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But if he doesn’t …

The words hung there, unspoken But they both heard theo in first," said Sebastian, his hand wrapping around Victoria’s arm to stop her "Katerina will be suitably distracted, and then you can take her by surprise"

They stood in the narrow passageway known as Goldsue Castle reared up beyond its stone wall, which htly packed houses had been built flush against the stone enclosure, and another row lined the other side This created a crooked little lane barely wide enough for two horses to pass through, side by side The houses themselves were tiny, but decorated with colorful shutters thrown open

The sun shone boldly down, h to burn hot and cast short shadows People passed by on their way to and frooldsmithies, and on other errands Victoria and Sebastian had stopped in front of Number 75’s pie-sized stoop, but their destination did not lie through that red door

Instead, a small staircase led down to a door directly beneath Nuht was fraate to protect unwary passersby frohfare The subterranean steps reminded Victoria a bit of the entrance to the Silver Chalice

"And if Katerina isn’t there?" Victoria asked, although she was quite certain Antonнn had been telling the truth about the vampiress’s location, for Victoria had promised him a rehen they returned if he had He’d licked his lips hungrily and nodded enthusiastically, knowing that he had no chance of leaving the inn during the flush of sunlight

Little did he know she had other plans for him

"Unfortunately, I can fairly assure you that Katerina is here We’ve met in this location before"

Sebastian slipped past her and started down the steps, the iron gate clanging in his wake Victoria was left to wonder in just what manner he’d "met" Katerina At least she was certain they hadn’t been lovers

Her stomach pitched when she considered the possibility of aintimate Black spots danced briefly before her eyes, and a definite nausea churned in her belly That thought crept too close to those ard, in his chamber, when he drained nearly all of her blood… when she was helpless and under his thrall, wrapped in pleasure and sensuality… iue in her mind, memories that she couldn’t allow herself to contemplate

She didn’t know She didn’t want to know

And then there was Max And Lilith And her control over him, her obsession with him The flat expression in his eyes could hide hts away and concentrated on the chill at the back of her neck Stupid to allow her nant ideas They only served to weaken and distract her

And she wouldn’t wait any longer

None of the pedestrians on the street around her seeate and slipped through, then down the steps It stank of urine and da on unpleasant substances as she descended It certainly no longer reminded her of Sebastian’s clean and well-run Chalice

The stairs went down below the earth, down, down, down so far that no sunlight filtered down the spiral stairs When at last the steps ended, she saw a single horse symbol carved on the wall in front of her, next to a door The Lone Horse

The black door had an old-fashioned string latch The string hung outside, and she pulled on it to lift the sentle shove, grating across a packed-dirt floor

To her surprise, Victoria found herself in an establishment more than reminiscent of the Silver Chalice Wooden tables and chairs lined the space, all fashioned of scarred, smooth, hand-worn maple Laht a bit of warround chill The place smelled like sweat, damp soil, ale, and… blood

There was no mistake; Victoria definitely knew bloodscent Several patrons sat with various cups of libation in front of them, and she didn’t need to look closely to knohat the beverage of choice was A piano stood in the corner, being badly played by a woman heat-colored hair A sed up into the corner of the roo was lined with heavy bea

And the back of her neck felt as though a pack of ice sat there

Va red or pink eyes, lifting a lip to display the point of a fang None of thelowed red-violet Victoria wasn’t in the ht an Imperial vampire, the type that was the oldest and most powerful of the undead She wanted to , slay Katerina if necessary, and get back to Antonнn

One of the va for Victoria as she looked in the other direction A quick shunt of her stake arm, and the foolish creature poofed into dust