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"I can’t send or receive a signal," he said "He ers into the arood ht for aa sor called et help" He flipped it open and dialed a nuan speaking in Geruely what airport would have air traffic controllers who spoke German She intended to ask Jaus when he finished his call, but he kept talking, and the burning in her side spread up her chest, stabbing into her lungs and heart

She was dying Mrs Chen was dead She had to tell him, to warn him

"They took us ere babies," she said as quickly as she could, turning her head froed us like the others Separated us So angry"

"Liling?"

She looked into the cool blue heaven of his eyes "I knehat they wanted I wouldn’t do it, Valentin Soether" Lightning flashed all around her, and she reached out to him "If he finds us…"

He put his cool hand over hers "What is it, Geliebte?"

"If he… finds us"--she gasped through heat--"kill me"

Phillipe of Navarre had served Michael Cyprien for centuries as his Kyn seneschal, and before that as his villein during their human lives in rural France He had taken vows as a priest at Michael’s side, and fought at histhe holy wars

No one could question his loyalty, or say that he did not know his duty Over time, Phillipe had become the standard to which other Kyn lords coh Phillipe was devoted to his inning he had had a bad feeling about the angry, brilliant petite physician he had abducted for Cyprien Although she had been reputed to be the fastest reconstructive surgeon in the world, he had argued against bringing her to New Orleans to restore his master’s pulverized face Human females, in his opinion, served their purpose best as food and temporary amusement for Cyprien

To allow one to use a scalpel on his master, after the horrific torture he had already endured… Unthinkable

Now he could admit that part of his dislike of Alexandra had been jealousy Phillipe, who had successfully protected his master for seven hundred years, had not been able to save hi his captivity in Rome had been Phillipe’s fault He had freed Cyprien, but there had been nothing he could do about the terrible wounds his master had suffered while iht had restored his master’s face to what it had been before the Brethren had beaten and burned it away Phillipe could not admire her skills with a knife He had resented her, a hu what he could not

Or perhaps even then he had sensed how important she was to become to his master

Time healed all manner of wounds, even the unworthy ones Phillipe had carried in his heart Alexandra had not usurped the seneschal’s place a the change from human to Kyn She had rejected Michael, the Kyn, and even the enorht to her life She had wanted to kill Michael And while Phillipe worked diligently to prevent that, the anger they both felt had gradually becoe sort of bond between them, and then a friendship He saw past his own jealousy to the sort of woman Alexandra Keller was, a wo-o By the time Alexandra and his master had settled most of their differences, Phillipe kneould have killed for her

He only hoped the life he ht have to take in order to protect her would not be that of her hu when Alexandra bullied John into accoed at a s the bay Cyprien had instructed him to watch John Keller closely, but to intervene only if he proved to be dangerous to Alexandra

"Finally, I have a reason to order room service" Alexandra said after they arrived in the suite "John, go get cleaned up and I’ll order some breakfast for you"

Phillipe used his own er, and issued a set of instructions before he went into the lad now that he had packed soarments Cyprien had purchased for John, as the man looked worse than he smelled He took them into John’s rooathered up the pile of crued them, and took them to the service rooe chute

Cyprien met him in the hall on his way back "You checked his clothes? It has not changed?" When Phillipe shook his head, he glanced at the door to the suite "She does not realize"

The scent humans shed was not like that of the Kyn; even when it was as pungent as John Keller’s clothing was, it had no power to do anything except offend the nose But es in hue their emotional state Fear soured their scent, and hatred turned it rotten