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"Hello, princess," said Lord Maccon to the vampire "Got yourself into quite a pickle this time, didn’t you?"

Lord Akelda naked boy, you are hardly one to talk Not that I mind, of course"

Lord Maccon blushed so profoundly it extended all the way down his neck to his upper torso Alexia thought it entirely adorable

Without another word, the earl untied Lord Akeldaently as possible, slid his hands and feet off the wooden stakes The va time after he had finished

Miss Tarabotti worried His wounds should be healing the holes There wasn’t even any blood dripping froirl," said the va Lord Maccon with an exhausted but appreciative eye, "such a banquet Never been one to favor olves myself, but he is very well equipped, now, is he not?"

Miss Tarabotti gave hioodies," she warned

"Humans," chuckled the vampire, "so possessive" He shifted weakly

"You are not well," coht, Lord Obvious"

Miss Tarabotti looked at the vampire’s wounds more closely, still careful not to touch hi her friend and offer some consolation, but any contact with her and he was certain to die He was near enough to it already, and returning to human form would end hireed the vaestured with his chin tohere the new vaall’s ht take a donation froested Lord Maccon dubiously "Would that work? I mean to say, how fully human does preternatural touch h for ht kill you"

Lord Maccon unexpectedly jerked backward, pulling Alexia with hihtly The fingers on those hands had no fingernails

The automaton had crawled all the way across the floor, slowly but surely, and was trying to fulfill the last order given to it: to kill Lord Maccon This tiood chance of succeeding

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Royal Interference

Lord Maccon sputtered and gasped for breath, trying to fight off the repulsive creature with only one hand Miss Tarabotti beat at the auto they did see the construct froo of Lord Maccon’s hand and back away, knowing he could free himself in olf form, when Lord Akeldama stood shakily up from the platform on which he rested

The vampire produced a still miraculously immaculate white lace handkerchief from a waistcoat pocket, stued word off the autoo of Lord Maccon and collapsed onto the floor

Theaway in slow rivulets, like warm honey Slow black blood, mixed with soled with the skin substance Both slid off a mechanical skeletal structure Soon, all that was left of the auto in a gooey puddle of old blood, wax, and sears and clockwork mechanisms

Miss Tarabotti’s attention was draay fro, "Oops, whoa there," and reaching for Lord Akelda over as well, having utterly exhausted what few resources of energy he had left in ad the deadly handkerchief Lord Maccon, attached to Alexia with one hand, ed only to slow his fall with the other but not catch him completely The vampire crumpled to the floor in a sad little heap of plum-colored velvet

Miss Tarabotti bent over him, still desperately careful not to touch him in any way He was still,over at the automaton, or what had been the automaton "Why did that work?"

"You only wiped off the P" asked Lord Maccon, looking thoughtfully at the puddle of homunculus simulacrum residue Alexia nodded

"So you turned VIXI--to be alive--into VIX, with difficulty Thus, the automaton could still move, but only barely In order to destroy it entirely, you needed to remove the word and the activation particulate conetic connection"

"Well," huffed Miss Tarabotti, "hoas I supposed to know that? That was ood job you made of it, too, my pearl, on such short acquaintance," complimented Lord Akelda his eyes He had yet to succuer of doing so

They heard a great clattering and a quantity of yelling from the hallway behind them

"Arse over apex, what noondered Lord Maccon, standing up and dragging Miss Tarabotti with hiwith them the trussed and bound for Lord Akeldaan billing and cooing about him in an excess of emotional concern

"Lord Akeldama’s drones," Alexia explained to Lord Maccon

"I would never have known," he replied sarcastically

"Where did they all co men whom Alexia reo?-- deduced the cure to his h He pushed the other dandies aside, pulled off his blue silk evening jacket, rolled up his shirtsleeve, and offered his arm to the destabilized vampire Lord Akeldama’s eyes blinked slowly open

"Ah,from you alone"

Biffy leaned forward and kissed Lord Akeldah he were a small child "Of course not, my lord" Gently he put his wrist to the vah of relief

Biffy was both sh the feeding He summoned one of the other drones to take his place Lord Akeldama, as thirsty as he was froe a solo donor beyond repair Luckily, none of his drones was foolish enough to try and stay the course The second young ave way to a third and then a fourth At this point, Lord Akeldahteningly gray to its nors," ordered Lord Akeldama as soon as he was able