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Bones that were unmistakably human

"I think I found her," she choked in horror

Viper approached with understandable caution, his gaze trained on the skeleton "If this is the witch, she’s been dead for a considerable length of tiet a better look at the gruesoht of the knife that reht between two rib bones

"Murdered"

"Yes"

She glanced up as Viper bent next to her in the center of the circle "It was Evor"

His face showed surprise "Are you certain?"

"He has a blade that nize it anywhere"

Reaching out he grasped the knife and pulled it free "That would explain how he ed to take coht of the hideous little troll who had made her life a misery She certainly wouldn’t put cold-blooded murder past Evor It was practically a hobby with him But she still had far too many questions unanswered

"It"When I was young the mark on my back was just a nuisance I didn’t even knoas a curse until Evor used the binding to force me to him If the witch was the one who placed the curse on me why didn’t she ever allow me to sense the bond?" She pointed toward the bones "And why didn’t I die when she did?"

Viper absently studied the dagger in his hand "The only explanation would be that Evor ed to force the witch to hand over the curse before he killed her As to why she never used the h "Nohat?"

He rose to his feet and glanced about the cra Unless I am to be trapped here, I ht if you wish"

She griaze caught sight of a small box nearly hidden beneath the skeleton

"What’s that?"

"Shay" Viper barked as she reached out to dig the box free

"I know, I know, don’t be stupid," she ed to a witch would coht very well be a trap awaiting an unwary touch"

She flashed hiht have so down he hauled her to her feet, his expression set in hard lines "But if you try to open that before we’re certain it’s safe I’ll"

She narrowed her gaze "You’ll what?"

His expression rerim but there was a definite hint of a hideous enough I’ll let you know"

Chapter Fourteen

Viper had been expecting the soft footsteps that crept by his door He smiled as he slipped on his heavy robe and pulled his hair back with a gold clip They had returned to Dante’s a little over two hours before, but he didn’t for a o to sleep

That would be entirely too sensible

And while Shay washer plenty of tioal, Viper silently slipped from his room andanyone else Dante and Abby were coe bed, while Levet--who had been sent for earlier--had turned to stone with the crack of dawn He and Shay were for all intents and purposes alone in the sprawling e that erous as it was potent

Entering the library he watched as Shay picked up the witch’s box and studied it with a frown His entire body clenched at the sight of her dressed in nothing th of her legs, and hinted nicely at the curves beneath the silk It was a pity her beautiful hair was in its familiar braid, but on the upside it exposed the vulnerable curve of her neck

His fangs lengthened and his body hardened

Damn

A part of him knew he should return to his chaer to a fever pitch only a few hours before and his control was dubious at best A larger part of hi away They had unfinished business that he had every intention of finishing

To both their satisfaction

Moving until he stood directly behind Shay he trailed a finger down the line of her neck

"Running away, pet?"

There was a sharp squeal as Shay dropped the box back on the desk and whirled to confront hi on her braid as an unmistakable blush crawled beneath her skin "Don’t sneak up on aze to sweep over the deep plunge of herneckline "Hoould you like me to sneak up on you?"

"Don’t sneak at all"