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inherit the place of doyenne. “Claudine is your heir.”
    â€œBut you could be a prince.”
    Once, he would have given anything to reclaim his royal title. Now he gave a shrug of indifference.
    â€œNot if I’m dead.”
    Berthe silently weighed her options, her crafty brain searching for a way to convince him to release her from his spell without actually having to offer something of value.
    â€œWe could perhaps negotiate a truce,” she grudgingly conceded.
    Levet folded his arms over his chest. “The only thing I desire to have is my place restored among the Guild.”
    Berthe made a choked sound, genuinely shocked by his demand.
    â€œDon’t be an idiot. They would never accept you.”
    â€œThey will once you add my name to the Wall.”
    The Wall of Memories was hidden beneath the sewers of Paris. Who had built it or why it was located in the sewers had been lost in the mists of time, but a gargoyle’s names magically appeared there when they were born, officially giving them their place in the Guild. The same magic wiped out their names when they died.
    Or, like him, were stripped of their place within the Guild.
    It was rare, but a doyenne or elder could return a name to the Wall.
    â€œNever,” she rasped.
    Levet squared his shoulders. “Oh, make no mistake. You will personally inscribe the letters.”
    â€œYou cannot compel me to write your name,” his mother blustered. “It must be done willingly.”
    â€œI am aware of how it works.”
    She pressed against the wall, her expression wary as Levet raised his hands.
    â€œThen how do you intend to force me to return you to the Guild?”
    Levet squashed the unworthy sense of pleasure at having power over his mother.
    This was not supposed to be revenge.
    It was justice.
    â€œAllow me to show you,” he murmured, sending his memories of his battle with the Dark Lord directly into her brain.
    Her claws dug into the floor, her skin fading to a sickly shade of ash.
    â€œ Sacrebleu .”

CHAPTER 5
    Valla had finished washing the tea plates and was wiping down the counter when she noticed the elegant Waterford crystal dish was empty.
    â€œOh, damn,” she breathed just as a prickle of awareness feathered over her skin.
    How was it possible that the icy brush of Elijah’s power could send a rush of searing heat through her?
    It was like explaining how photons could be in two places at the same time. A mystery.
    â€œValla.” With a speed that continued to astonish her, Elijah was standing at her side, his presence a sexy, tangible force that wrapped around her. “What is it?”
    She fiercely tried to control the leap of her heart and the quiver of excitement that clenched her stomach. A vampire could sense arousal at a hundred paces.
    â€œWhere is Levet?”
    Elijah tilted back his head, allowing his senses to flow through the neighborhood.
    â€œHe’s gone.”
    â€œAnd so is my amulet.”
    A frown marred the strikingly beautiful face. “You lost it, or it was stolen?”
    â€œNot stolen . . . borrowed,” she corrected. “Or at least that’s my guess.”
    The vampire wasn’t impressed; his dark eyes filled with fury.
    â€œIf the gargoyle is a thief, I’ll track him down. I promise he won’t be returning.”
    She swallowed a sigh. A part of her would always appreciate Elijah’s fierce desire to protect her. But she was tired of waiting for him to see her as a grown woman who was more than capable of taking care of herself.
    She’d been doing it for a very long time.
    â€œI want him to return.”
    â€œ Que ?” the vampire demanded with obvious impatience. “He already stole your amulet—who knows what he might steal next?”
    â€œI don’t care about the amulet.” She chewed her bottom lip. “I’m concerned about Levet’s reason for taking it.”
    Elijah