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Katya nodded, having memorized the cell code "So," she said to Michel, "where to from here?"
PETROKOV FAMILY ARCHIVES
Letter dated December 24, 1978
Dearest Matthew,
It’s Christely hushed Nor their yearly tricks - I always half expect to find a tiger sitting on ht, as I did once when I was a child He’d brought ine?
But this year, even the hu for the ax to fall - the Council is nearing a decision If it goes the way I predict, anyone not in the Net will become forever cut off froed that adults can’t be fully conditioned, but those who stay in the Net will have to follow strict guidelines If they don’t, their children will be taken from them - so that they can be conditioned the proper way My hand is shaking as I write that No one will ever take you or Emily from me
Mom
Chapter 33
Dev made his way from the airjet to his cousin’s ho the snow-capable rental Maggie had organized Given the airjet’s speed, he wasn’t that far behind Michel taking Katya into "custody"
Arriving at his cousin’s place, he got out and strode straight to the front door Michel opened it as he was raising a fist to knock "She’s all yours, Santos" Thrusting his hat back on, Michel said, "If I were you, I’d don body ar"
His cousin tipped his head and walked off to his own vehicle Trying to get a handle on a temper that flat-out refused to respond to the cool brush of h the door and followed the echo of Katya’s presence to the kitchen - where he found her cale blueberry muffin, a cup of what looked like hot chocolate at her elbow Jesus - there were even ood care of you"
A glance that told hi "He kno to treat a wo
He watched as she picked out a blueberry and popped it into her et away?"
"Giving in is not what I do"
It was a slap And it poured the id water over the temper he’d irrationally feared would turn him into his father What the hell had he expected Katya to do? Sit meekly while he held her captive?
The wo LeBon’s brand of torture wasn’t the sitting-around kind
Blowing out a breath, he folded his arms across his jacket "How close are you to wherever you’re going?"
She froze, then see closer"
"Still no certain location?"
"It’s northwestI think possibly Alaska, though it could as easily be in Yukon"
Dev stepped close enough to play with a strand of her hair She didn’t pull away, but neither did she deviate fronored again He realized that should’ve irritated hi her hair, hehis hands palms down on the counter on either side of her
She took another bite of the , he brushed aside the fall of her hair and pressed a kiss to the delicate skin of her nape
A shiver "Devraj Santos," she said with quiet forcefulness, "you are not going to char the slender curve of her neck "Who said anything about char to seduce you"
She put down that da at ht and wrapped his ar his chin on top of her head "You’re too stubborn to respond to yelling" She’d survived so he wasn’t sure even he could survive - a man would be stupid not to respect that kind of will in his wo me back" Her hand closed into a fist on the counter "Why? I’m no threat this far froht’ve learned in the time you’ve been with us, whether you’ll circle back and strike"
That hand flexed, then closed again "Nothing I say will change your mind, will it?"
He knehat he should do Until he’d walked into this kitchen, there hadn’t even been a question in his ive you three days"
She sucked in a breath "Dev?"
"We’ll take the airjet as far north as you’re colad you’ll be withinto his embrace "Part of me is so afraid of what I’ll find - what if there’s nothing there?"
"Katya?"
"It would ed," she whispered "If I have this co to back it up"
He suddenly understood her hunger to follow the compulsion far better than he had before "You aren’t brain dahter "If you were, you sure as hell wouldn’t have ed to sneak out froe in that coood, didn’t I?" Her smile faltered "How’s Tiara?"
"She opened book on how far you’d get before I caught up to you"