Randal frowned. "How can we do that without revealing our true purpose?"
"By making this personal," Dumphries replied. "Marlowe respects strength and values loyalty. We'll appeal to both."
The plan that emerged was daring in its simplicity. They would approach Marlowe openly, as themselves, with a request for aid in a personal matter. The story would be that an old friend of Dumphries – someone Marlowe had never met – was suffering from a rare blood disorder that was causing them to lose their vampiric abilities.
"We'll tell Marlowe that we've exhausted all other options," Dumphries explained. "That we're turning to him not just because of his power, but because of his wisdom. We need a small sample of blood from an elder vampire to complete a ritual that might save our friend."
