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then arched into his touch, and he felt her sex pulse against his fingers.
    “So sensitive, my Cyn, and so eager.”
    “You cheat,” she said breathlessly.
    Raphael laughed. “I don’t play by any rules but my own, lubimaya . You should know that by now.”
    She sat up abruptly, straddling him and lowering her face to exchange a soft, lingering kiss.
    “I love you,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “I can’t lose you.”
    Raphael looked up at her, puzzled. “And why would you lose me, my Cyn?”
    “Someone tried to kill you tonight, and I’m going to find him. There can’t be too many snipers good enough to think they can take out a vampire at that distance.”
    “But your sniper didn’t take me out, so perhaps he’s not as good as he thinks he is.”
    “Oh, like that matters,” she griped. Raphael raised his eyebrows. It certainly mattered to him . But Cyn ignored his expression to continue impatiently. “I mean, of course it matters that he didn’t succeed in killing you. But it doesn’t mean he’s not a first rate sniper. He’s just never taken on a vampire of your power before. You were already moving by the time I heard the rifle discharge, and even then it took me a few seconds to process what it was. But you knew it was coming before you even heard the sound.”
    “I heard . . . ” Raphael shrugged one shoulder, “the wind of its passage.”
    “And how many vamps do you know who would have been that perceptive? Not too many, I bet.”
    “Not many at all. What did you tell Colin Murphy?” he asked, changing the subject abruptly. It greatly annoyed him that Cyn had called the former Navy SEAL, and not just because he didn’t want word to spread of the assassination attempt.
    “I didn’t tell him anything, okay?   I’m just trying to find out who hired this guy, because he won’t give up. He may disappear for now, but if he’s under contract, he’ll try again. And even you agree he was probably hired by Klemens , or someone working for Klemens . So, we have to find him before he gets a second chance at you. And if anyone would know how to go about hiring a sniper like that, it’s probably Murphy.”
    She tried to shove away from Raphael, but he held her still. “I didn’t tell him anything,” she repeated, her words precise and more than a little irritated. “I asked him about snipers, about how many there were who could make a shot like that, and how one would go about finding them.”
    “Am I to believe Murphy is too stupid to intuit why you’re asking?”
    “Maybe he’ll think I want to hire someone,” she snarled.
    Raphael gave her an impatient look.
    “Okay, so he’ll know someone was targeted, but it doesn’t have to be you.”
    Raphael studied her face for a moment, while she stared at him defiantly. “Sweet Cyn,” he murmured, brushing his fingers along her cheek. “You’re smarter than that.”
    “What does it matter? I thought Sophia was your ally.”
    “Sophia is my ally,” he confirmed. “For now. But she is not one of mine, and she cannot be trusted beyond her own self-interest.”
    “ Rajmund’s not one of yours, and you trust him .”
    “I know Rajmund far better than I know Sophia, and for far longer. But I don’t trust even him completely. His interests and mine simply coincide at the moment.”
    “Well, I needed information, and Murphy was the best guy I knew to get it from. Someone tried to kill you, Raphael. You can’t expect me to sit around twiddling my thumbs.”
    Raphael sighed. “Short of locking you up, I can’t keep you from getting involved in this. I can only ask that you use your excellent instincts and common sense, my Cyn. They may have been aiming for me, but they’d be happy to take you instead.”
    Cyn stroked his chest, leaning forward until their faces were almost touching. “This is about Lucas’s war?” she asked, then kissed him lightly.
    “Most likely. Klemens clearly thinks he can win, or he never would