especially free, armed, and with a pale gleam of hatred in her

slightly deranged eyes.

Dr. Anderson racked the shotgun she held, just for emphasis.

“I’m fine, Rhys, thank you,” she said. “Which is more than I can

say for all our compatriots back in Cambridge. They killed them.

They killed them all.”

“Even Dr. Davis?”

“He’s dead. They’re all dead.” She aimed the shotgun at Claire, Shane, and Eve. “Hannah, step aside. We can’t leave these collaborators alive.”

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“Irene!” Fallon’s voice was an unmistakable whipcrack of com-

mand, and she flinched and looked at him, startled. “No one is

doing anything so reckless here. Put that down, now. ”

“But—”

“Did you hear what I said? What is wrong with you, woman?

You’d take a shotgun to three people hardly older than children?”

“Trust me, they’re adults,” she said. “And they didn’t hesitate

to kill us when they had the chance. You’re making a mistake, Rhys, a big one. You can’t deal mercifully with these . . . vampire lovers. I’ve told you before, the world is better off if you just end all this once and for all. No half measures. Do not underestimate them.”

That was kind of a compliment, Claire supposed, but it was

also terrifying when combined with the loaded shotgun and the

half- crazy look on her face. Dr. Anderson would very much like to kill them. And apparently, the only thing that was really standing

in her way was Fallon, and as far as Claire could tell, he was thinking about his options.

Hannah had quietly removed her handgun from its holster and

was holding it at her side. Now she said, “Irene, please put the

shotgun down.”

That startled Dr. Anderson, and her eyes widened when she

took in the fact that Hannah had her own weapon ready. “You’d

shoot me?”

“I’m here to keep the peace,” Hannah said. “You seem to be

threatening it. So I’m asking you nicely, please put that down and

let’s all be civil.”

Fallon seemed to make his decision. He took three steps for-

ward and put himself squarely in the line of fire— a position where Irene couldn’t miss him if she happened to shoot. “This isn’t like

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Rachel Caine

you, my dear,” he said. “Now let me have that thing before some-

one gets hurt.”

Irene hesitated, but she lowered the shotgun from firing posi-

tion and handed it over to him. Fallon took it and held it comfort-

ably in the crook of his arm, as if he was long acquainted with

proper gun safety procedures. “Thank you,” he said. “Mrs. Hodg-

son, could you please show Dr. Anderson to her quarters? I believe

she could use a comfortable rest and a meal, and perhaps some

calming medication. Thank you so much.”

It was all very warm and kindly, but Claire still felt chilled as