Page 3 (1/2)

Above her, she heard a strange thudding in the trees Her eyes darted upward, and despite the blur of motion overhead she could make out his shape He was above her Twenty feet up And leaping ahead of her as if he eightless

Oh, ht It’s a vaht He wasn’t trying to hide what he was He wasto kill her

Eb stumbled so suddenly that even Skye’s expert seat couldn’t hold her in place--she went turound so hard the breath was sucked out of her

Dazed, Skye stuainst the snowy ground; but for the helmet, that would’ve been her skull Her left hand was scraped badly enough to drip blood, and plenty of it For one ed since the stu was broken, he’d have to be put down, oh, God, no, not Eb--

But then the vampire landed only a few feet away, and she had to run

Skye went as fast as she could, but he was faster He leaped ahead of her,her skid to a stop Desperately she ripped off her helmet and held it in front of her chest--it was the only shield she had--but he began laughing

Laughing at her Toying with her And there wasn’t a da she could do about it

"Are you cut?" he said His voice was smooth and pleasant; he spoke as if he’d just found her there, injured, and wanted to be of assistance Of course he wasn’t fooling her and he knew it This was just a game he wanted to play

Well, she’d be da "Get lost"

The vaers in the small red puddle her blood drops had ainst the white, doesn’t it?" he said dreamily "Like red roses in a bridal bouquet" Then he lifted his fingers to his lips and licked her blood away

Then soaze seemed to dim, and his jaent slack, and his entire body became still It was completely bizarre, but it was a chance and Skye meant to take it

She bolted back toward Eb If he was injured then--no, she couldn’t think about that If he wasn’t, she et back on hi, Skye pushed herself faster and faster, seeking Eb’s black forhtfall would be on the her back so sharply that she cried out Skye turned back to see the va it hurt, and though she pulled back there was no freeing herself