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He just … fell One moment he was an insane killer; the next he was a corpse, nothingarround

For a moment she could only stare, and think, I needed that! But pulling the stake out was a bad idea; Balthazar said that would allow the va as she left it in

Skye wheeled Eb around, clucking reassuringly for hiaze swept across the tide pool, and she gasped as she saw so that looked like a dead body--

Which is what Balthazar is, right now, and he’s going to stay that way if you don’t do soh the underbrush, looking for another branch; soon she found one less sturdy but perhaps long enough to work Carefully she picked through the icy edges of the tide pool, her leather riding boots htest imprint in the frozen mud As the ice cracked around her feet, she took a deep breath and leaned forward

There, beneath the murky water, she could see Balthazar’s face His features were still, his eyes open Though she’d never seen a drowning victim, she knehat one looked like, and it sent a chill through her that had nothing to do with the bitter cold

If he was conscious and could see her, he wasn’t able to act or even to give her a sign Skye leaned forward and reached out with the branch to snag the shoulder of his long coat; it wasn’t nearly sturdy enough to drag hi Maybe just getting hih Balthazar floated closer to the edge, lying flat just beneath the surface, like aSkye hesitated only a second before ripping off her leather gloves and thick coat; they’d do her ood later if they weren’t wet

Then she stooped down and plunged her hands through the thin ice, into the frigid water, to grab Balthazar

But, oh, God, he was heavy She hadn’t realized how heavy dead weight could be--and even if Balthazar had been in any shape to help her, he was at least six feet three and heavily h two hundred pounds? More? Skye knew she had th thansaddles, but it took all her ed hi, Skye pulled her coat on over her daloves for aup The other varave had stopped them, but that would only et out of here? Eb could carry theet Balthazar on the horse With her white, nuers, she shook his shoulder "Balthazar Balthazar, wake up!"

"He won’t be able to hear you for a while yet" Redgrave strolled into the clearing near the tide pool, his slicked-back, golden hair unmussed, and his usual carefree set blood soon--days And since our mutual friend prefers animal blood to human, I’d count on days, if I were you"

Skye remained crouched by Balthazar’s side As badly as she wanted to think Redgrave was lying, she kneasn’t

"You look as frightened as a fawn separated fro hazel gaze, and she understood how he ht captivate--or hypnotize--solanced over at Lorenzo, who still lay cru froh, are you? Here, let rave bent over Lorenzo, Skye wondered if she could run, but it was irave was faster, Eb was several feet away, and leaving Balthazar behind probably rave to shove back out into the river--or worse No, she’d have to think fast Could she bargain with hi with hi he’d soon take by force? Soon he’d unstake Lorenzo, and the two of the she could do about it

Redgrave took solinted silver in the pale winter sunlight--and swung down hard Lorenzo’s head lolled to one side … no, it was rolling, rolling free of his body

Lorenzo, now beheaded and finally, utterly dead, decayed in an instant His skin curled up and blackened like paper in fire; his flesh cru What rolled to the river still looked a little like a skull when it sank through the slushy ice and vanished Skye gagged

"There, there The worst is over For now, I rave walked closer to her, his hands clasped behind his back "You’ll want help getting Balthazar on your horse, won’t you?"

She re up at him Her voice cracked when she finally spoke "You’re just--letting hio Unless, of course, you choose to stay with rave’s grin would have been blindingly handsos

"Why would you do that?" There had to be a catch

Redgrave sighed as he stooped by her side Their faces were once again close, and she felt the intensity of his presence "I don’t want to brutalize you, Skye I want to convince you that joining "