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Chapter 1

There was dried chicken blood iernails When you raise the dead for a living, you have to spill a little blood It clung in flaking patches to my face and hands I'd tried to clean the worst of it off before cos only a shoould fix I sipped coffee fro that said, "Piss me off, pay the consequences," and stared at the twoacross from me

Mr Jereru, or shouting His small features were clustered in the ether before the clay had dried His hands smoothed over the lapel of his coat, the dark blue tie, tie clip, white shirt collar His hands folded in his lap for a second, then began their dance again, coat, tie, tie clip, collar, lap I figured I could stand to watch hiet maybe five more ti he wanted

The second er I'd never , he had towered over Ruebens and e face He had honest-to-god rew into one of the fullestwas neatly tri a bad hair day

Ruebens's hands weretheir endless dance for the fourth time Four was my limit

I wanted to go around the desk, grab his hands, and yell, "Stop that!" But I figured that was a little rude, even forthis twitchy, Ruebens," I said

He glanced at me "Twitchy?"

Itheir endless circuit He frowned and placed his hands on top of his thighs They remained there, motionless Self-control at its best

"I am not twitchy, Miss Blake"

"It's Ms Blake And why are you so nervous, Mr Ruebens?" I sipped my coffee

"I a help from people like you"

"People like me?" I made it a question

He cleared his throat sharply "You knohat I mean"

"No, Mr Ruebens, I don't"

"Well, a zo pissed, and it must have shown on my face "No offense," he said softly

"If you caet the hell out of et the hell out of my office"

Ruebens stood up "I told you she wouldn't help us"

"Help you do what? You haven't told ," I said

"Perhaps we should just tell her e have co bass, pleasant

Ruebens drew a deep breath and let it out through his nose "Very well" He sat back down in his chair "The last tiainst Vampires"

I nodded encouragingly and sipped my coffee

"I have since started a new group, Huoals as HAV, but our methods are more direct"

I stared at hiain, so they could be hunted down like animals It worked for me I used to be a vampire slayer, hunter, whatever Noas a vampire executioner I had to have a death warrant to kill a specific vaet a warrant, you had to prove the vaer to society, which meant you had to wait for the vahest enty-three That was a lot of dead bodies In the good ol' days you could just kill a vaht

"What exactly does 'more direct methods' mean?"

"You knohat it means," Ruebens said

"No," I said, "I don't" I thought I did, but he was going to have to say it out loud

"HAV has failed to discredit vah the media or the politicalthem all"

I s "You mean kill every last vampire in the United States?"

"That is the goal," he said

"It's murder"

"You have slain vampires Do you really believe it is murder?"

It was o I would have said no But now, I just didn't know "I'm not sure anymore, Mr Ruebens"

"If the new legislation goes through, Ms Blake, vahten you?"

"Yes," I said

"Then help us"

"Quit dancing around, Ruebens; just tell me what you want"

"Very well, then We want the dayti place of the Master Vampire of the City"

I just looked at him for a few seconds "Are you serious?"