07 The Return_ Midnight - L. J. Smith

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Good-bye, Pelat. You may go.” “As you wish, my lord.” Pelat bowed and left. “Aren’t you taking this ‘my lord’ thing a bit too seriously?” Stefan asked. “And what is that costume you’re wearing?” “It’s the uniform of the captain of the guard of Madame le Princess Jessalyn D’Aubigne,” Damon said coldly. “You got a job?” “It was a position.” Damon bared his teeth. “And it’s none of your business.” “Got your canines back, too, I see.” “And that’s none of your business either. But if you want me to knock you out and trample over your undead body, I’ll be delighted to oblige.” Something was wrong, Stefan thought. Damon should be through the taunting phase and be actually trampling on him by now. It only made sense if… “I’ve already spoken to Bonnie,” he said. And so he had, to ask where he was. But to a guilty mind, apparent foreknowledge often worked wonders. And Damon hastily said exactly what Stefan hoped he wouldn’t. “I can explain!” “Oh, God,” Stefan said. “If she’d just done as I told her—” “While you were off becoming a princess’s captain of the guard? And she was— where?” “She was safe, at least! But, no, she had to go out into the street and then to that shop—” “Shocking! She actually walked in the street?” Damon ground his teeth. “You don’t know how it is around here—or how the slave trade works. Every day—” Stefan slammed both hands on the desk, now truly angry. “She was picked up by slavers? While you were sleazing around with a princess?” “Princess Jessalyn does not sleaze,” Damon replied icily. “Nor do I. And anyway it all turned out to be a good thing because now we know where the Seven Kitsune Treasures are.” “What treasures? And who cares about treasures when there’s a town being destroyed by kitsune?” Damon opened his mouth, shut it, then looked narrowly at Stefan. “You said that you’d talked to Bonnie about all this.” “I did talk to Bonnie,” Stefan said flatly. “I said hello.” Damon’s dark eyes flared. For a moment Stefan thought he was going to snarl or start a fight. But then, through clenched teeth, he said, “It’s all for the damned town, don’t you see that? Those treasures include the largest star ball ever to be filled with Power. And that Power may be enough to save Fell’s Church. At least to stop its total annihilation. Maybe to even clear out every malach that exists and destroy Shinichi and Misao with a single blow. Is that noble enough for you, little brother? Is it reason enough?” “But taking Bonnie—” “You stay with her here if you like! Spend your lives here! I might mention that without her I would never have been able to set up an expedition, and that she’s determined to go. Besides, we’re not coming back this way. <strong>The</strong>re has to be an easier route from the Gatehouse to Earth. We wouldn’t survive coming back, so you’d better hope like hell that there is one.”
Stefan was surprised. He had never heard his brother speak with such passion about anything that involved humans. He was about to reply, when behind him there came a scream of pure, unadulterated rage. It was frightening—and worrying, too, because Stefan would recognize that voice anywhere, anytime. It was Elena’s.
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L. J. Smith The Vampire Diaries The
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Contents 1 Elena Gilbert put down t
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28 Elena was nodding slowly. “It
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1 “Dear Diary, I’m so frightene
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species he’s come to hate and sco
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one. Step two. Step three—I must
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against a wall, or throw her across
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Is she thinking about Stefan in the
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vampirism was a curse. Humans never
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3 Damon leaped. Somewhere in the mi
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“So—assuming you’re alive—y
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Matt’s eyes met Meredith’s and
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comes to the final showdown with Sh
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No, I would not let Sage make me in
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“Well, I can—if you’re done,
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5 “I thought you wanted to get ou
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Stefan! I never begged your pardon
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scared, Damon thought. “I’m mor
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short shake of curls and then a yaw
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He now ascended the steps slowly. H
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“No, I’m serious! When I’m a
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“Now sit down there,” he adjure
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9 Damon dropped his hand. He simply
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them off, not when you’re sleepin
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dressed in a flannel nightgown with
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10 Damon was making his way up the
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He stood again, looking at the girl
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definitely don’t like it. And tha
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11 When M. le Princess Jessalyn D
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Damon smiled at the surly guard.
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Bonnie threw the star ball across t
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12 “Stefan. Stefan!” Elena had
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him back tightly, knowing that her
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13 Elena, sleeping serenely with on
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it up with some of the papers. When
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into the urns. We do know that the
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14 The next morning Elena noticed t
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Matt cleared his throat as somethin
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shop, maybe six or seven. One brown
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15 Bonnie woke slowly, coming up fr
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entertainment—even the Dustbins w
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starting to feel better she was hus
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comfort of her own. The next minute
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star ball.” “Mouse, here, is ri
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examined her, murmuring, “Hair of
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17 Meredith and Matt were sitting a
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“Since I first saw you, I loved y
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They’re faster, she thought. As f
Page 98 and 99: 18 After breakfast Matt went online
Page 100 and 101: stared at him but with eerie, uncan
Page 102 and 103: The Gilbert-Maxwells were Elena’s
Page 104 and 105: seated Misao on the couch, rubbing
Page 106 and 107: Meredith, Matt, and Bonnie were fri
Page 108 and 109: Long pause. Then her mother drained
Page 110 and 111: Meredith stared in utter disbelief.
Page 112 and 113: 21 Someone was still knocking on St
Page 114 and 115: It was Influence. Before Elena coul
Page 116 and 117: e wrong. She and Stefan had only jo
Page 118 and 119: 22 “Mama said not in Fell’s Chu
Page 120 and 121: They were just playing, he figured,
Page 122 and 123: your first witness.” “We call C
Page 124 and 125: Matt realized that the duct tape ar
Page 126 and 127: 23 In the car, Matt sat by the slee
Page 128 and 129: She had the attic bed straightened
Page 130 and 131: “I know that!” Bonnie said indi
Page 132 and 133: 24 Stefan woke early. He spent the
Page 134 and 135: “I’ll bring it,” Elena offere
Page 136 and 137: And only Matt knew how close he had
Page 138 and 139: deep kiss. For a moment he resisted
Page 140 and 141: 25 “Sleeping in the storage room
Page 142 and 143: fingers closed on a small sheaf of
Page 144 and 145: stamped on it, but the malach insid
Page 146 and 147: what was out there before they step
Page 150 and 151: 27 Stefan whirled around and saw Bo
Page 152 and 153: and-ruby necklace and ring—but no
Page 154 and 155: Bonnie’s head came up. “Even th
Page 156 and 157: efore putting her down again. “Yo
Page 158 and 159: “Is it safe, having Biratz carry
Page 160 and 161: Elena hesitated. It was true; she c
Page 162 and 163: Damon’s warm hand was inside her
Page 164 and 165: oh, God, he might murder Stefan. Ag
Page 166 and 167: elow her feet, or so it seemed. It
Page 168 and 169: other Godawful Hellacious monsters
Page 170 and 171: Biratz’s trunks. “It was pointl
Page 172 and 173: 30 “Strip to your underwear and g
Page 174 and 175: Something was shaking the room. Sha
Page 176 and 177: we’ll destroy the container.”
Page 178 and 179: comfortingly. At last Damon dropped
Page 180 and 181: “Can you make it?” Stefan asked
Page 182 and 183: 32 “Damon doesn’t mean to be su
Page 184 and 185: At a quarter to eleven Meredith cam
Page 186 and 187: 33 Elena was waiting for the fog to
Page 188 and 189: in Fell’s Church the Last Midnigh
Page 190 and 191: She found herself bumping into a ha
Page 192 and 193: 34 “You’ve been fed and taken c
Page 194 and 195: There was also a picture of a pair
Page 196 and 197: “Or where,” said the old woman.
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35 Elena felt as if she had been do
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Elena did and gasped. For just an i
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he’d had his puppet, Damon, do wh
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“A little. But I could hear you,
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36 Matt broke a lot of traffic rule
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shining as silver as her hair. Matt
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knew she had to keep going. Isobel
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37 Then Meredith saw something that
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parent this night, and no parent ha
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38 Damon had stopped and was kneeli
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was proper javelin size, had gone t
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Suddenly, a huge shudder—a convul
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Thank you…Elena. Thank you…for
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39 Elena clutched the child to her.
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them and Damon’s body between two
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Elena knew, as perhaps this child d
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earlier. Stefan and Bonnie had been
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41 Stefan didn’t move or speak fo
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how do we offer them the Fountain o
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plant to survive in. Elena stared s
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air car. Instead of a crash with on
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“That’s what you tell us!” St
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escape. But she eventually was comp
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at the blurry mass of Guardians aro
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fierce and concerned and loving and
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felt her soul expand and come out o
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44 On the smallest moon of the Neth
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Other Books by L. J. Smith THE VAMP
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Credits Jacket art © 2011 by Carri
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About the Publisher Australia Harpe
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42 43 44 About the Author Other Boo
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07 The Return_ Midnight - L. J. Smith

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