Page 228 of Sins of the Heart

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Leaping high, she caught a low branch and swung

herself up like a gymnast at the rings, coiled, controlled, silent. She bent her knees and hooked the

branch, then hung there briefly, upside down, facing

back the way she’d come. Nothing moved. There was

no one behind her. Not yet.

With an easy roll, she curled her body upright

then scrambled higher, careful to make no noise.

Finally, she stopped and crouched on a branch,

muscles tense, senses humming. Closing her eyes,

she let the subtle vibrations of unseen molecules tell

her what was close. She could feel the unique pulsa-230

SINS OF THE HEART

tions, feel the energy signature that marked every

supernatural.

The air shifted—not the stirring of the breeze, but

something more sinister. Where? She didn’t move,

didn’t blink, didn’t dare breathe.

Heart pounding, she waited, mouse to cat. Run, and

Xaphan’s concubine would catch her when the trees

stopped. Fight, and the creature would sift her to ash.

Which lefthideas the only logical choice. She hadn’t

fed recently—not since the few drops she’d taken from

Frank Marin; she couldn’t count that microscopic bit

she’d taken from Dana—and she knew from experience that her own signature was negligible unless she

fed. She could pass for human, a bonus in the world

she lived in. It let her blend in, unnoticed.

The vibration cycled through the air, growing

closer. Closer.

The fire genie stopped.

Roxy moved only her eyes, scanning the shadows,

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