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Hisstubbornly, he changed out of his dirty clothes, all the while griain

He’d not need the bloody draft if he did He’d not need to step aside and let a faster, stronger Vioget save a comrade He’d have no reason to leave

Yet he couldn’t bear to stay

Even if he got his Venator capabilities back, he couldn’t He couldn’t trust hi

To share her

Pouring the still-hot water into the basin, Max felt a wave of stea at the sudden twinge of pain when heto catch his breath

His face was buried in one of Kritanu’s lemon-scented tohen there ca the twitchy red-haired servant, Oliver The grooht had obviously been pressed into other service within the s your pardon, sir, but my lady wishes you to attend on her," Oliver said most correctly

Max glowered at him "My lady?" Wayren or Victoria?

Oliver looked confused for a , "Lady Rockley" Apparently, he didn’t consider Wayren a lady, which wasn’t surprising Only the Venators-and the evil ones-knehat she was capable of

Max wadded up the towel and tossed it onto the table One end flipped over the side of the basin, landing a corner in the water Blast it Could she not leave hied it over his damp skin, where it seeed fro, he heard the man add, "She awaits you in her cha into the soft linen "Her chahts-and, daes –that bit of information invoked, and extracted the most palatable one Victoria’s face had been dead white and her clothes soaked with blood Was she injured ht? She’d never released Wayren’s hand during their shortin the parlor

Max opened histhe door ajar

There was nothing for it but to "attend to her"

His ht, he set off, certain that whatever he found, it wouldn’t be to his liking

When he reached Victoria’s chamber, his peremptory knock produced no response Max waited for a ed open Hell Was he supposed to go in?

Blast it

He’d not hesitated entering her chao when he first came back to London He’d been uninvited then

And noas ht, which meant exposure And few shadows in which to hide

Max pushed the door open, his attention going immediately to the bed It was empty

He stepped inside and closed the door, fir sunlight filtered through the nearby tree branches, casting the slow The bed lay pristine and round, with a bu table was situated near the entrance to whatroom The mirrored table held an array of ladylike items-and a few that were not so ladylike: perfume bottles, combs, brushes, jewelry, stakes, holy water vials…

He paused and lookeda slender blue-tinted bottle No It was gone The potion that he knew Victoria drank in order to keep fro with child Aunt Eustacia, and now Kritanu, one, and he knew that Victoria hadit

Max did not want to consider the implications of that fact, and he turned abruptly to examine the rest of the roo ready to be lit should the weather turn chill or rainy A chair in the corner near the floor-to-ceiling drapes would provide a good, distant seat fros or activity in the room; it was the same chair in which he’d sat when he’d visited her cha open, and a soft breeze filtered through them

Where the hell was Victoria? Had she sent for him or not?

Suddenly, he heard a faint… splashWater

Max looked past the dressing table toward the dressing roo a bloody bath

He turned, ready to flee, when the chamber door opened and in bustled Verbena, the poof-haired maid She carried a load of linens and didn’t appear surprised to see him