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hissed, pulling him along. "You might have mentioned you were married, but
your kind rarely does on an evening out. Maybe she won't even care if I rip
you apart."
Leesil couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not only was she completely
vapid if she thought Magiere was some enraged wife, but her main concern was
that she'd not be able to patronize the Rowanwood again. When Magiere caught
up to them, this idiot corpse had a few surprises coming. How had such a
creature survivedon her own ?
He still gripped the hilt of a stiletto in his right hand, the blade up his
sleeve. Sapphire had been so preoccupied she hadn't told him to drop it. The
blade wouldn't kill her, but perhaps he could get free at the right moment.
A young house guard stepped from a side door down the passage, blocking
Sapphire's way. He looked uncomfortable, as if he should be asking Leesil to
release the woman and not the other way around.
"Miss, please, we can't have this sort of thing here. Let the man go."
Sapphire's head twisted so sharply toward the guard that Leesil was
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unprepared.
Her free hand shot out.
Nails split the man's throat as her fingers drove deep into his neck and then
jerked out again. Dark red liquid coated Sapphire's fingers and ran down the
back of her hand. The guard crumpled, choking on blood overflowing his gasping
mouth.
Leesil punched upward with his right hand, slashing the stiletto's blade
against the underside of Sapphire's wrist. He grabbed her outstretched forearm
and spun to his left, twisting her arm.
She lost her grip on his throat and screeched in surprise. As she jerked
herself free of him, Leesil slashed downward across the top of her wrist. They
stumbled apart, Leesil clutching only a severed sleeve cuff where he'd tried
to take her entire hand.
Chap and Magiere burst through the door behind them. Fright replaced the fury
on Sapphire's face. Clutching her slashed wrist with her bloodied hand, she
fled down the passage toward the end door. Chap shot past and out the door as
well. Leesil started after them.
"No!" Magiere yelled. "Let me."
He ignored her and shoved the piece of fabric inside his shirt, bolting after
Sapphire.
Magiere's anger increased when Leesil ignored her order. She didn't even have
her falchion, and all he carried were his stilettos. Fury fed her speed as she
ran after him. She felt her eyeteeth elongate as the night around her
brightened in her sight. The topaz amulet's light actually felt warm on her
chest. Beneath rage, she remained focused almost aware, almost controlled.
Leesil gained distance ahead of her, and she heard a crack and a snarling
yelp echo down the alleyway. Chap must have reached the undead harlot first.
Magiere forced herself to run faster, anxious to reach the dog, and her body
obeyed. Leesil reached a corner in the alley and was about to round it, when
he suddenly threw himself to the ground in a roll, head over heels.
From around the corner, a wood timber struck down and smashed into the empty
space he'd just occupied. Leesil's roll continued toward the far alley wall.
Magiere reached the corner, and the timber rose again. She snatched the
protruding end.
Holding the other end was the woman who'd been sitting in Leesil's lap. With
a screech of frustration, she jerked the timber, but Magiere held on. Surprise
and fear registered in the creature's bright blue eyes.
Leesil came off the far wall, body whirling across the alley floor. Scarf
fallen away, his hair was a wild cloud moving across the ground. His right
foot hooked the undead's ankle, and his body twisted over with both hands
slapping hard against the alley floor. His left leg shot up.
The kick struck the woman's breastbone and ground its way up into her face.
Magiere blinked as she felt the wood jerk harder in her hands. The undead
arched backward, falling. Magiere toppled forward and threw her weight behind
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the timber.
The timber's splintered end struck the woman's sternum. A muffled snap of
bone sounded from inside her chest as ribs gave way and a dark stain raced
through her silk bodice around the wood. She screamed louder than Chap's
hunting wail.
The sound pierced Magiere until she felt it inside her head. Heat and hunger
answered it to rise up her throat. She shoved hard, and the timber drove
through. When it struck the cobblestones beneath the undead, wood splintered
in Magiere's grip.
The creature sprawled limp and silent on the alley floor.
Magiere dropped to her knees on top of the corpse, panting and regaining
self-control. It came quickly this time, the ache washing from her jaw. She
didn't have to slide fingers into her mouth to be certain.
Leesil rolled to his feet and ran to where Chap lay against the alley wall.
Magiere got up to follow him. He had a lot to answer for, and there would be
no more evasions.
Leesil gingerly touched Chap's legs and head.
"Anything broken?"Magiere panted.
"I don't think so, but he's still dazed. She must have hit him hard."
Chap groaned and then growled. Magiere took a deep breath of relief.
This was what they did always. They would speak of matters at hand and push
aside all else. She was sick of it.
"Are you sober?" she asked bluntly.
"Yes, I& " He looked at her, amber eyes so sad that he seemed on the verge of
pouring out words, but he simply looked away and said, "I am."
Anger drained from Magiere. What good would lecturing him do? What good had
it ever done? Leesil lived in the moment and did whatever he wanted at the
time, never realizing what his own lack of awareness could cost him.
Chap lifted his head with a rumble still in his throat. Magiere stroked him
once and then rocked back on her heels. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]