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Howard had rolled up his pants and was standing knee-deep in the lake He leaned over, concentrating, then suddenly swoosh! He scooped a fish out and tossed it onto the beach
Abigail smiled He fished just like a bear
Soon he had a dozen fish on the beach
"Are we supposed to eat all of these?" she asked
Rajiv grinned "Howard is big bear He eat eight"
The were-bear lumbered out of the lake, then pulled a knife from his belt and hacked the heads off the fish
"Fish heads!" Rajiv grabbed two heads and rinsed them out in the lake "Good for hot pot" He dropped them into the pot with the chicken feet
Howard beheaded all the fish while Rajiv insisted he was throwing away the best part
"I have noodles" Rajiv ran into the cave and ca of noodles he du pan and some oil from the cave
Late that afternoon, they feasted on Rajiv’s noodle soup and Howard’s fried fish
Abigail sat on the beach, propped up against a boulder, gazing at the karsts on the south side of the lake "I’d like to see those close up"
"We have a boat," Rajiv said
"We do? I didn’t see it"
Rajiv so across the lake?"
"No," Howard said sharply "She can’t leave the island"
She winced It was happening again She was being told what she wasn’t allowed to do The Vamps had wanted her to stay in Japan She’d had a hard ti her back here, and now she was just sitting here spinning her wheels
Shein the west "Don’t we need to go to the village over there?"
Howard nodded "It’s three miles across the hills The Vamps haven’t been there before, so we’ll have to hike"
"In the dark?" That ht "Why don’t we hike over there now, then when the sun sets, we can call the Vamps and they’ll teleport over?"
Howard frowned "I’ this island until the Vamps wake up"
She clenched her fists and released theori? Alaiting for hi a walk"
She paced around the island, feeling ori lie about his death-sleep? Was there anything else he was hiding from her?
She made a complete circle and sat on a boulder by the cave entrance Rajiv washed his pot in the lake, then doused the fire Howard retrieved his box of donuts fro
She ate and watched the sun lower on the horizon The lake sparkled The sunset painted the sky with shades of pink, orange, and gold It was absolutely beautiful It was soori
Tears came to her eyes That hat really had her upset She was coori She’d realized that when she thought she’d lost him
But what kind of life could she have with so? Would she end up wishing away her days, putting her life on hold, while she waited for hihed More people telling her what she couldn’t do
The last rays of sunlight disappeared over the horizon, and the terees She zipped up her jacket
"I’ll go see if they’re up" Hoent inside the cave
She turned toward the entrance She could barely see it in thevoices inside A loud voice shouted, Gregori’s voice
"What? Shit!"
She winced Howard ori ran outside, a bottle of blood in his hand He paused on the beach, facing her
Rajiv stalked toward hirowled, then strode inside the cave, leaving her alone with Gregori
Chapter Twenty-four
Abigail re on the boulder She didn’t knohether to yell at Gregori for being dead or cry with joy that he was now alive
He took a sip of blood and approached her "I heard you were upset"
She scoffed "That’s putting it mildly You didn’t tell me you would be dead"
"I said I slept like I was dead"
"It wasn’t like death It was death You should have warned me"
He took another sip "I tried to tell you twice Once here and again in the tub"
"Why didn’t you tell htclub, and you said it was just a sleep You lied to me!"
He winced "Abby, we’re totally vulnerable in our death-sleep And I have thousands of Va on overn the day"
"I’overnment"
"You work for them"
She flinched "You don’t trust er flared inside her "You don’t trust lanced to the side JL was standing on the beach with the other three guys
"Sorry to interrupt, but we’reout" JL ive you a call, so you can teleport over"
Gregori nodded "All right"
JL and Russell each grabbed hold of a shifter, then they teleported away
She sat back down on the boulder "How can you claiori stiffened "It’s not a claim, dammit It’s the truth And htclub That was a few days ago before wegot closer I do trust you now"
He stepped toward her "I was lying there completely helpless I would have never fallen into my death-sleep with you next to me if I didn’t know I could trust you"
Tearsevery day at sunrise"
"I don’t enjoy it much, either" He drank more blood "I’m sorry it upset you"
She blinked away the tears "I was terrified I thought I’d lost you"
He moved close to her "Sweetheart, you can’t lose me"
She swatted at his arm "I even tried to revive you with CPR"
"You did mouth-to-mouth on me?" His white teeth flashed in the dark "I’m sorry II’m just deliriously happy that you care so hed "I don’t see how it can work"
His s just fine"
"I couldn’t do anything this afternoon I had to wait for you to wake up" She er see in the dark "I couldn’t even go look at the rocks"
"I’ll take you there"