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Lauren found herself fascinated by a whole other branch of science and physiology.
Simon frowned. He is too strong, your Master. Too strong for his age, which is quite young among our
kind, to have been made by any other than such a one. He sighed. But whoever Kristov s Maker was,
I was unable to learn his or her identity, and it is certain that he does not know himself.
Why? Lauren wondered how he d come to that conclusion, though she knew it to be true.
Because. Simon s face darkened. If he knew the identity of his Maker he would surely have
attempted to kill him by now.
Thinking about the bitterness in his voice when he spoke of what he was and the faceless vampire who
had made him that way, Lauren was inclined to agree. But she wasn t about to let an opportunity to learn
more about vampire society pass her by, especially when Simon was being so much more free with his
information than Kris had ever been.
Is that& something you do? The, uh, ones of the Second Life? she asked, taking a sip of her tea.
Kill our Makers? Simon looked amused. As a rule, no. But then, most of us are given a choice as to
our eternal fate as your Monsieur Kristov was not. There exists a bond between the Maker and the
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Made that provides a bit of& shall we sayvulnerability on the Maker s part. We have a saying among
us, when the time is right only the Made can unmake his Maker.
I would have thought it would be the other way around, that the Maker would be stronger. Lauren
took another sip of tea. And I thought you couldn t use your powers against each other. Kris told me
something like that when he was trying to convince me vampires were real.
There are exceptions to every rule. Simon made a dismissive gesture. And there are many ways and
sayings that we keep, we of the Second Life, that are mostly from the old country. I am certain Kris has
told you that we vampires are not romanticized there as we are here in America. He smiled.
Is it that way all over, uh, the old country then? Because I know Kris is Russian and you re French&
Lauren looked at him, an eyebrow raised in question.
Simon nodded. Indeed but after my time at Versailles and my conversion to the Second Life I
wandered the world a bit. I found your Master Kris country most amusing. He smiled charmingly.
Do you know that even today Russian peasants are suspicious of strangers and any they suspect might
be outsiders or creatures of the night? They have rituals to protect themselves from us. For instance,
before burying a corpse, they will likely as not insert a long sewing needle into its navel. They believe this
will keep it from becoming a vampire.
Lauren put a hand to her mouth. Still, in this day and age? But how can people be so&
Ignorant? Superstitious? Simon grinned at her, and for the first time she caught a glimpse of
razor-sharp fangs beneath his full red lips. It is foolish, no doubt, but at least they try to protect
themselves from such as us. While the modern world marches on, blissfully unaware of the evil that stalks
their nighttime streets. What is the quote I am looking for? Ah yes& When ignorance is bliss, tis foolish
to be wise. Would you not agree,ma chérie ?
I-I m not& Suddenly Lauren s mouth was dry and there was a bitter taste on the back of her tongue
that had nothing to do with the swallow of tea she d just taken. Simon s brown eyes, so calm and
charming at the beginning of their conversation, had grown huge in his pale face. They reminded her of
Kris eyes the night before, when the iris had eaten the pupil of his eyes, leaving nothing but a sea of blue
fire. But in Kris eyes, she had seen desire and need.
In the bottomless brown depths of Simon s eyes there was only a cold curiosity, as though he were
wondering what she might look like if he pulled off her arms and legs, the way cruel boys pulled the wings
off flies. It was as though he had been wearing a mask of charming good humor for their entire encounter
and had suddenly decided to drop it and show himself as he really was.
There are some who believe the world at large should remain ignorant of us, of those of the Second
Life that walk among them, Simon went on, still staring at her in that cold, calculating way. But of
course, your Monsieur Kristov is not one of those. Is he?
N-no, Lauren whispered through numb lips. She wanted to lean away from him but she felt frozen to
the spot.
Now. Simon leaned even closer, pushing her plate and glass to one side. I have told you my
information about your precious Master. You will tell me everything you know about the Brotherhood of
Truth. Because youwant to, don t you, my dear? He took one of her hands in both of his and stroked it
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gently, sending a shiver of pure revulsion up Lauren s spine. The disgust gave her a measure of courage
she hadn t had before.
I don t know anything about the Brotherhood, she said, sitting up and away from him and extracting
her hand from his grip with some difficulty. But even if I did I wouldn t tell you. I don t know where you
stand and my first loyalty is to Kris. Even as she said the words, she realized they were the truth. Kris
might be maddening, irritating, and vaguely insulting but she trusted him. Trusted him to take care of her
and not to hurt her or let anyone else in this crazy funhouse of a club hurt her. It was an emotion Simon
could never inspire in anyone.
He sat back, brown eyes going back to normal, and gave her a look that was clearly surprised. Well,
youare a special one, aren t you, my dear? Such a strong-willed child. I begin to see why Kristov is so
taken with you.
Lauren glared back at him, her heart beating in her throat, hoping he wouldn t try anything. I-I d like to
go back to my room now. Thank you for the lovely lunch, she made herself say. Back to her room to
wait for Kris. She shuddered when she remembered his note and the possible consequences for this little
outing. But there was no other choice.
Escape was plainly impossible.
Chapter Fourteen
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zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl aikidobyd.xlx.pl
Lauren found herself fascinated by a whole other branch of science and physiology.
Simon frowned. He is too strong, your Master. Too strong for his age, which is quite young among our
kind, to have been made by any other than such a one. He sighed. But whoever Kristov s Maker was,
I was unable to learn his or her identity, and it is certain that he does not know himself.
Why? Lauren wondered how he d come to that conclusion, though she knew it to be true.
Because. Simon s face darkened. If he knew the identity of his Maker he would surely have
attempted to kill him by now.
Thinking about the bitterness in his voice when he spoke of what he was and the faceless vampire who
had made him that way, Lauren was inclined to agree. But she wasn t about to let an opportunity to learn
more about vampire society pass her by, especially when Simon was being so much more free with his
information than Kris had ever been.
Is that& something you do? The, uh, ones of the Second Life? she asked, taking a sip of her tea.
Kill our Makers? Simon looked amused. As a rule, no. But then, most of us are given a choice as to
our eternal fate as your Monsieur Kristov was not. There exists a bond between the Maker and the
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Made that provides a bit of& shall we sayvulnerability on the Maker s part. We have a saying among
us, when the time is right only the Made can unmake his Maker.
I would have thought it would be the other way around, that the Maker would be stronger. Lauren
took another sip of tea. And I thought you couldn t use your powers against each other. Kris told me
something like that when he was trying to convince me vampires were real.
There are exceptions to every rule. Simon made a dismissive gesture. And there are many ways and
sayings that we keep, we of the Second Life, that are mostly from the old country. I am certain Kris has
told you that we vampires are not romanticized there as we are here in America. He smiled.
Is it that way all over, uh, the old country then? Because I know Kris is Russian and you re French&
Lauren looked at him, an eyebrow raised in question.
Simon nodded. Indeed but after my time at Versailles and my conversion to the Second Life I
wandered the world a bit. I found your Master Kris country most amusing. He smiled charmingly.
Do you know that even today Russian peasants are suspicious of strangers and any they suspect might
be outsiders or creatures of the night? They have rituals to protect themselves from us. For instance,
before burying a corpse, they will likely as not insert a long sewing needle into its navel. They believe this
will keep it from becoming a vampire.
Lauren put a hand to her mouth. Still, in this day and age? But how can people be so&
Ignorant? Superstitious? Simon grinned at her, and for the first time she caught a glimpse of
razor-sharp fangs beneath his full red lips. It is foolish, no doubt, but at least they try to protect
themselves from such as us. While the modern world marches on, blissfully unaware of the evil that stalks
their nighttime streets. What is the quote I am looking for? Ah yes& When ignorance is bliss, tis foolish
to be wise. Would you not agree,ma chérie ?
I-I m not& Suddenly Lauren s mouth was dry and there was a bitter taste on the back of her tongue
that had nothing to do with the swallow of tea she d just taken. Simon s brown eyes, so calm and
charming at the beginning of their conversation, had grown huge in his pale face. They reminded her of
Kris eyes the night before, when the iris had eaten the pupil of his eyes, leaving nothing but a sea of blue
fire. But in Kris eyes, she had seen desire and need.
In the bottomless brown depths of Simon s eyes there was only a cold curiosity, as though he were
wondering what she might look like if he pulled off her arms and legs, the way cruel boys pulled the wings
off flies. It was as though he had been wearing a mask of charming good humor for their entire encounter
and had suddenly decided to drop it and show himself as he really was.
There are some who believe the world at large should remain ignorant of us, of those of the Second
Life that walk among them, Simon went on, still staring at her in that cold, calculating way. But of
course, your Monsieur Kristov is not one of those. Is he?
N-no, Lauren whispered through numb lips. She wanted to lean away from him but she felt frozen to
the spot.
Now. Simon leaned even closer, pushing her plate and glass to one side. I have told you my
information about your precious Master. You will tell me everything you know about the Brotherhood of
Truth. Because youwant to, don t you, my dear? He took one of her hands in both of his and stroked it
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
gently, sending a shiver of pure revulsion up Lauren s spine. The disgust gave her a measure of courage
she hadn t had before.
I don t know anything about the Brotherhood, she said, sitting up and away from him and extracting
her hand from his grip with some difficulty. But even if I did I wouldn t tell you. I don t know where you
stand and my first loyalty is to Kris. Even as she said the words, she realized they were the truth. Kris
might be maddening, irritating, and vaguely insulting but she trusted him. Trusted him to take care of her
and not to hurt her or let anyone else in this crazy funhouse of a club hurt her. It was an emotion Simon
could never inspire in anyone.
He sat back, brown eyes going back to normal, and gave her a look that was clearly surprised. Well,
youare a special one, aren t you, my dear? Such a strong-willed child. I begin to see why Kristov is so
taken with you.
Lauren glared back at him, her heart beating in her throat, hoping he wouldn t try anything. I-I d like to
go back to my room now. Thank you for the lovely lunch, she made herself say. Back to her room to
wait for Kris. She shuddered when she remembered his note and the possible consequences for this little
outing. But there was no other choice.
Escape was plainly impossible.
Chapter Fourteen
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