[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
I could find into my voice. I wasn't the best actor in the world, but maybe I could learn.
Edward stared at me. "It's Jean-Claude, isn't it?"
"Jean-Claude isn't powerful enough to hold the city. You know that. He's, what, a little over two
hundred? Not old enough."
He frowned at me. Good. "It's not Yasmeen."
"True."
"You didn't talk to any other vampires tonight?"
"You may have followed me into the Circus, Edward, but you didn't listen at the door when I met the
Master. You couldn't have. The vamps or the shapeshifters would have heard you."
He acknowledged it with a nod.
"I saw the Master tonight, but it wasn't anyone who came down to fight the snake."
"The Master let his people risk their lives and didn't help?" His smile was back.
"The Master of the City doesn't have to be physically present to lend his power, you know that."
"No," he said, "I don't."
I shrugged. "Believe it or not." I prayed, please let him believe.
He was frowning. "You're not usually this good a liar."
"I'm not lying." My voice sounded calm, normal, truthful. Honesty-R-Us.
"If Jean-Claude really isn't the Master, then you know who is?"
The question was a trap. I couldn't answer yes to both questions, but hell, I'd been lying; why stop now?
"Yes, I know who it is."
"Tell me," he said.
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I shook my head. "The Master would kill me if he knew I talked to you."
"We can kill him together like we did the last one." His voice was terribly reasonable.
I thought about it for a minute. I thought about telling him the truth. Humans First might not be up to
tangling with the Master, but Edward was. We could kill him together, a team. My life would be a lot
simpler. I shook my head and sighed. Shit.
"I can't, Edward."
"Won't," he said.
I nodded. "Won't."
"If I believe you, Anita, it means I need the name of the Master. It means you are the only human who
knows that name." The friendly banter seeped out of his face like melting ice. His eyes were as empty
and pitiless as a winter sky. There was no one home that I could talk to.
"You don't want to be the only human who knows the name, Anita."
He was right. I didn't, but what could I say? "Take it or leave it, Edward."
"Save yourself a lot of pain, Anita; tell me the name."
He believed. Hot damn. I lowered my eyes to look down into my coffee so he wouldn't see the flash of
triumph in my eyes. When I looked back up, I had my face under control. Me and Meryl Streep.
"I don't give in to threats, you know that."
He nodded. He finished his coffee and sat the mug in the middle of the table. "I will do whatever is
necessary to finish this job."
"I never doubted that," I said. He was talking about torturing me for information. He sounded almost
regretful, but that wouldn't stop him. One of Edward's primary rules was "Always finish a job."
He wouldn't let a little thing like friendship ruin his perfect record.
"You saved my life, and I saved yours," he said. "It doesn't buy you anything now. You understand
that?"
I nodded. "I understand."
"Good." He stood up. I stood up. We looked at each other. He shook his head. "I'll find you tonight,
and I'll ask again."
"I won't be bullied, Edward." I was finally getting a little mad. He had come in here asking for
information; now he was threatening me. I let the anger show. No acting needed.
"You're tough, Anita, but not that tough." His eyes were neutral, but wary, like those of a wolf I'd seen
once in California. I'd just walked around a tree and there it had been, standing. I froze. I had never
really understood what neutral meant until then. The wolf didn't give a damn if it hurt me or not. My
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choice. Threaten it, and the shit hit the fan. Give it room to run, and it would run. But the wolf didn't care;
it was prepared either way. I was the one with my pulse in my throat, so startled that I'd stopped
breathing. I held my breath and wondered what the wolf would decide. It finally loped off through the
trees.
I'd relearned how to breathe and gone back down to the campsite. I had been scared, but I could still
close my eyes and see the wolf's pale grey eyes. The wonder of staring at a large predator without any
cage bars between us. It had been wonderful.
I stared up at Edward now and knew that this, too, was wonderful in its way. Whether I had known the
information or not, I wouldn't have told him. No one bullied me. No one. That was one of my rules.
"I don't want to have to kill you, Edward."
He smiled then. "You kill me?" He was laughing at me.
"You bet," I said.
The laughter seeped out of his eyes, his lips, his face, until he stared at me with his neutral, predator
eyes.
I swallowed and remembered to take slow, even breaths. He would kill me. Maybe. Maybe not.
"Is the Master worth one of us dying?" I asked.
"It's a matter of principle," he said.
I nodded. "Me, too."
"We know where we stand, then," he said.
"Yeah."
He walked towards the door. I followed, and unlocked the door for him. He paused in the doorway.
"You've got until full dark tonight."
"The answer will be the same."
"I know," he said. He walked out without even glancing back. I watched him until he disappeared down
the stairs. Then I shut the door and locked it. I stood leaning my back against the door and tried to think
of a way out.
If I told Jean-Claude, he might be able to kill Edward, but I didn't give humans to the monsters. Not for
any reason. I could tell Edward about Jean-Claude. He might even be able to kill the Master. I could
even help him.
I tried picturing Jean-Claude's perfect body riddled with bullets, covered in blood. His face blown away
by a shotgun. I shook my head. I couldn't do it. I didn't know why exactly, but I couldn't hand
Jean-Claude over to Edward.
I couldn't betray either of them. Which left me ass-deep in alligators. So what else was new?
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11
I stood on the shore under a black fringe of trees. The black lake lapped and rolled away into the dark.
The moon hung huge and silver in the sky. The moonlight made glittering patterns on the water.
Jean-Claude rose from the water. Water was streaming in silver lines from his hair and shirt. His short
black hair was in tight curls from being wet. The white shirt clung to his body, making his nipples clear
and hard against the cloth. He held out his hand to me.
I was wearing a long, dark dress. It was heavy and hung around me like a weight. Something inside the
skirt made it stick out to either side like a tiny malformed hoop. A heavy cloak was pushed back over my
shoulders. It was autumn, and the moon was harvest-full.
Jean-Claude said, "Come to me."
I stepped off the shore and sank into the water. It filled the skirt, soaking into the cloak. I tore the cloak
off, letting it sink out of sight. The water was warm as bath water, warm as blood. I raised my hand to
the moonlight, and the liquid that streamed down it was thick and dark and had never been water.
I stood in the shallows in a dress that I had never imagined, by a shore I did not know, and stared at the
beautiful monster as he moved towards me, graceful and covered in blood.
I woke gasping for air, hands clutching at the sheets like a lifeline. "You promised to stay out of my [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
I could find into my voice. I wasn't the best actor in the world, but maybe I could learn.
Edward stared at me. "It's Jean-Claude, isn't it?"
"Jean-Claude isn't powerful enough to hold the city. You know that. He's, what, a little over two
hundred? Not old enough."
He frowned at me. Good. "It's not Yasmeen."
"True."
"You didn't talk to any other vampires tonight?"
"You may have followed me into the Circus, Edward, but you didn't listen at the door when I met the
Master. You couldn't have. The vamps or the shapeshifters would have heard you."
He acknowledged it with a nod.
"I saw the Master tonight, but it wasn't anyone who came down to fight the snake."
"The Master let his people risk their lives and didn't help?" His smile was back.
"The Master of the City doesn't have to be physically present to lend his power, you know that."
"No," he said, "I don't."
I shrugged. "Believe it or not." I prayed, please let him believe.
He was frowning. "You're not usually this good a liar."
"I'm not lying." My voice sounded calm, normal, truthful. Honesty-R-Us.
"If Jean-Claude really isn't the Master, then you know who is?"
The question was a trap. I couldn't answer yes to both questions, but hell, I'd been lying; why stop now?
"Yes, I know who it is."
"Tell me," he said.
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I shook my head. "The Master would kill me if he knew I talked to you."
"We can kill him together like we did the last one." His voice was terribly reasonable.
I thought about it for a minute. I thought about telling him the truth. Humans First might not be up to
tangling with the Master, but Edward was. We could kill him together, a team. My life would be a lot
simpler. I shook my head and sighed. Shit.
"I can't, Edward."
"Won't," he said.
I nodded. "Won't."
"If I believe you, Anita, it means I need the name of the Master. It means you are the only human who
knows that name." The friendly banter seeped out of his face like melting ice. His eyes were as empty
and pitiless as a winter sky. There was no one home that I could talk to.
"You don't want to be the only human who knows the name, Anita."
He was right. I didn't, but what could I say? "Take it or leave it, Edward."
"Save yourself a lot of pain, Anita; tell me the name."
He believed. Hot damn. I lowered my eyes to look down into my coffee so he wouldn't see the flash of
triumph in my eyes. When I looked back up, I had my face under control. Me and Meryl Streep.
"I don't give in to threats, you know that."
He nodded. He finished his coffee and sat the mug in the middle of the table. "I will do whatever is
necessary to finish this job."
"I never doubted that," I said. He was talking about torturing me for information. He sounded almost
regretful, but that wouldn't stop him. One of Edward's primary rules was "Always finish a job."
He wouldn't let a little thing like friendship ruin his perfect record.
"You saved my life, and I saved yours," he said. "It doesn't buy you anything now. You understand
that?"
I nodded. "I understand."
"Good." He stood up. I stood up. We looked at each other. He shook his head. "I'll find you tonight,
and I'll ask again."
"I won't be bullied, Edward." I was finally getting a little mad. He had come in here asking for
information; now he was threatening me. I let the anger show. No acting needed.
"You're tough, Anita, but not that tough." His eyes were neutral, but wary, like those of a wolf I'd seen
once in California. I'd just walked around a tree and there it had been, standing. I froze. I had never
really understood what neutral meant until then. The wolf didn't give a damn if it hurt me or not. My
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choice. Threaten it, and the shit hit the fan. Give it room to run, and it would run. But the wolf didn't care;
it was prepared either way. I was the one with my pulse in my throat, so startled that I'd stopped
breathing. I held my breath and wondered what the wolf would decide. It finally loped off through the
trees.
I'd relearned how to breathe and gone back down to the campsite. I had been scared, but I could still
close my eyes and see the wolf's pale grey eyes. The wonder of staring at a large predator without any
cage bars between us. It had been wonderful.
I stared up at Edward now and knew that this, too, was wonderful in its way. Whether I had known the
information or not, I wouldn't have told him. No one bullied me. No one. That was one of my rules.
"I don't want to have to kill you, Edward."
He smiled then. "You kill me?" He was laughing at me.
"You bet," I said.
The laughter seeped out of his eyes, his lips, his face, until he stared at me with his neutral, predator
eyes.
I swallowed and remembered to take slow, even breaths. He would kill me. Maybe. Maybe not.
"Is the Master worth one of us dying?" I asked.
"It's a matter of principle," he said.
I nodded. "Me, too."
"We know where we stand, then," he said.
"Yeah."
He walked towards the door. I followed, and unlocked the door for him. He paused in the doorway.
"You've got until full dark tonight."
"The answer will be the same."
"I know," he said. He walked out without even glancing back. I watched him until he disappeared down
the stairs. Then I shut the door and locked it. I stood leaning my back against the door and tried to think
of a way out.
If I told Jean-Claude, he might be able to kill Edward, but I didn't give humans to the monsters. Not for
any reason. I could tell Edward about Jean-Claude. He might even be able to kill the Master. I could
even help him.
I tried picturing Jean-Claude's perfect body riddled with bullets, covered in blood. His face blown away
by a shotgun. I shook my head. I couldn't do it. I didn't know why exactly, but I couldn't hand
Jean-Claude over to Edward.
I couldn't betray either of them. Which left me ass-deep in alligators. So what else was new?
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11
I stood on the shore under a black fringe of trees. The black lake lapped and rolled away into the dark.
The moon hung huge and silver in the sky. The moonlight made glittering patterns on the water.
Jean-Claude rose from the water. Water was streaming in silver lines from his hair and shirt. His short
black hair was in tight curls from being wet. The white shirt clung to his body, making his nipples clear
and hard against the cloth. He held out his hand to me.
I was wearing a long, dark dress. It was heavy and hung around me like a weight. Something inside the
skirt made it stick out to either side like a tiny malformed hoop. A heavy cloak was pushed back over my
shoulders. It was autumn, and the moon was harvest-full.
Jean-Claude said, "Come to me."
I stepped off the shore and sank into the water. It filled the skirt, soaking into the cloak. I tore the cloak
off, letting it sink out of sight. The water was warm as bath water, warm as blood. I raised my hand to
the moonlight, and the liquid that streamed down it was thick and dark and had never been water.
I stood in the shallows in a dress that I had never imagined, by a shore I did not know, and stared at the
beautiful monster as he moved towards me, graceful and covered in blood.
I woke gasping for air, hands clutching at the sheets like a lifeline. "You promised to stay out of my [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]