Once Forbidden
necessary, she knew it, but she
wasn’t really hungry. Quickly she slapped together a ham sandwich to go with
the coffee and sat down at her small table.
    What
was she going to do about Devlin? About her life? She couldn’t imagine living
the rest of her life hiding away in her apartment, nor could she imagine never
seeing the light of day again. With a sigh, she sat the plate with her
impromptu lunch aside half uneaten.
    “Where
are you, Devlin?” she mused aloud. “When are you coming back?”
    Much
to her surprise, she got an answer to her question, although it was inside her
head. “When I can, love. Remember what I said. Don’t let anyone in.”
    She
was so surprised she nearly dropped the coffee cup. Was he listening to her
thoughts? Were her thoughts no longer her own? “Are you spying on me?” she
asked nervously.
    The
voice in her head was impatient. “No, Sarah, but should I ignore you when
you ask me a question?” he snapped.
    Clearly,
he was out of patience with her and she winced. “Sorry,” she mumbled, and heard
his answering chuckle.
    “I’ll
be back as soon as I can. Call me if you need me. Otherwise, your thoughts are
your own, I promise.”
    And
just that quickly, she felt him leave her mind. Felt it. That was the
key. She could feel it when he was in her head. She sighed with relief. He
wasn’t spying on her. Still, she was left with all the same questions. What was
she going to do about Devlin?
     
     
     

 
    Chapter Seven
     

     
    Devlin
went to the Elders to see if anyone else had sensed the danger as he had. He stood
before the Council waiting for them to allow him to sit. It was silly—he was on
a first-name basis with all of them, but in the Chambers, they all expected the
formality.
    “Sit,
Devlin,” the eldest, Giles, said in a deep voice. “Tell us of this danger.”
    Devlin
sat in the chair in the center of the large room. He looked at each Elder,
trying to get a read, but of course, couldn’t. They were masters at keeping
feelings private. “I was in Australia, and sensed danger. I was unable to
determine where it was coming from. I thought it best to warn the Council,” he
said. There was no reason for him to mention Sarah, though he had no way of
knowing if Carina would.
    Carina
spoke now. “Hunters?”
    Devlin
shrugged and then answered. “I’m not sure, Carina. It was more a sense of
hatred I sensed than anything. I can not even tell you for a certainty that the
danger was human.” It was rare for a human to even be aware of vampires. Sometimes,
the Chosen could sense them, but not others. Most of the Hunters were either
Chosen—or related to Chosen.
    Of
course, to exist with humans, it had become necessary over the years for there
to be interaction with them. Some were so desperate to become vampires that
they willingly allowed themselves to be fed from. It was against vampire law to
take the life of a human to feed, but there was no such law about feeding from
them. Of course, all vampires preferred the fresh blood to that of the blood
banks.
    “Are
you sure it was even aimed at you?” Giles asked now, his white brows furrowed
in concern.
    “I
am certain of that much, yes.”
    “Devlin,
I hesitate to ask this—but what of your human?” Carina asked carefully.
    “What
of her?” he asked sharply.
    “Did
she tell anyone about you?”
    “Of
course not,” he said quickly. Damn her, why had she said that? He didn’t want
to answer questions about Sarah.
    Eleven
pairs of eyes turned to Carina. “What of this human?” Giles asked, speaking for
the rest of the council.
    “It
is for Devlin to tell,” she said.
    Devlin
cursed beneath his breath. “It has nothing to do with her. No one but Carina
even knows about her.”
    Carina
met his angry gaze. “Are you sure, Devlin? She could have told someone. You
know the Hunters are Chosen. Perhaps she—“
    “No!”
he roared. He refused to believe that Sarah had betrayed him. He hadn’t fully
read

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