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  “Besides almost killing Erin?”

  Christian’s eyebrows drew down in concern. “I thought he saved her life . . . and yours.”

  Jordan’s jaw tightened. He remembered Erin limp on the floor, her skin white, her hair soaked with blood.

  “Rhun bit her,” Jordan explained harshly. “He drained her and left her to die in the tunnels under Rome. If Brother Leopold and I hadn’t come upon her when we did, she’d be dead.”

  “Father Korza fed upon Erin?” Christian rocked back, surprise painted on his face. He scrutinized Jordan for several seconds without speaking, plainly floored by the revelation of this sin. “Are you certain? Perhaps—”

  “They both admitted it. Erin and Rhun.” Jordan folded his arms. “I’m not the one lying here.”

  Christian raised his hands in a placating gesture. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to doubt you. It’s just that this is . . . unusual.”

  “Not for Rhun it’s not.” He put his hands on his knees. “Your golden boy has slipped before.”

  “Only once. And Elizabeth Bathory was centuries ago.” Christian picked up the glass of brandy and studied it. “So you’re saying that Brother Leopold knew all about this?”

  “He certainly did.”

  Apparently Leopold must have covered for Rhun. Jordan felt disappointment, but not surprise. The Sanguinists stuck together.

  “He fed on her . . .” Christian stared at the glass as if he might find the answer there. “That means Rhun is full of her blood.”

  Jordan shuddered, disturbed by that thought.

  “That changes everything. We must go to her. Now.” Christian leaned over and rapped on the partition to gain the driver’s attention. “Take us to the airport! At once!”

  Instantly obeying, the driver accelerated the car, its bottom scraping when it crested a hill and headed out of the cemetery.

  Christian glanced to Jordan. “We’ll part ways at the airport. You can get home from there on your own, correct?”

  “I could,” he agreed. “But if Erin is involved in any of this, I’m going with you.”

  Christian drew in a long breath and let it out. He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and punched in numbers. “I’m sure Cardinal Bernard gave you the whole speech last time about your life and soul being in danger if you involve yourself in our affairs?”

  “He did.”

  “Then let’s save time and pretend I gave it again.” Christian lifted the phone to his ear. “Right now I must charter a plane to California.”

  “So you don’t object to me going with you?”

  “You love Erin, and you want to protect her. Who am I to stand in the way of that?”

  For a dead guy, Christian was turning out to be okay.

  Still, as the limousine sped across the snow-swept city, Jordan’s anxiety grew sharper with every passing mile.

  Erin was in danger.

  Again.

  And likely all because of the actions of Rhun Korza.

  Maybe it would be better if that bastard stayed lost.

  And Don’t Miss

  The Blood Gospel

  the first in James Rollins’s

  and Rebecca Cantrell’s

  The Order of the Sanguines Series

  where it all began . . .

  Available now from HarperCollinsPublishers!

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  James Rollins is the New York Times bestselling author of thrillers translated into forty languages. His Sigma series has been lauded as one of the “top crowd pleasers” (New York Times) and one of the “hottest summer reads” (People magazine). Acclaimed for his originality, Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets—and he does it all at breakneck speed. Find James Rollins on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, and at www.jamesrollins.com.

  Rebecca Cantrell’s Hannah Vogel mystery novels have won the Bruce Alexander and Macavity awards and have been nominated for the Barry and RT Reviewers Choice awards; her critically acclaimed novel, iDrakula, was nominated for the APPY award and listed on Booklist’s Top 10 Horror Fiction for Youth. She and her husband and son just left Hawaii’s sunny shores for adventures in Berlin. Find Rebecca Cantrell on Facebook, and Twitter, and at www.rebeccacantrell.com.

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

  ALSO BY JAMES ROLLINS AND REBECCA CANTRELL

  City of Screams

  The Blood Gospel

  BY JAMES ROLLINS

  The Eye of God

  Bloodline

  The Devil Colony

  Altar of Eden

  The Doomsday Key

  The Last Oracle

  The Judas Strain

  Black Order

  Map of Bones

  Sandstorm

  Ice Hunt

  Amazonia

  Deep Fathom

  Excavation

  Subterranean

  BY REBECCA CANTRELL

  A Trace of Smoke

  A Night of Long Knives

  A Game of Lies

  A City of Broken Glass

  CREDITS

  Cover design by Richard L. Aquan

  Cover photographs: trees © by Rob Lambert/Arcangel Images; bats © by John Cancalosi/Alamy

  COPYRIGHT

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are drawn from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  BLOOD BROTHERS. Copyright © 2013 by James Czajkowski and Rebecca Cantrell. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  EPub Edition NOVEMBER 2013 ISBN 9780062326621

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