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won’t?”
    “Is there a difference? He says he doesn’t know where De Marcus is—”
    “Bullshit.” AJ slammed her fist on the table. “He’s protecting the bastard.”
    “I have no doubt. Butch knows exactly where he’s at, or what he’s involved in. I’m thinking the coven is protecting him for a reason.”
    “Why? He’s violated every tenant they hold up as law to the rest of the coven and yet they let him live. Why?”
    “I told Butch to be careful, he could find himself going down with De Marcus.”
    “You threatened the High Lord? I bet he didn’t appreciate that.”
    “Look, this was just a job at first. That changed when I found out De Marcus was after Clarissa, but Butch is making it personal. I think he’s trying to get me to come back into the coven. Said as much in our conversation. He said the coven is extending its reach. He claims they’re deep in East Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa. They don’t seem to mind that some masters are even turning druggies and gang-bangers. As long as they’re fighting amongst themselves he doesn’t care. A family is a family.”
    Selene stood and walked back over to the window, staring down at the people walking in the waning light of the sun. If they only knew what was waiting around the corner for some of them. The towering apartments hugging the sprawling park were like cement crypts. Only they lived in these, but soon for some of them, they would be just that, their crypts.
    “I’m going to the coven and talk to Butch . The bastard owes me an explanation. De Marcus tried to kill me and Clarissa, and I’m not going to allow them to hide him. They can offer him up willingly or they can pay the price. I don’t care.”
    “I wouldn’t do that.”
    “Why? They don’t own me. I’ve paid my debt long ago. My master is dead. I’m free to do what I want, Selene.”
    “Look, he made it clear that he has more resources, and could make our lives miserable.”
    “Big talk for an asshole who hasn’t seen daylight in centuries.”
    “I wouldn’t underestimate him, AJ. He wasn’t kidding when he said he would take out a mark on us.”
    “I’m surprised, Selene. It sounds like you’re afraid.”
    Selene wasn’t afraid, just cautious. She didn’t overplay her hand and she definitely didn’t make empty threats. Unlike AJ, she rarely let emotion set her pace. A slow, methodically thought out plan would bring De Marcus to her. She wouldn’t chase the bastard, but wait and bait a trap he couldn’t resist.
    “Calm down—”
    “Don’t fucking tell me to call down.” AJ grabbed Selene’s shirt and pulled her closer. Both women dropped fangs and growled. “We’re talking about Clarissa here and if anything happens to her, god help those who hurt her…or couldn’t protect her.”
    Selene grabbed AJ’s hands, her extended fingernails digging into her flesh. The smell of blood was instantaneous, sending a thrill through Selene.
    “Hey, what the hell are you two doing?” Clarissa said, trying to step between the two vampires. Selene was pushed back away from AJ. Lucky for her . Selene felt blood lust take over. Anger and blood where a bad mix and often led to death, or at a slim minimum, a badly damaged vamp. AJ’s hand still firmly gripped her shirt when Selene heard it.
    Rrrriiiippppp.
    “AJ!” Shocked, Clarissa turned and pushed AJ back, still clutching the front of Selene’s shirt.
    “Selene?”
    Each woman was locked on the other, both waiting for an excuse to attack. Selene could see in her peripheral vision, the tatters of her black button down barely covering her naked breasts. She broke in a sweat as she tried to control changing from her human form. Her gut ached as she held on to the last fragments of her human instinct.
    “AJ, let her go. Now!”
    “Her first,” AJ snarled.
    If anything she pulled tighter on what was left of Selene’s shirt. Yanking AJ’s hand closer, Selene tried to whisper over Clarissa’s head. “You