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1154c6c
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I collapsed onto the sofa with a sigh. Daniel plunked down beside me, then twisted to stretch out, legs going over mine. "Oh my God," I said, shoving his feet off my lap. "Do you know how bad those smell?" He tried to stick them in my face. I grabbed him around the ankles and tickled the bottom of his feet. He let out a shriek. "Well, you're still ticklish," I said. "And you still giggle like a girl."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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90e5f22
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Mom isn't here," Corey said. "Neither is Travis. So much for my grand resurrection." He slumped onto the sofa. "We'll have to wait for them. Which is a little anticlimactic." We decided to clean up and eat. Start looking and feeling human again. "There's not much in the way of food," Sam said. She'd come out of the kitchen with a Coke and a spoon heaped with peanut butter. "What?" Corey said. "Mom knows better than to let our cupboards get ..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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f2bb02c
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Mom isn't here," Corey said. "Neither is Travis. So much for my grand resurrection." He slumped onto the sofa. "We'll have to wait for them. Which is a little anticlimactic."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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af00fe6
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As we headed back into the living room, I noticed the phone on the counter. Daniel followed my gaze and laughed. "Um, yeah. We're holed up, waiting to notify someone that we're back...and there's a phone. We've been in the woods way too long."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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f0281be
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I know this means it's over," he whispered. "I got a second chance, and I blew it, and I..." He swallowed and turned his head, his expression hidden behind the curtain of water. "I'd give anything not to do that. I would, Maya. I know you don't believe me, but it's true." When I pushed past the pain of betrayal, I did believe him. Because he'd let go of my hand as we dangled from that helicopter. Because he'd been ready to die to save me. A..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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c1faa31
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I know this means it's over," he whispered. "I got a second chance, and I blew it, and I..." He swallowed and turned his head, his expression hidden behind the curtain of water. "I'd give anything not to do that. I would, Maya. I know you don't believe me, but it's true." When I pushed past the pain of betrayal, I did believe him. Because he'd let go of my hand as we dangled from that helicopter. Because he'd been ready to die to save me. A..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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72496bb
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They need to act like everything's okay, so you can't tell them. Not even Daniel." I backed up, freeing myself. "That's the deal-breaker, isn't it?" he murmured. "Daniel." "I trust--" "I know you do. But I don't, and not because I think he's untrustworthy, but because I don't know him well enough to be sure he won't screw up. The only person I trust is you."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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d4223b3
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I know that just means you understand. At least, I hope you do." "I do." "
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Kelley Armstrong |
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abca61c
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I said the same words he'd said to me before he'd let go. "It's okay." A twisted smile. "No, not really. But it'll be okay soon. Or as close as it can get."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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d73dd0e
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I was heading to bed when Daniel appeared. "Is everything okay?" he whispered when we were inside my room with the door closed. "Sure." His look called me a liar. "You and Rafe. Something's up." I hesitated and the urge to tell him everything was so strong, I had to clamp my jaw shut. "No," I said quickly. "Everything's fine. I just...It's a little much right now. I thought he was dead, and he isn't, and...I'm feeling a lot of things." Whic..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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db4fb71
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I just wanted to make sure there wasn't a problem." "No problem," I said."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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60dbb08
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I walked to the covered porch. Rafe was on the futon, still dressed, no blankets or pillow, sleeping with his head on his arm. It was chilly, with the cold night air seeming to blast through the window glass. I found a blanket folded by the wood-burning stove. I went back to Rafe, unfolded the blanket, and crawled in beside him. He woke as I was pulling the blanket up over us. "Maya?" I put my fingers to my lips and lay down. When I opened ..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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bf68024
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I tried to look away, but he caught my chin and kissed me and it was such a sweet kiss, and I felt so guilty, like I'd betrayed him, and my throat seized up and tears trickled down my cheeks, onto his. He pulled back and looked surprised, then wiped the tears away with his thumbs, holding my face in his hand. "It's all good, Maya," he whispered. "I mean that. I see how you and Daniel are, and I want you to trust me that much, but I know I h..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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ceb9c5e
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He bent down and his kiss was so full of longing that tears pricked my eyes again. When another one rolled down my cheek, he wiped it away. "No more of that," he said. "I'm just--" "I know." His lips moved to my ear. "So am I."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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200acae
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I put my arms around his neck and hugged him, face buried in his neck, and he hugged me back, making no move to kiss me again, just holding me. Then he put his lips against my ear and whispered, "I'll find a way to get back to you, Maya. I promise."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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0585c91
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Hey, you're up," Daniel said behind me. I turned to see him in the kitchen doorway, a box of cereal in his hand. "No milk, but they do have Froot Loops. I know you love Froot Loops." "Thanks." I took a step toward him. "But first I need to--" Corey came bounding down the stairs. "Did I hear the breakfast bell?" "Food's all gone," Sam called from the kitchen. Daniel backed up, disappearing from view. I hesitated. "What's up?" Corey said. "No..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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7ab3498
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You've got everyone convinced that you sacrificed yourself for Maya and Daniel, but that's crap. You didn't let go. You slipped. Maya wanted to believe there was more to it, so she convinced Daniel--" "She didn't convince me of anything," Daniel said, his voice low. "I was there, too, Sam. He let go." "So? He's not actually dead, is he?" Rafe sputtered a laugh. She glowered at him, then at Corey, who'd joined them, grinning as he heard. Eve..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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2e4921c
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Look, I'm fine with Rafe--" "No, you're not. Heroic sacrifice or not, he's still a jerk. He waltzed into Salmon Creek and stole Maya." " ?" I said. "It's not your fault. You two are both skin-walkers. It's animal magnetism. You can't help yourself." She glared at Corey, who was cracking up behind Rafe. "Stop that. You know it's true. Maya's too smart to fall for an arrogant, self-centered--" "Enough," Daniel said. Sam sighed. "I know you're..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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f3281eb
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He waltzed into Salmon Creek and stole Maya." " ?" I said. "It's not your fault. You two are both skin-walkers. It's animal magnetism. You can't help yourself." She glared at Corey, who was cracking up behind Rafe. "Stop that. You know it's true."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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e903fb5
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I don't know what your problem is, Sam, but you've now insulted everyone here except Corey." "Oh, she already zinged me," Corey said. "I started rubbing my temples and she suggested I don't really get headaches. It just hurts me to think."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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551b05e
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Daniel and I kept running. We could see the ridge now. Safety. Just get-- Something whizzed past me. "Dan--!" I whirled, shouting a warning, only to see him stagger backward, a dart embedded in his shoulder. Another zinged past my arm. Daniel yanked me to the ground. We crawled into thick bushes. I tugged the dart from his shoulder. He blinked hard, eyes unfocused. He shook his head to clear it. "I'm fine," he said. "Just a little woozy. Mu..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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31ddcf0
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I'm fine," he said. "Just a little woozy. Must not have gone in deep enough." I scanned the ridge, and I caught a flicker of light reflecting off metal. "Sharpshooter," I whispered. "But you can't do that with tranq darts." "These people can resurrect extinct supernatural races, Maya," Daniel whispered. "I think their technology goes a little beyond the norm."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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d5ca674
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I'm fine," he said. "Just a little woozy. Must not have gone in deep enough." I scanned the ridge, and I caught a flicker of light reflecting off metal. "Sharpshooter," I whispered. "But you can't do that with tranq darts." "These people can resurrect extinct supernatural races, Maya," Daniel whispered. "I think their technology goes a little beyond the norm." "Right. Okay." I took a deep breath. "Follow me." I started crawling through the ..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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e2b5617
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We ditched the car in one of the big shopping plazas in Nanaimo's north end. From there, we'd hop a city bus to the ferry. Before that, though, I found a pay phone. I put in my money and dialed my grandmother's number in Skidegate. It rang four times. I knew the machine was going to pick up, and as I waited, I considered what I'd say. I had to make sure she knew it was me, not some ghoul pretending to be her dead granddaughter. I couldn't ..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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d7bc3a3
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We splurged in the gift shop, buying hoodies. Then we split up to buy the ferry tickets, and didn't reunite until the boat left the harbor. We stood on the back deck, watching our island fade into the mist. When it disappeared, I took out the notes from Rafe again and reread the second page--details on the subjects who'd escaped. Rafe had added notes at the bottom, about a real contact his mother had given him. , he'd written. "Find them,"..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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43290da
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Conversation turned to the swimming team and an upcoming meet, and Rafe's gaze returned to the forest, like he was looking for an escape route. I eased over, close enough to murmur, "Go on." "Hmm?" " obviously isn't your thing either." I slowed to let the others get ahead. "You showed up. Good enough. Go on. Enjoy the rest of your night." "Trying to get rid of me?" He managed a smile that barely touched his eyes. "Or trying to get out of o..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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ffc3178
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Are you mad because I didn't take the kiss? It wasn't an insult. I have every intention of cashing that check. Just not with all your friends watching." "I appreciate that." "Yeah?" Another searching look. Then he smiled. "Good." "Doesn't mean I'll accept the chit when you cash it. But you scored points for chivalry."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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eb04386
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Are you mad because I didn't take the kiss? It wasn't an insult. I have every intention of cashing that check. Just not with all your friends watching." "I appreciate that." "Yeah?" Another searching look. Then he smiled. "Good." "Doesn't mean I'll accept the chit when you cash it. But you scored points for chivalry." "Yeah?" I nodded. "Hayley was impressed." He laughed. "Just what I need." "Did I hear someone say my name?" Hayley said, s..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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4229486
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How about outside?" Rafe whispered. He caught my look and said, "Just on the porch or something." "I think that's where Daniel and Nicole went. I have an idea." I led him upstairs. As I pushed open the door to Daniel's bedroom, I said, "It's a way station not a destination." Rafe chuckled. "Damn."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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9f01b8b
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He was standing in front of Daniel's dresser, holding our drinks as he looked at the photos shoved in the mirror frame. "You guys really been friends a long time." He pointed the beer bottle at one. "What are you there? Six?" "About that." He grinned. "I like the pigtails." He leaned in to look at a few others. Someone yelled something downstairs, and I said, "Come on," suddenly realizing I really didn't want to be found with Rafe in Dani..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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b4271e8
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Rafe woke me in the morning. "Sorry," he whispered. "But I can hear Kenjii moving around, and if Daniel comes in and finds you here, it won't matter that we're both fully dressed. I'll get my ass kicked." I shook my head. "He wouldn't. What I do with you is my business." "Mmm, still pretty sure there'd be ass-kicking if he found you in my bed."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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cb3798d
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We'll talk on the way," he said. "We really need to get going, and if Corey's getting a headache--" "It's not bad," Corey interjected. "I'll be--" "You won't be fine. We need to look after that first."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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04d5955
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We took the truck. Corey's mom's SUV would have been more comfortable, but also extremely recognizable with the police logo. Not that it mattered, since we were already being tracked, but I could hardly say that. Daniel drove. I rode shotgun. I'd tried to get Sam to take that spot, so her leg would be more comfortable. She'd refused. We opened the window into the topper, though, so we could talk, and left the curtains open. We took the wors..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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bb8a104
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Go," she said. "Corey and I can carry you," Daniel said. "Just grab on--" "Then three of us will get caught instead of one. Go." She pushed Daniel. When he hesitated, she shoved him hard enough to knock him off his feet. "You know it's the right thing," she said as he scrambled up. "They won't hurt me. Without you, I'm the only benandanti they have." We didn't know that, of course. But she was right that we'd never escape carrying her. "We'..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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6b77fb4
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We'll come back for you," Daniel said. "After you have backup, please. No offense, but you guys aren't up to fighting these people."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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a6455ed
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And, having won thirty minutes of your time, I think I just gave you thirty minutes of reasons to run the other way as fast as you can.
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Kelley Armstrong |
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b01bd65
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They aren't following us," Corey said. " aren't they following us?" "They know it won't be hard to find four kids tearing through the woods," Rafe said. "Daniel's right. We need to split up. Better than that, we need a target. One person to make more noise than all the others put together. That'd be me." A wry smile my way. "I'm good at causing trouble."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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9523b31
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I'm fine," he said. "Just a little woozy. Must not have gone in deep enough." I scanned the ridge, and I caught a flicker of light reflecting off metal. "Sharpshooter," I whispered. "But you can't do that with tranq darts." "These people can resurrect extinct supernatural races, Maya," Daniel whispered. "I think their technology goes a little beyond the norm." "Right. Okay." I took a deep breath. "Follow me." I started crawling through the ..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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c86fb37
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Go on, Maya," he said, words slurring. "Remember what we said. Only one has to get away." "Then it'll have to be Rafe or Corey. I'm not leaving--" "They got Rafe and Corey. You know they did. Go." I shook my head. "I won't." "One of us has to get away." He managed to look up at me, his eyes so unfocused I knew he couldn't see anything. "Please, Maya. Go." He dropped then, a dead weight, falling on his side. I could hear a team coming. "I'm ..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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22468a6
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I was still tugging my shirt down as I opened the back doors of the van. A thump sounded from within. Then, before I could even see inside, Corey said, "Don't! It's Maya." I flung open the door to see Corey holding Daniel by the back of the shirt. In one hand, Daniel held what looked like a shard of metal. He let out a relieved sigh and dropped it. "How'd you know it was me?" I said. Corey shrugged. "Good guess." His gaze shunted to the sid..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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09fc4ec
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So you rescued us on your own?" Corey said. "Yes," I said. "You were saved by a girl. Horrible, isn't it?" He slid out and looked down at my bare legs. "Not just a girl, but a half-naked one. Now that's hot. If I'm still unconscious, don't wake me, okay?"
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Kelley Armstrong |
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a53972c
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It's about the experiment that went wrong. Project Genesis. Details of what happened." "And what happened?" Corey said. I had to finish reading the first page before I could answer. Then I explained. As we'd guessed, Project Genesis was another experiment with genetically modified supernaturals. Only these ones seemed to be normal types. Well, "normal" in the sense that we'd heard about them before. Witches, sorcerers, half-demons, werewolv..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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b6293ff
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As supernatural types went, that seemed weird, and I suspected there was more to it. According to the notes, some of the kids had problems. So they locked them up in a group home. The kids figured out why they were there and escaped. And apparently came back and destroyed the laboratory, killing Dr. Davidoff and several others. "Why can't we do that?" Corey said."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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6ab6f2b
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Someone yelled something downstairs, and I said, "Come on," suddenly realizing I really didn't want to be found with Rafe in Daniel's bedroom, however innocent the explanation." --
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Kelley Armstrong |