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Even if this was it forshot-I couldn't bring ree

"Have I ever rit out Maybe I could stall hi me

The other va me even as he stroked my mother's hair "What a waste"

Recognition dawned about where I'd seen the black-haired vaotten away from Chuck E Cheese's that day!

"You," I said

He sain, too"

Max set the rocket launcher down, but that didn't do o

"Calibos," he said, "if hter moves, kill her mother"

With that gri pressure to the hole in Goddah the painI'll see you dead even if it's the last thing I do

And from the looks of it, it probably would be

My htlessly ahead Aside from that, to my relief, she didn't look hurt Calibos, as Max called the other vampire, let his hand wander down the front of her shirt to squeeze her breast A lol carin

"Te his hand creep lower

Max calared at Calibos "Not her," he said curtly "If there's time, you can have Cat, but Justina's mine"

Oh dear God Renewed deterhhim down I knew my mother She'd rather be dead than raped by a vampire, especially Max

"I think it's time to wake her up, don't you?" un to Calibos with directions to shoot me if I twitched, then went over to my mother Max cut his thumb on one of the four knives he'd returned from the kitchen with and held it to her mouth

"Rise and shine, Justina," he said, rubbing the blood on her lips

My mother licked it, blinked once-and then screamed

Max's hand clah to concentrate on a planCoot to be a way out of this

"Hello, beautiful," Max said, putting his face right next toto taketo cut sohter Understand?"

My aze flicked to me, widened, and then she nodded Max dropped his hand

"That's better Now, to make sure kitty here doesn't spoil the fun"

Max walked over to rab for those blades like I'd wanted nothing before it But Calibos had the gun pointed atdistance I'd make my stand, but this wasn't the time

Max s to die," he said, low enough that only I could hear him, "but I'll let your mother live just so she can reht irl, I'll rape her and kill her in front of you before I finish you How much do you want to save her from that?"

I'd never felt such hatred for anyone as I did for my father There was a chance that Max would kill us both anyway, but I had three choices Hope I caed to rescue both of us, hope Max took long enough torturing o for those knives and risk watching Max ood on his threat about my ht was beneath him

"Let her go when it's over," I said very softly, opting for Plan A or B

Max sers stroked my wrist "Why did you come here alone? Where's Bones?"

Lying always sounded more authentic when it was ed one ofwith him until he's over the blood craze"

Max's smile widened "Tate"

I couldn't hide hed "How do I know about that? Belinda gave Calibos the information Once I found your mother, all I had to do was coe thank-you"

Belinda Son of a bitch, I'd underestimated that blue-eyed bi to Calibos as she led hi Belinda knew that no one else outsideTate Belinda ether how Max had done this But she hadn't figured on dying herself

Another wave of light-headedness swept overinternally, since as leaking out onto the floor didn't account for how I felt

"You'll have to save the thanks, Max, because she's dead"

He shrugged "That's a shairl"

"Max"

Both of us turned Mywhere she'd been Slow tears trickled down her face I'd never seen her cry before

"It's me you want," she said in a raspy voice "I raised Catherine, and I taught her to hate every vao This is between you and me"

This, not being shot twice, hat brought tears to ht she didn't loveto use herself to barter with the vampire she feared the most

Max lasered a green glare her way "Oh, I have unfinished business with you, Justina Do you knohat a pain in the ass it's been, being the vaers beat et no protection if I just kill you, whereas takingher out garners me new friends They wanted Bones dead, too, but I'll take what I can get"

I was about to ask who these new friends were, when Max took one those knives and speared it straight through asp, but it was my mother who screamed

"Stop it!"

Max grinned, keeping the other knives well away fro, courtesy of you"

Calibos let out an annoyed sigh I could hear even above

"This is boring A fun today?"

Max took another knife, giving aits tip to ht me Give me a reason to make you watch your mother suffer before she dies," he whispered

I set h my other wrist It hurt even more than the first one had My mother let out a moan that sounded like she was in pain, too