Page 22 (1/2)

Somehow, I knew that Nicolas would win Luc hadn’t been able to bring his son to heel forhis son’s life would be a far greater step than that But Luc’s sense of honor wouldn’t allow hi to stop it either Luc didn’t plan on surviving

I closedto my bit of wood The scuffle continued, farNo cursing or one-liners No insults Just the sound of flesh hitting flesh, of knives clattering to the floor The occasional boo hittired Blood loss, part of my brain insisted A short nap, a little rest, et up

No

I forcedto let soled to ht hand to prop round I couldn’t let it go, even though I knew if I tried to use it, I’d face-plant into the ground the second I liftedat the scene before me, I tried to take it in Nicolas stood in front of his father, their profiles to me Pieces of what could only be the other varound They were both covered in blood and beat the hell up But when Luc’s gaze slid to h so I could see his chest And the long sword that stuck out fro to ht have been, "I’ sane dwelt in hi into those eyes so full of hate

"It’s my turn now No one to order me around No one to try to make me live within the bounds of human law" His expression twisted into a snarl so fierce he looked inhuman "We’re better than you! Why did he always try to protect you?"

He lunged toward me, and I couldn’t help but cry out when he bent to take ain He paused for a moment, lips so close to the skin on hed I cringed, then with ed hed louder and pulled back, wheezing as he chortled He plucked the wood froain, and I silently prayed that Claude ht get aith him

But before Nicolas’s teeth could breakhit my chest--cooler than my skin but waristered the knifepoint sticking out from his chest And that what had hithihcold, and Claude was torn up--covered in blood and his body nearly broken by the vaht, we had a chance

I blinked against the darkness that crept into the edges ofSlowly, butHeaded for the door

Had Claude missed the heart?

"Get him," I muttered, but Claude didn’t move from my side I wasn’t sure ittired

"I’" Words didn’t seem to want to form in my mouth, and I wondered if one of the vampire hits had knocked my jaw out of whack But it didn’t hurt

"He doesn’t led to his feet "I need you to make a choice, mon chou Will you stay withthan I could grasp in thathim not to hurt me--didn’t scare me anymore He loved me I loved him It all seemed so damned simple now There was no need to deny it any then, and I realized he’d been talking and I ht him instinctually But even in his beaten state, the vaer than I

Sweet coppery heat filled hed into his ared to s, but the liquid kept coht I passed out for a second, but the blood flow never seemed to stop My stomach felt horrible, like I desperately needed to vomit If I could justto fillBecause vah my stomach and spread to the rest of , and awakened all the pain from my injuries I tried to cry out, but I couldn’t put a voice to the agony I couldn’t find a release for the heat building Every part ofmoved Luc came into view, his eyes on us and his expression unreadable With one quick jerk, he pulled the sword from his chest

The world went blessedly dark

Chapter Fourteen

The fishy s the beach in front ofback out To my ears, it sounded like the roar of a helicopter--close and likely to hit et better

My stoer One that I didn’t have to feed, not yet, but which I cravedI could reet better, too, but it would never go away

Such was the price I had paid

And I had paid with ift Psychometry wasn’t a talent vampires possessed I had lost my visions My ability to witness li that would have killed o, would have made iddy, if a touch sad, when I letat the waves?"