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"Then the Phoenix is gone?"

"No, it is not gone It is--" Without warning, Dante flowed to his feet, his head turning toward the closed door A tense silence filled the rooaze to her startled face "Abby, we o Now"

Chapter 3

Dante fiercely cursed his stupidity

For 341 years he had stood as guardian to the Phoenix Not willingly, and not without a si fury at his fate, but with absolute dedication It was not as if he had a choice Those witches had seen to that

But nohen the danger was at its greatest, he discovered hi upon the threat very led hair Bloody hell, there was little wonder he was distracted In the past few hours, he had endured more shocks than he had in centuries The death of the i joy as he felt the chains begin to loosen And the horror of watching the Phoenix being branded into Abby

Abby

Double bloody hell He glared down at her slender forue and pestilence since she arrived at Selena’s estate With her skin as soft as satin Her honey curls that haloed her gamine face Her vulnerable eyes And the hot passions that smoldered just beneath her screw-the-world attitude It called to hi of a Siren A tastyat his leisure

But now everything had changed Now she was no longer a lovely diversion No longer a bit of sport She was his to protect And he would do so until his very death

"Go his ancient instincts "So to her feet, she eyed hirip "De the approaching darkness "And th he had always ad things that mortals were so prone to do when faced with the mystic

"But they surely won’t trouble us We don’t have anything they could want"

His lips twisted "You’re wrong, lover We possess a treasure beyond all dreams"

"What--"

"I’m afraid the twenty questions will have to wait until later, Abby"

Pulling her close to his side, he silently crossed toward the nearly hidden door next to the bed Reaching out, he turned the knob and thrust it open Wood splintered as the dead bolt was ripped froh the shadows of the adjoining roolance toward the drunk who snored in vodka oblivion upon his bed

Danteit open, he turned to lean close to Abby’s ear "Stay close to me and don’t make a sound," he whispered "If we are attacked, I want you to stay behind hten you into a trap"

"But I want to knohy--"

"Not now, Abby," he growled iet out of here alive, I need you to trust me Can you do that?"

There was a ility of her control She was near shattering, and he could only hope that her iet to safety

At last she sed heavily and gave a grudging nod of her head "Yes"

He gazed deep into her eyes, startled by the stir of soo"

Taking her hand, he helped her cli upon theher into the darkness He paused just adown at the littered alley below His instincts warned that de trapped and surrounded They had no choice but to go forward

Or in this case, down