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soon fill them.
With a fearful glance at the study, I stepped furtively out the back door. A
fresh blanket of snow covered the lawn. I tried not to think of how the hedge
maze, frosted with shimmering crystals of ice, reminded me ofThe Shining. I
wascreeped out enough without the threat of Jack Nicholson jumping out at me.
I reached out to Cyrus with my thoughts, hoping that I sent off an innocent
just going for a walk vibe. But it was like hitting a brick wall with my
mind. Cyrus was ignoring me.
For a moment, his neglect stung me. Then I had the good sense to remember I
didn t want him to pay attention to what I was doing, anyway. I had enough to
worry about without wondering if my sire would rip me to shreds for my
betrayal when I returned.
Not to mention the fact I had no idea whether Nathan had even received my
message, and if he had, whether or not he would actually show up. If I got
caught, I was a goner. I couldn t evenlie my way out of a parking ticket. What
if Clarence had sold me out after all? He didn t like vampires, period. Why
should I have expected him to help me?
I kept to the shadow of the wall. I was sure every step I took would be my
last before I was finally discovered. My initial trepidation had mounted to
full-blown fear by the time I reached the gate. My cover disappeared as the
stone wall broke, and I gasped, startled.
On the other side of the weathered iron bars, Nathan jumped at the sound.
I hadn t given much thought to what my reaction would be when I saw him. I
guess I d assumed I d have to plead for my life or fight him, so I wasn t
prepared for the concern on his face or the way he gripped the bars like a man
in a prison cell.
Where is he? Is he okay? he asked, peering past me up the lawn.
He s fine, I assured him. He s just tired. He had a rough night.
Nathan s jaw set as he spoke through tight lips. I swear, Carrie, if
anything happened to him
Hey! I snapped. Do you really think I d hurt him?
Yes, I do.
It stung too much to let it go. You don t know anything about me.
I started to walk away, but then I rememberedZiggy and my reason for meeting
with Nathan in the first place. Before I could turn back, Nathan called my
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name, and the anguish in his voice cut me to the quick.
Please. I ll do anything you want. Just get him out of there. He reached
through the bars as if to draw me back. If anything happens to him& Carrie, I
don t know what I ll do.
I sighed wearily and went back to the gate. Nothing is going to happen to
him. I ve made sure of that.
Without my permission, my eyes flitted over the dark windows of Cyrus s
bedroom. I remembered my promise to be with him at dawn, and an unexpected
shiver of desire raced up my spine. I turned back to Nathan, hoping he
couldn t sense my distress. The problem is,this place is likeFortKnox . I
don t know how we re going to get him out.
Nathan stared up at the mansion, rubbing his hands as if he was trying to
warm them.
You re dead. Aren t they supposed to be cold?
His gaze never moved from the looming edifice. I m thinking.
Tell me how that works out for you. As I watched him study the house, I
found myself wanting to touch him. Not from sexual attraction, although I knew
at least one of us still felt it. This was an urge borne of homesickness.
Seeing him made me feel as if I d been on a long trip in a violent foreign
country.
Why did you kick him out? I asked quietly, and his eyes darted sharply back
to me.
I didn t kick him out. He left.
He said you kicked him out.
I reacted badly. There was some yelling.A lot of yelling. But I never told
him to leave. Nathan s voice was thick with emotion. And I damn sure
wouldn t have let him go if I knew he was coming here.
I m sorry you had to find out that way. I m sure it wasn t easy. But no
matter what I said, it wouldn t erase his regret. He s afraid you hate him.
That s stupid of him!
Is it? I planted my hands on my hips. In case you didn t notice, he was
pretty embarrassed that you walked in on him like that. And all he got from
you was judgment and the angry face!
For a moment, it appeared my words had penetrated his thick skull. Then he
shook his head, swore and took a step back. Why am I even talking to you? I
should be jabbing a stake through this fence right now, after you ran off like
that.
I d almost forgotten my letter. Ziggygave you my message?
Yeah. His voice was cold and impersonal.
And? I wrapped my fingers around the icy metal, hoping he d touch my hand.
It was a foolish hope. What the fuck do you want me to say, Carrie? You made
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your decision.
Then why are you talking to me?
He clenched his fists around the bars and gave the gate a hard shove. Then he
kicked it and swore again. I looked frantically toward the house, sure that at
any moment I d see guards streaming down the lawn. But Nathan continued to
rage. With a final, violent kick to the stone wall, he spun away from me. I
took that as my cue. Are you finished?
He limped back to the gate and nodded.
Fine.Then why are you talking to me? I phrased the question in a softer
voice than I had before.
Because you re the only way I m going to getZiggy out of there alive. When
I didn t respond, he reached into his back pocket. Listen, I ll cut you a
deal
I don t need money, I said quickly.
He gave me a melancholy smile. Yeah, I see your boyfriend has a nice setup
here.
He s not my boyfriend. I reached for the folded paper that he passed
through the bars. What s this?
Information.I m paying you forZiggy . Do whatever you want with them.
I scanned the paper. Nathan, these are battle plans.
Do whatever you want with them, he repeated. But if I were you, I wouldn t
be here on the thirtieth.
I frowned at the page. January thirtieth?
Nathan snorted. Hasn t he told you anything?
No. There hasn t really been time.
He laughed humorlessly. I ll bet.
Not because of that. I couldn t meet his eyes. We haven t.Yet.
He shrugged. I really don t care. Look over those plans. You can find out
what you need to from your sire. In the meantime, start thinking of how you
can getZiggy safely out of there. How can I contact you if I need to?
I have no idea.Maybe through Clarence. He goes out every day.Food shopping.
I just hoped he d relay the messages he received. He d obviously helped me
this time, since Nathan had shown up, but we hadn t exactly become fast
friends.
The guy who delivered your message?The one who lives with and works for
Cyrus? Nathan looked at me with disbelief. How about if I want to talk to
you, I ll be right here, after sunset. Make it a habit to check every night.
If I can get away. It was sort of an agreement.
He turned then, as if he was going to leave, and I called his name. The sound
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was desperate, almost pathetic as it passed my lips. I wanted to tell him why
I stood on this side of the fence. I wanted him to know that the only reason
he lived was because of the choice I d made.
Instead, I just stared, my mouth frozen open in shock at my sudden
exclamation. He stared back, his expression hard as some indiscernible war
raged behind his eyes.
Keep him safe, Carrie, he said. Then he turned and walked quickly away.
I went back to the house, numb from the temperature outside and the mood of
our chilly encounter. Telling him what I d done wouldn t have accomplished
anything. Nathan would have rushed into battle as if I were some princess
trapped in a tower by an evil magician. Then I d be in the awkward position of [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl freetocraft.keep.pl
soon fill them.
With a fearful glance at the study, I stepped furtively out the back door. A
fresh blanket of snow covered the lawn. I tried not to think of how the hedge
maze, frosted with shimmering crystals of ice, reminded me ofThe Shining. I
wascreeped out enough without the threat of Jack Nicholson jumping out at me.
I reached out to Cyrus with my thoughts, hoping that I sent off an innocent
just going for a walk vibe. But it was like hitting a brick wall with my
mind. Cyrus was ignoring me.
For a moment, his neglect stung me. Then I had the good sense to remember I
didn t want him to pay attention to what I was doing, anyway. I had enough to
worry about without wondering if my sire would rip me to shreds for my
betrayal when I returned.
Not to mention the fact I had no idea whether Nathan had even received my
message, and if he had, whether or not he would actually show up. If I got
caught, I was a goner. I couldn t evenlie my way out of a parking ticket. What
if Clarence had sold me out after all? He didn t like vampires, period. Why
should I have expected him to help me?
I kept to the shadow of the wall. I was sure every step I took would be my
last before I was finally discovered. My initial trepidation had mounted to
full-blown fear by the time I reached the gate. My cover disappeared as the
stone wall broke, and I gasped, startled.
On the other side of the weathered iron bars, Nathan jumped at the sound.
I hadn t given much thought to what my reaction would be when I saw him. I
guess I d assumed I d have to plead for my life or fight him, so I wasn t
prepared for the concern on his face or the way he gripped the bars like a man
in a prison cell.
Where is he? Is he okay? he asked, peering past me up the lawn.
He s fine, I assured him. He s just tired. He had a rough night.
Nathan s jaw set as he spoke through tight lips. I swear, Carrie, if
anything happened to him
Hey! I snapped. Do you really think I d hurt him?
Yes, I do.
It stung too much to let it go. You don t know anything about me.
I started to walk away, but then I rememberedZiggy and my reason for meeting
with Nathan in the first place. Before I could turn back, Nathan called my
Page 121
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
name, and the anguish in his voice cut me to the quick.
Please. I ll do anything you want. Just get him out of there. He reached
through the bars as if to draw me back. If anything happens to him& Carrie, I
don t know what I ll do.
I sighed wearily and went back to the gate. Nothing is going to happen to
him. I ve made sure of that.
Without my permission, my eyes flitted over the dark windows of Cyrus s
bedroom. I remembered my promise to be with him at dawn, and an unexpected
shiver of desire raced up my spine. I turned back to Nathan, hoping he
couldn t sense my distress. The problem is,this place is likeFortKnox . I
don t know how we re going to get him out.
Nathan stared up at the mansion, rubbing his hands as if he was trying to
warm them.
You re dead. Aren t they supposed to be cold?
His gaze never moved from the looming edifice. I m thinking.
Tell me how that works out for you. As I watched him study the house, I
found myself wanting to touch him. Not from sexual attraction, although I knew
at least one of us still felt it. This was an urge borne of homesickness.
Seeing him made me feel as if I d been on a long trip in a violent foreign
country.
Why did you kick him out? I asked quietly, and his eyes darted sharply back
to me.
I didn t kick him out. He left.
He said you kicked him out.
I reacted badly. There was some yelling.A lot of yelling. But I never told
him to leave. Nathan s voice was thick with emotion. And I damn sure
wouldn t have let him go if I knew he was coming here.
I m sorry you had to find out that way. I m sure it wasn t easy. But no
matter what I said, it wouldn t erase his regret. He s afraid you hate him.
That s stupid of him!
Is it? I planted my hands on my hips. In case you didn t notice, he was
pretty embarrassed that you walked in on him like that. And all he got from
you was judgment and the angry face!
For a moment, it appeared my words had penetrated his thick skull. Then he
shook his head, swore and took a step back. Why am I even talking to you? I
should be jabbing a stake through this fence right now, after you ran off like
that.
I d almost forgotten my letter. Ziggygave you my message?
Yeah. His voice was cold and impersonal.
And? I wrapped my fingers around the icy metal, hoping he d touch my hand.
It was a foolish hope. What the fuck do you want me to say, Carrie? You made
Page 122
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
your decision.
Then why are you talking to me?
He clenched his fists around the bars and gave the gate a hard shove. Then he
kicked it and swore again. I looked frantically toward the house, sure that at
any moment I d see guards streaming down the lawn. But Nathan continued to
rage. With a final, violent kick to the stone wall, he spun away from me. I
took that as my cue. Are you finished?
He limped back to the gate and nodded.
Fine.Then why are you talking to me? I phrased the question in a softer
voice than I had before.
Because you re the only way I m going to getZiggy out of there alive. When
I didn t respond, he reached into his back pocket. Listen, I ll cut you a
deal
I don t need money, I said quickly.
He gave me a melancholy smile. Yeah, I see your boyfriend has a nice setup
here.
He s not my boyfriend. I reached for the folded paper that he passed
through the bars. What s this?
Information.I m paying you forZiggy . Do whatever you want with them.
I scanned the paper. Nathan, these are battle plans.
Do whatever you want with them, he repeated. But if I were you, I wouldn t
be here on the thirtieth.
I frowned at the page. January thirtieth?
Nathan snorted. Hasn t he told you anything?
No. There hasn t really been time.
He laughed humorlessly. I ll bet.
Not because of that. I couldn t meet his eyes. We haven t.Yet.
He shrugged. I really don t care. Look over those plans. You can find out
what you need to from your sire. In the meantime, start thinking of how you
can getZiggy safely out of there. How can I contact you if I need to?
I have no idea.Maybe through Clarence. He goes out every day.Food shopping.
I just hoped he d relay the messages he received. He d obviously helped me
this time, since Nathan had shown up, but we hadn t exactly become fast
friends.
The guy who delivered your message?The one who lives with and works for
Cyrus? Nathan looked at me with disbelief. How about if I want to talk to
you, I ll be right here, after sunset. Make it a habit to check every night.
If I can get away. It was sort of an agreement.
He turned then, as if he was going to leave, and I called his name. The sound
Page 123
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
was desperate, almost pathetic as it passed my lips. I wanted to tell him why
I stood on this side of the fence. I wanted him to know that the only reason
he lived was because of the choice I d made.
Instead, I just stared, my mouth frozen open in shock at my sudden
exclamation. He stared back, his expression hard as some indiscernible war
raged behind his eyes.
Keep him safe, Carrie, he said. Then he turned and walked quickly away.
I went back to the house, numb from the temperature outside and the mood of
our chilly encounter. Telling him what I d done wouldn t have accomplished
anything. Nathan would have rushed into battle as if I were some princess
trapped in a tower by an evil magician. Then I d be in the awkward position of [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]