine, another enee and sla herself before the boy and the queen, knowing that she would be the last possible defense, that if nothing else, she had her bare hands

Her legs, however, refused to obey her She found herself leaning against the door, wishing she had her parasol for leverage

The pack was there The blur of fur and teeth and tail turned into individual wolves Lord Conall Maccon ca halt before his wife

Alexia never quite kne to handle her husband when he was in such a state There was nothing of thefull moon Her only hope was that he would perceive the octo instinct would be to defend territory first and eat later, thus ignoring her and Quesnel, who represented fresh meat

Her hope proved to be the case, for Conall’s yellow eyes flashed once, alue out at her Then the pack turned in a body and launched itself at the octo four at the neck Supernatural teeth were guided by instinct toward joints and arteries, even if those joints were s and pulleys and those arteries hydraulic stearace in their aun dangled uselessly She was nowhere near good enough to hit even so a wolf The vaht have been because they were afraid a ould take this ill and start attacking theht be because they were vampires

Lady Maccon could s There was Channing, easiest to spot because of his pure white coat; and Lyall, smaller than the rest and more nimble, almost vampirelike in his speed and dexterity; and Biffy, darkest of all the pack with his oxblood stomach fur, abandoned and utterly vicious in his ain, to the brindled coat of the largest wolf as he leaped up and savaged soain