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.They would pick up a stack of books and head for the Botanical Garden next door, where they could read for hours, sprawled in the grass, the sound of traffic a constant dull thrumming in the distance.How he had ended up here tonight, he wasn’t quite sure.He had gotten away from his house as fast as he could, only to realize he had nowhere to go.He couldn’t face going to Clary’s—she’d be horrified at what he’d done, and would want him to go back to fix it.Eric and the other guys wouldn’t understand.Jace didn’t like him, and besides, he couldn’t go into the Institute.It was a church, and the reason the Nephilim lived there in the first place was precisely to keep creatures like him out.Eventually he had realized who it was he could call, but the thought had been unpleasant enough that it had taken him a while to screw up the nerve to actually do it.He heard the motorcycle before he saw it, the loud roar of the engine cutting through the sounds of light traffic on Grand Army Plaza.The cycle careened across the intersection and up onto the pavement, then reared back and shot up the steps.Simon moved aside as it landed lightly beside him and Raphael released the handlebars.The motorcycle went instantly quiet.Vamp motorcycles were powered by demonic spirits and responded like pets to the wishes of their owners.Simon found them creepy.“You wanted to see me, Daylighter?” Raphael, as elegant as always in a black jacket and expensive-looking jeans, dismounted and leaned his motorcycle against the library railing.“This had better be good,” he added.“It is not for nothing that I come all the way to Brooklyn.Raphael Santiago does not belong in an outer borough.”“Oh, good.You’re starting to talk about yourself in the third person.That’s not a sign of impending megalomania or anything.”Raphael shrugged.“You can either tell me what you wanted to tell me, or I will leave.It is up to you.” He looked at his watch.“You have thirty seconds.”“I told my mother I’m a vampire.”Raphael’s eyebrows went up.They were very thin and very dark.In less generous moments Simon sometimes wondered if he penciled them on.“And what happened?”“She called me a monster and tried to pray at me.” The memory made the bitter taste of old blood rise in the back of Simon’s throat.“And then?”“And then I’m not sure what happened.I started talking to her in this really weird, soothing voice, telling her nothing had happened and it was all a dream.”“And she believed you.”“She believed me,” Simon said reluctantly.“Of course she did,” said Raphael.“Because you are a vampire.It is a power we have.The encanto.The fascination.The power of persuasion, you would call it.You can convince mundane humans of almost anything, if you learn how to use the ability properly.”“But I didn’t want to use it on her.She’s my mother.Is there some way to take it off her—some way to fix it?”“Fix it so she hates you again? So she thinks you are a monster? That is a very odd definition of fixing something.”“I don’t care,” Simon said.“Is there a way?”“No,” Raphael said cheerfully.“There is not.You would know all this, of course, if you did not disdain your own kind so much.”“That’s right.Act like I rejected you.It’s not like you tried to kill me or anything.”Raphael shrugged.“That was politics.Not personal.” He leaned back against the railing and crossed his arms over his chest.He was wearing black motorcycle gloves.Simon had to admit he looked pretty cool.“Please tell me you did not bring me out here so you could tell me a very boring story about your sister.”“My mother,” Simon corrected.Raphael flipped a dismissive hand.“Whatever.Some female in your life has rejected you.It will not be the last time, I can tell you that.Why are you bothering me about it?”“I wanted to know if I could come and stay at the Dumont,” Simon said, getting the words out very fast so that he couldn’t back out halfway.He could barely believe he was asking.His memories of the vampire hotel were memories of blood and terror and pain.But it was a place to go, a place to stay where no one would look for him, and so he would not have to go home.He was a vampire.It was stupid to be afraid of a hotel full of other vampires.“I haven’t got anywhere else to go.”Raphael’s eyes glittered.“Aha,” he said, with a soft triumph Simon did not particularly like.“Now you want something from me.”“I suppose so.Although it’s creepy that you’re so excited about that, Raphael.”Raphael snorted.“If you come to stay at the Dumont, you will not address me as Raphael, but as Master, Sire, or Great Leader.”Simon braced himself.“What about Camille?”Raphael started.“What do you mean?”“You always told me you weren’t really the head of the vampires,” Simon said blandly
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