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The stake fell fro ceased The world stopped, darkened, becaht to pull a breath back in Even the strong hands at his shoulders… the hand pulling roughly, jerking his head aside to bare his neck… they were barely led… to… breathe…

Pull… it… in … God…

The pink eyes cas wouldn’t ht for air The pink eyes burned, beckoning, trying to lure hiasped a bit, and with a sudden whoosh, the oxygen flooded his lungs, and renewed strength swept over hied down, and Max whipped hi his round, Max twisted and reached for the strea blood on the vampire’s hand

But instead of blood, he found only dirt He leapt to his feet, bracing hiainst each other, breathing heavily Max tried to ignore the floor tilting beneath his feet, the treh his body, the shihts before his eyes

But the fever sapped his strength even more, and he found it difficult to draw breaths

He was not going to bloody die

What the hell was he doing?

Sebastian had seen more than five missed opportunities to slam the stake into that vampire’s chest… but Pesaro hadn’t taken any of them

Instead, he swiped at hi to die?

Sebastian divided his attention between Pesaro-who, for all his obvious weakness, still showed more skill than he would have expected-and Victoria, who sat like stone next to hi what had addled Pesaro’s brain, she had to be thinking the same Or worse

And Sebastian realized he didn’t knohether he wanted the man to succeed or fail

Now Max’s stake lay on the floor of the shallow ditch, out of reach, and the va blood with his every ing through his own veins as ain The roorunts and groans, and the occasional dull clang against the iron grate

Pesaro made a sudden move and shoved the vampire off him, then folloith a well-placed kick Sebastian watched, waited for him to scoop up the stake and sla so, Max h to touch the undead

He staggered away, his hand red with vaain Pesaro blocked hiain and slale, Max’s head crashing into the iron bars as they tuly thud Sebastian heard the dull clang, and an uncomfortable chill washed over hiled to his feet, and Max shifted slightly His eyes opened Sebastian saw those dark eyes look toward them for the first time; he saw the way they moved over Victoria She tensed next to hi herself up and he heard the soft gasp She read Max’s expression as well as he did

It all happened so quickly after that The va pink; Pesaro lay still, one hand splayed over his chest as though to protect it and the other curled up behind and beneath hiainst the wall

Sebastian kneas going to happen-he knew it, but couldn’t believe it-and he did the only thing he could do

As the vampire launched himself for the fatal strike, Sebastian pulled Victoria toward him and smashed a kiss onto her lips

Fifteen

In Which Our Heroine Finds Herself Between a Rocky Wall and a Hard Place

By the time Victoria extricated herself from Sebastian, it was over

She shoved him away, stunned and furious, and terrified by what she’d missed In the back of her mind, she knehat he’dthe final blow, shield her from the last strike

But how could he?

Bri herself frorate Her knees felt weak, but Victoria rose and made herself move forward Because of that, because she simply couldn’t believe it was over, it took her a nize the sed, and suddenly there was Max

Standing on his oeaty, bloody, scraped, but standing On his own Tall, i, blood-streaked… and without a hint of the exhaustion she’d recognized the moment he walked into the roorated, its dust tufting in the air, and Max held a stake in his hand Not the long black one he’d carried in, but a shorter one

The one that had obviously done the job

Relief and a blaze of joy surged through her, and she pushed between Brim and Michalas to reach Max’s side

But he didn’t look at Victoria except when his eyes accidentally skipped over her on their way to Wayren