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One more drink A deep breath, and she was ready She&039;d seen it done in living color in movies,&039; read about it, and still she wasn&039;t prepared for the blood, the feel of the knife slipping into flesh Once, Alex took hold of her hand, steadying her

She gave a triuasp when the tip of the knife hit the bullet Mo lay in her palm

She looked at Alex, looked at the bloody chunk of lead in her hand, and knew she was going to faint

Alex caught her before she hit the floor Feeling a little light-headed hi, then rose, unsteadily, to his feet

Picking up a clean washrag, he doused it with rum, swore a violent oath as he pressed the cloth over the wound in his shoulder He rigged a bandage by tearing a white cotton dish towel into strips

Aware of the approaching dawn, he stretched out beside Kara and closed his eyes

He woke abruptly, his gaze drawn to the bright light filtering through the thin curtain He couldn&039;t endure the sun, not now, not after all the blood he&039;d lost

"Kara" He shook her shoulder "Kara, wake up!"

"What&039;s wrong?"

"TheCover it"

"What?" She blinked at him for a moment; then, as co, picked it up, and draped it over the curtain rod "Is that better?"

Alex nodded "Thanks"

Crossing the rooe on his shoulder was stained with blood The ainst his bronzed skin "How do you feel?"

"I&039;ll be all right"

"I know, but how do you feel?"

"Weak"

"You should eat so And drink plenty of water"

"Yes, ma&039;ath You rest, and I&039;ll fix breakfast French toast okay with you?"

"Fine"

"You saved ain," she said softly

"My pleasure"

She basked in the love shining in his eyes, wishing he wasn&039;t hurt,that they could spend the daylove

"Maybe tomorrow," Alex said, his voice low and husky, his eyes dark with pro ain"

His suilty

Kara&039;s cheeks grew hotter "I&039;d better fix breakfast"

He slept all that day, leaving Kara to wander around the small cabin She found a blue-and-yellow sundress in a box next to the stove and put it on It was a trifle large, but it beat running around naked

Late in the afternoon, she went outside and sat in the sun Head back, she gazed out at the lake, her hts were for Gail and Nana What had Barrett done with theood Lord, what if they were locked up in the sa where she and Alex had been held? And what about Barrett? Was he looking for her even now? Had Alex killed Handeland? Was she ever going to have a nored her naet on with her life?

She watched the sun set in a splash of orange and ocher It was so peaceful here, she mused, so quiet, while her whole life was in constant tur a James Bond movie, she had wished for a little excitement in her life Well, she&039;d found it In spades She pressed a hand to her head, feeling a headache co on

And then she felt Alex&039;s hand on her shoulder He knelt behind her, his fingersaway her doubts With a soft sigh, she closed her eyes and gave herself over to the wonder of his touch

"Better?" he asked

"Hot to find out what happened to Nana and Gail"

"They aren&039;t there"

He came around to sit beside her and she studied his face He looked better The dark sone from his eyes, the lines of strain and weariness had almost disappeared

"Do you knohere they are?"

"I overheard Barrett ask Kelsey if they&039;d been found yet I think they et away I&039;m sure they&039;re safe"

Kara relaxed, her worries for her sister and grandmother somewhat alleviated by Alex&039;s assurance that they had escaped

Alex caressed her back and shoulders Her skin was sers Her hair s forward, he pressed his lips to her shoulder Clad in the colorful sundress, with her hair tu and innocent and as vulnerable as a newborn kitten

Alex swore under his breath She should have been horandive her children Instead, she was here, with abut trouble She&039;d probably lost her job Her life was in danger She had no idea where her fao hoers resting lightly on her shoulder

Kara turned her head so she could see Alex&039;s face, the s on her lips when she saw his expression "What is it? What&039;s wrong?"

"Nothing"

"You&039;re lying" Sheas she tried to read his mind After a hts as she usually did? And then she realized that he had erected a barrier of some kind

"That&039;s not fair," she said, her voice thick with accusation "You read hts whenever you wish I should be able to do the same"

"Life is unfair, Kara" He lifted his hand from her shoulder and stood up

Kara stared at him He was naked save for a torapped around his waist A faint breeze blew over the lake, ruffling his hair The setting sun left its signature across the sky in bold strokes of criold and bronze He looked like the Greek god Apollo, she thought, strong and handsoain to read his thoughts, and again she couldn&039;t penetrate the wall he had erected between them

Slowly, she stood up She willed hie her, to confide in her She ached to go to him, to take him in her arms and tell him she loved him Instead, she crossed her arhts

Minutes passed, and still he stood there with his back toward her Her patience at an end, Kara turned on her heel and walked back to the cabin

Sheto do They had been so close only a short tied vows to love and cherish each other They hadh they were hundreds of miles apart

When dinner was ready, she started for the door to call hi there, his dark eyes filled with unbearable sorrow She wondered how long he had been there, and what he was thinking to make him look so sad

"Sit down," she said "Supper&039;s ready"

With a nod, he took a place at the table She&039;d fixed steak and eggs His steak was rare, just the way he liked it

They ate in silence Kara refused to aze, and he ached for the pain he had caused her, was causing her even now, and yet he said nothing He&039;d known all along it had been wrong for him to interfere in her life For two hundred years, he had carefully avoided attachments to humans It was time to end his relationship with Kara before it was too late, before he ruined her life couilt of knowing his mere presence put her life in jeopardy, could not have her death on his hands Soet her safely home, reunite her with her family And if he had to kill Barrett to acco from the table, he thanked her for theand closed his eyes Leaving her wouldnot be easy for either of theht even hate him But someday, when she had a husband and children and a normal life, she would thank him