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"Sounds like a plan We need soos has been doing in the years - hell, the decades - he’s been running unchecked"

"A fe busy on one of the keyboards in front of hi the huain fro her in the first place?"

"Questions I have myself," Lucan replied "We’ll have the chance to debrief her once Tegan and the others collect her from Rowan’s place"

Uncertain if Tavia Fairchild would be cooperative, Lucan had sent Hunter and Niko along with Tegan Renata went too, not only because the presence of another feht offer some sense of comfort to Tavia, but also because of Renata’s unique Breedmate ability Niko’s mate had the power to teth of her raines she tended to suffer afterward ly

"What about Chase?" Gideon asked "Did Rowan tell you anything about him when he called?"

"Only that he was there at Rowan’s Darkhaven, and that he looks like hell" One ood idea to send Renata down to Boston tonight with the rest of the crew "For better or worse," Gideon said, "I gotta say I’"

"Don’t get your hopes up where he’s concerned," Lucan replied, but the truth was, he too was relieved that Chase was still alive And ht Tavia Fairchild to the Order’s attention This, on top of the personal risk Chase had taken in surrendering hi of the compound’s raid He’d likely saved more than one life that day, an act of sacrifice that still humbled Lucan to reflect on now

Lucan was the Order’s leader all this time because he knehen to draw the hard lines in the sand, but he also knehen those lines should be allowed to bend

Sterling Chase was more tarnish than shine lately, but he wasn’t a total lost cause

Lucan ought to know He’d been there hio

"What was it like?" Gideon had turned away fro Lucan froenius’s usual jocularity was replaced with a sober quiet as he stared at Lucan now "You’ve never said what it felt like to brush up against Bloodlust"

It didn’t take le with his own feral nature had eased soo, but the memory of it wasn’t far out of reach

"It was hell," he adression were constant It’s a dangerous combination, self-destructive The thirst fuels the coe to hunt and feed" He bit off a curse "As bad as I had it, Tegan endured sorian’s history "He lost his Breed an, not uarantee that he’d come out better on the other side" But he had, in spite of everything, even the grief and rage that had owned the warrior Lucan was glad that soan still considered hio, centuries for him, but I can tell you that the itch of Bloodlust never leaves you coreat deal of tios on the loose"

One of Gideon’s brows quirked over his serious eyes "The walls of the fallout shelter beneath this Darkhaven are made of steel and concrete, twenty inches thick There’s a triple- reinforced door built to withstand a nuclear blast Ought to be strong enough to hold one pissed- off vampire until we do have time to deal with hi a spark of conspiracy tug at the corner of his mouth "I’ve already been down to check out the situation ht"

Gideon was nodding now, a sht you’d written Harvard off"

"I ht yet," he cautioned soberly "It’ll be up to him to persuade et our hopes up until we see hi across the floor outside the rooot up and hurried out to see as going on

Lazaro Archer nearly collided with them "It’s Jenna," he said, concern etched in hard lines on the Breed elder’s stern face "Coreat room at the other end of the expansive residence Brock was already there, crouched at his mate’s side where she slumped in a boneless droop on the brown leather sofa

"Jenna" Brock’s voice was soft but urgent, his dark hands roa over her listless face "Baby, can you hear me? Colanced to Archer "What happened?"

"I’e journals, trying to work out translations for so in her sleep the past feeeks She asked if she could rest a while, so I went to look in on Kellan When I ca for breath"

"Another nightested He kept his voice lohile Brock worked to bring Jenna around as only he could "Yesterday she toldtrapped in a s pierced repeatedly with needles and knives, her skin flayed from her body while all she can do is watch it happen" "Jesus," Lucan hissed "That can’t be a coincidence"

"No," Gideon agreed "My best guess is that along with the bit of alien material the Ancient implanted in her, some of his memories caiven Jenna Her body was still changing, cells and organs adapting toward sorew a little bigger every day; there was no telling how much of her body it would cover in a year’s ti, Gideon was convinced that like her superhuer beher close as she began to rouse and murmur quietly in his arot you I’ll keep you safe"

"Brock?" Her eyelids fluttered as he continued to speak to her She ht of sleep lifted and she started to regain consciousness Her body stirred noaking fully She sucked in a shallow sob and clung to him, her eyes wide and welled with tears "There ater everywhere It kept rising and rising, and the peoplethere were people screa Oh, Godit was so awful!"

Lucan slanted a questioning look at Gideon, who shook his head, equally confused

Brock took her face in his hands, holding her still, soothing her with his touch "What people, baby? What water? Who was drowning?"

"I don’t know" She pressed her cheek against his chest and sucked in a ragged sob "I don’t knoho they were, but they were dying Men and wo It washed away the whole city"

Gideon’s wary frown ood match for Lucan’s Even Lazaro Archer looked a bit rattled by Jenna’s description of chaos and ainst her ear "Just a bad dream, baby You’re safe

Nobody died It was just a bad dreari her too hard She’s exhausted, physically and mentally All these tests and journals and analyses It’s too daht now"

"No" It wasn’t Lucan or any of the others who spoke to refuse hi her head Her face was tearstained and flushed, but her soft brown eyes were steady with resolve "No, Brock I don’t need to stop looking for answers I don’t want to stop"

"Look what it’s doing to you," he pointed out "You can hardly close your eyes without waking up screahtmare - usually worse than the ones that caht his taut face in her palht Shaken up a little, but I’ close to so, I can feel it I want to understand these dreams, even if they terrify me They’re a part of who I am now, Brock I need to knohat they mean"

"There may be someone who can help," Gideon put in All heads turned to him "Claire Reichen," he said "Andreas Reichen’s Breedate these dreaht miss otherwise"