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"I a nearby?"

"She is downstairs, anxiously waiting for an opportunity to speak with you" With unnerving speed he was standing directly in front of her, his nose flaring as if he were testing her scent "I asked if I could have a few minutes alone with you first"

Harley stepped back, her hackles stirring at his sudden intrusion into her personal space

"Watch it, vaht be some sort of relation in our twisted family tree, but that doesn’t mean I won’t kick your ass"

He folded his arms over his massive chest, not particularly terrified by her threat

"I only want to ask a few questions"

"What questions?"

He gri oddly unco this"

"You’ve already had ed and kidnapped," she dryly pointed out "There’s no need to pretend good e"

"Very well Why do you carry Salvatore’s scent?"

She choked at the blunt question Surely there had to be soine how that’s any of your business"

"I’ to intrude into your privacy, Harley"

"No?" Her hurown cold with the va power "God only knohat you would ask if you were trying to intrude What does it matter to you what I smell like?"

"Because it has been countless centuries since a olf has , dark, and deadly "You’ll have to forgive me if I wonder if this is a ether "Why would I try to hoax you?"

"Not you," he gently corrected "My suspicion is that so to deceive Salvatore"

She froze, an unpleasant fear settling in the pit of her stoed she was his reat sex was one thing, but an eternal co over her head

So why did the thought that Salvatore’s bondof Weresher teeth, Harley pretended that an empty ache hadn’t bloomed in the center of her heart, and concentrated on the only thing that was is," she o nored her instinctive bristling at his sharp command and revealed the bits and scraps she’d picked up of the perverted pureblood

Styx listened in silence, his expression settling into grim lines that oddly reminded her of Salvatore

Or perhaps not so oddly

They were both leaders who carried the weight of their people on their shoulders

The heavy sense of responsibility left its mark

"Only a demon lord should have the power to resurrect a dead Were"

"Deri, the ancient vampire turned to pace across the e beast

"They are disciples of the dark prince, although few have shown an interest in this world since huan to crawl from their caves" His lips curled with disdain Obviously the va fan of de us lesser creatures were blocked entirely when the Phoenix was called into the Chalice"

"Phoenix? Chalice?" She shook her head "I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about"

"The Phoenix is the essence of a goddess as brought into this world over three hundred years ago by a coven of witches" His eyes flashed with a terrifying emotion "Her presence blocks the dark prince and histhis di brought hi What a?"

"The essence is held in a huoddess"

"A huile for such a task?"

"The huoddess" His huh the saoddess weren’t content They decided they needed a guardian ould never fail the Chalice, so they bound a varimaced "I assume the vampire didn’t jump to the head of the line to volunteer?"

"Not at the tih he’s become reconciled to his position now that Abby is the new Chalice" Styx’s expression eased "They’ve recently oddess and Chalice thing, but she did grasp thethis Goddess, then Briggs can’t be hooked up with a deht?"