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"My lady, there is blood on your gown" Lettice touched the red-stained slash in the material over her left side

Rebecca covered it with her hand "’Tis nothing" She gazed at the other women "We will take a moment to collect ourselves and then ill enter the tunnel Keep watch, and be as quiet as you can while we are here"

She moved a short distance away from her ladies before she checked her side The Italians had rapidly e the attack in the main hall, and the one who had chased them had made quick use of his shen she blocked hi the women into the baths Fortunately none of her ladies had seen her response, and she had left the body in the heated pool, where the water turned pink as it erased theindication of her attack: the blood that had poured from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears

She would not think about hiain

Drawing on the talent she shared with Sylas, Rebecca closed her eyes and sent out her heart to seek his She found he had escaped to their bedchamber and had barricaded himself within

"The Italians have taken over," Sylas said out loud in the eh his eyes, she watched hio to the weapons cabinet "Where are the women?"

"With me on the third level, outside the escape tunnel" Rebecca lowered her voice "Can you come to us?"

"No" He strapped on his chest protector before choosing a helo without me Warn the suzerain as soon as you are safe"

Now she understood why he was donning his arht so many, Sylas Not alone" When he didn’t reply she felt dizzy "You have to surrender to the"

He pulled on his gauntlets "I do not negotiate with cowards who attack women"

"You must" She closed her eyes for a moment, but that only made the dizziness worse "Else they will take my life with yours"

"No It need not be so" Sylas turned his head as so on the outside of the chah her eyes The darkness of the subbasehtened faces of the other woer than that, Rebecca"

Her voice dropped low "I a without you"

It was harder for her to feel his eest ca of his chest as regret filled his heart She tasted the sweat on his lip as fear and rage fought for dominion over his head Finally the love he felt for her, the love that had saved theliness As the door to the chaive way, he cal into shadows," he told her "If I stay too long, only your voice will bring me back Remember"

Rebecca covered herout

"I love you, wife" His talent reached across the bond, became the boundaries of a dark dream "Now hurry into the tunnel, before they find you"

CHAPTER SIX

Reese didn’t resist the guards holding her or give thee She kept her expression frightened and her demeanor helpless, and deliberately stumbled now and then over her own feet

"This one is a rabbit," the burly guard observed, his grip loosening a few degrees "We should keep her to serve us in the hall"

The other guard scowled "Saetta said the arrison"

"So they ht feed on and take their pleasure of theed blood?" The burly guard spit on the floor "’Tis a foolish waste of good humans"

"They have not so many," his companion said, as if to console hiusted Reese to hear herself spoken of as if she were nothing more than food, but she kept the fear on her face as she surveyed the corridor ahead of theht her attention before she lowered her gaze and gathered her will

"At least we are to patrol the house," the burly guard said "I do not envy our brothers on perimeter patrol They will be the first to fall"

"This Ahold," the other guard replied "Not if he values the lives of his uards in their tracks She dropped, clutching at her belly

"What is she about now?" the second guard deue any more than you do," the burly one snarled When Reeseto puke"

The other guard let go of her arhtened and lunged for the lances, grabbing two and extending her aruard’s chest