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20. The Plot Thickens i
~ Marx remained trapped. He knew the things he saw weren’t real, but they felt real. The acrid smell of blood and death seemed as real as anything else in his life. The dry, hot air against his skin, the sounds of battle that had his heart racing. It was hard for his mind not to succumb.
Before him, a war raged.
Vampires.
Werewolves.
Humans.
Shadows. Not like the ones Sven conjured, but the real deal. There were so many of them. Their wispy forms merged, weaving around the vampires, werewolves, and humans who fought them. It seemed like a never-ending battle. All sides were denying defeat as they fought, many to their last breaths.
Among the warring factions was his fam
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~Daniel stood over the body, Ava at his side. “What does this sign mean?” he asked of Philippe, who was with them. “Purists.” Philippe zipped up the body bag, closing the corpse inside. The woman, a human, had her throat slashed, and a symbol carved with crude care into her chest. “Seems they are calling Vescovi’s bluff,” he said, standing. Nodding, he gave the coroner the go-ahead to take the body away. “A human found the body this morning, but Anabella is taking care of that.” “Things always get worse before they get better,” Daniel said. “I suppose so.” Philippe ran a hand over his mouth, watching after the coroner’s van as it drove away. “If you will excuse me, I have some other matters to attend to.” Dan
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