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e6d4b54
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Sorry," I said, hurrying over to him. "Are you--?" As I bent, he tried to snag my leg and yank me down, but I danced back out of reach. "Did you really think I'd fall for that?" I said. "Hoping."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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e7b5387
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I'm warning you," he said. "You don't want to run." "Why not?" "Because I'm faster than you." "Think so?" "Know so, and when I catch you--" I took off. I ran across the open field atop the cliff, and quickly realized that was a mistake. He might not be faster than me, but he was fast enough that I could hear him right on my heels."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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84e09d7
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His hands brushed my waist. "I'd kiss you good-bye, but considering your parents and Daniel are watching..." "Tomorrow." A crooked smile. Then he took off, walking at first, breaking into a jog when he thought no one could see him. "Supportive guy," Daniel said, walking up behind me."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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a115244
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I woke up in a weird mood. A good mood, which was the weird part, all things considered. After I finished feeding the animals, Mom offered me another "get out of school free card." I refused it. I needed to talk to Daniel about Mina's and Serena's deaths, and school was the best place for that. I was getting my lunch ready. Mom had gone into the studio, leaving Dad on "watch our child for signs of an imminent breakdown" duty, sitting at the..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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a894d9f
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Could Ashyn do the same in the same situation? Likely not. Heroes made the bold moves. Heroes risked their lives. Others kept the troops at ease, tended the wounded, fed the hungry, and soldiered on, and the world could not survive without them any more than it could without heroes.
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Kelley Armstrong |
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f710437
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The guy didn't know shit about demons. Asmondai preferred to think things through. My granddaddy was the charging-bull type. Which I suppose explains why I'd fallen for the taunting and Adam only rolled his eyes.
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Kelley Armstrong |
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f1afc5e
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Sometimes doing the right thing was not nearly as easy as one might think. Which was perhaps why people did the wrong things so often.
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Kelley Armstrong |
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d084efe
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switchblade, he snapped it open, then waited
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Kelley Armstrong |
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cde71d8
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What's the worst thing that can happen?" Tyrus said. "The dungeons. That's not so bad. I heard they're relatively nice in the springtime. Not too cold. Not too damp. They'd be quiet and peaceful." Tyrus looked at Gavril. "Tell me I can do this." "Why? There's no doubt you can. The question is simply whether you'll survive it." "Thank you. Thank you so much." "We have not heard that your father has reinstituted capital punishment. Of course,..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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ee34c25
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Moria would storm out against their wishes. Yet Ashyn was coming to accept that she could not be her sister, and it was not a failure of nerve. It was a difference of inner composition. They might look identical without; they were not identical within.
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Kelley Armstrong |
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1dc60a1
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She'd been friendly with the children of their village, but it had always been her sister whom they loved. Or so she thought. Now, they embraced her and they clung to her and they climbed on Tova. And she realized that, perhaps, she had never been overshadowed by Moria quite as much as she'd overshadowed. The sisters were different. But that only meant they had their own strengths.
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Kelley Armstrong |
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1561d88
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I'll go," Clay said around a mouthful of cantaloupe. "I've got a package waiting at the post office." "I'm sure you do," I said. "He does," Jeremy said. "The postman left a card the other day." "Books I ordered from the U.K.," Clay said. "Which you need right now," I said. "For a little light reading between maiming and killing?" "They shouldn't sit at the post office," Clay said. "Someone might get suspicious." "Of anthropology texts?"
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Kelley Armstrong |
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1577e08
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Then he reached up and tore my shirtfront open. "Not much to see, is there?" I said, struggling to talk with a crushed windpipe. "I know, I know, they can fix things like that these days. Call me a feminist, but I think a woman's worth should be defined not by the size of her bust, but--" I rammed my fist up into his Adam's apple. He grunted and stumbled back. "--by the strength of her right hook" I said, throwing myself against his chest b..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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ad18e9a
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Where were the questions relevant to my life? What about How would you react if your lover's hair and footprints were found beside a dead man? Show me that in and you have a subscriber.
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Kelley Armstrong |
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300d643
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When I got to his seat, I stood in back of his chair and waited. It took a couple of minutes before his head jerked up. He sniffed the air, then slowly turned. "Boo," I said. He reacted as all mutts react when I confront them. He leapt from his chair and dove for the nearest exit, shaking in terror. In my dreams. He glanced at me and started looking for Clay. It never failed. Mutts only quaked when I appeared because it usually meant Clayto..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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d3e79d8
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Moria would set them straight - at the point of her dagger if needed. Ashyn did not care. She had escaped on her own, and everyone who mattered knew that, and that was what would be important in her life - that those she loved truly valued the role she played. And she would continue playing it, working with them, whatever they needed of her. She was a hero ... to those who mattered.
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Kelley Armstrong |
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b76f37d
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Would you like to join us, Rafael?" my mom asked. "Or do you go by Rafe?" "Usually." A disarming grin. "Unless I'm in trouble." I opened the door and motioned him in as he continued, "About dinner, I appreciate that, but my sister will be expecting me." "Another night then," Mom said. "Maybe on the weekend we can have a barbecue, and invite your sister." "Or," I said, turning to Rafe, "if you want to skip the whole awkward meet-the-family s..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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eefc8a6
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Maybe on the weekend we can have a barbecue, and invite your sister." "Or," I said, turning to Rafe, "if you want to skip the whole awkward meet-the-family social event, you could just submit your life story, including your views on politics, religion, and every social issue imaginable, along with anything else you think they might need to conduct a thorough background check." Mom sighed. "I really don't know why we even bother trying to be..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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f84d6f9
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I really don't know why we even bother trying to be subtle around you." "Neither do I. It's not like he isn't going to realize he's being vetted as daughter-dating material." Rafe grinned. "So we dating?" "No. You have to the parental exam first. It'll take you awhile to compile the data. They'd like it in triplicate."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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569dd6c
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He grinned, that blazing grin now, hair plastered to his face, eyes glittering. I leaned over and kissed him. He hesitated for about a nanosecond, like he really hadn't expected that, and I laughed. Then he kissed me back, a light kiss, almost teasing, making me shiver. "Probably not the safest place to make out," I murmured, pulling back to glance at the ground, fifty feet below. "I don't care if you don't," he said."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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4ee5794
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I woke up in a weird mood. A good mood, which was the weird part, all things considered.
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Kelley Armstrong |
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2d2f7b3
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Mom had gone into the studio, leaving Dad on "watch our child for signs of an imminent breakdown" duty, sitting at the table, sipping his coffee."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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ee2a9f9
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No one in town really knows this boy, Maya. He showed up with his sister, and moved into a cabin that doesn't even have electricity. People have been concerned about them, but he's made it very clear that he doesn't want anyone's help. It bothers some people, the way they just appeared." My eyes rounded. "You're right. Do you remember the night they arrived? That big flying saucer hovering over the park?" He shook his head and pushed his ch..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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ac0fb07
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I like Daniel. He takes care of you." I blinked. "Oh my God. Did you really just say that? He takes of me?" Dad flushed. "I didn't mean it like--" "Takes of me? Did I go to sleep and wake up in the nineteenth century?"
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Kelley Armstrong |
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aa9176c
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I like Daniel. He takes care of you." I blinked. "Oh my God. Did you really just say that? He takes of me?" Dad flushed. "I didn't mean it like--" "Takes of me? Did I go to sleep and wake up in the nineteenth century?" I looked down at my jeans and T-shirt. "Ack! I can't go to school like this. Where's my corset? My bonnet?" Dad sighed as Mom walked in with her empty teacup. "What did I miss?" she said. "Dad's trying to marry me off to ..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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72c4073
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Did I go to sleep and wake up in the nineteenth century?" I looked down at my jeans and T-shirt. "Ack! I can't go to school like this. Where's my corset? My bonnet?" Dad sighed as Mom walked in with her empty teacup. "What did I miss?" she said. "Dad's trying to marry me off to Daniel." I looked at him. "You know, if you offer him a new truck for a dowry, he might go for it."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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0d30e6d
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As we reached town, the truck bounced from the dirt road to the pavement, and something underneath made an ugly cracking sound. "It's been doing that," Daniel said. "Just ignore it. Corey says he'll take a look on the weekend." "Well, no matter how dire the situation, if my dad offers you a new truck, don't do it. There's a serious string attached." "Huh?" he said. I told him what my dad had said. That got him laughing and as we pulled into..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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f404e21
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Well, no matter how dire the situation, if my dad offers you a new truck, don't do it. There's a serious string attached." "Huh?" he said. I told him what my dad had said. That got him laughing and as we pulled into the school parking lot, even the sight of Rafe waiting for me only made him roll his eyes."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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4df2abd
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They're trying to use the dog." It was Antone. "But she's not cooperating. She just lays down and growls at anyone who touches her." "
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Kelley Armstrong |
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7b7532d
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I flipped him off. "Watch it or I won't marry you," he said. "Truck or no truck." I laughed and jogged over to Rafe. "Did he just say...?" Rafe began. "Yes. And don't ask."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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a78244c
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He kissed me again and my arms went around his neck and I didn't care about the bell, didn't care if I ever got to class. A throat-clearing behind Rafe made us both jump. "I believe that was the bell, Rafael." I couldn't see the speaker but recognized the voice as Ms. Tate's, the primary grades teacher. "Whoops," he said. "Guess we'd better get inside, then." When Ms. Tate saw me, she gave a little "oh" of surprise. "Maya..." "Sorry," I sai..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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ce96d36
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If I'd felt insensitive earlier, it wasn't long before I was feeling downright callous. Everyone kept telling me they'd heard what had happened and how horrible it must have been. But inside, I was still buzzing, my pulse racing, as giddy as the time Serena and I sneaked champagne at her cousin's wedding. Rafe didn't make it easy, either. During first period, he found an excuse to walk past my desk and drop off a note. It read, "Not dating ..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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b019566
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I saw that dark patch on her haunch and I knew when she was human, there'd be a birthmark in the same place. I knew what it meant for her. And I knew what it meant for me. Skin-walker.
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Kelley Armstrong |
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56cf60f
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Thank God for your amazing powers of persuasion." "Yeah, if only they worked when he was really pissed. And really pissed off." "Still, you need to teach me how to do that sometime, so I can use it on dad, get whatever I want." "Like you don't already." "Maybe. But I'm always looking for ways to fine-tune the process." He shook his head and waved me to the truck." --
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Kelley Armstrong |
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425e669
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On the second twist, the engine caught, faltered, then roared to life. Daniel nodded, slammed it into drive, hit the gas and... The tires spun. "No way. No goddamn way." He threw open the door. "Slide over. When I yell, hit the gas." He pushed. I accelerated. The tires spun, refusing to take hold. Ash settled on the hood. I hit the gas harder. Finally, the truck jolted from the rut and sped forward. I hit the brakes. "No!" Daniel yelled. "K..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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2f46fce
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I glanced in the mirrors to see him racing along the side of the truck. He grabbed the door and yanked it open. I turned my attention back to the road. Daniel swung in, then slammed the door shut and collapsed in the passenger seat, panting. "Always wanted to do that, haven't you?" I said. He laughed and struggled to catch his breath."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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8b7b425
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I tried to stand, but Daniel made me sit on the ground as he checked me out. He squeezed my shoulder and I winced. "Just bruised," I said. "I can walk." Rafe jogged over to us. "She was driving? Is she okay?" "Yes, is," I said, getting to my feet."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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0da786d
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What did I miss?" she said. "Dad's trying to marry me off to Daniel." I looked at him. "You know, if you offer him a new truck for a dowry, he might go for it." "Apparently, I said the wrong thing," Dad told Mom. "Again." "Never hard with our daughter."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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02d0126
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At the office, I found an X in marker on the floor beside the trash can. I moved it and found another note. Another dotted line, this one leading outside to another X. That one ended just inside the forest, where I found a third note under a pebble...It was blank. I looked up. Rafe's laugh floated down from the trees. "Can't fool you, huh?" I scaled the tree. When I reached his branch, he was sitting there, legs dangling. "Will that branch ..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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3111eba
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Will that branch hold two?" I said, looking at it. "Maybe. The question is whether you're willing to risk it." I swung onto the branch and started sidling out. He grinned. " question, wasn't it?" "It was." "You can't resist me." "No, I can't resist a dare."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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6647beb
|
I stopped. He looked at the distance between us and lifted his brows. "This seems close enough," I said. "For safety's sake." "Safe from the branch breaking? Or from me?"
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Kelley Armstrong |
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bb58bf1
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I'm going higher first," I said, "to look around for Annie." "Good idea." I called down to Daniel to say what we were doing. Rafe was already two branches above me. I scrambled up after him. The faster I went, the faster he did, and I thought it was just coincidence until he grinned down at me."
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Kelley Armstrong |
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bee63e3
|
The faster I went, the faster he did, and I thought it was just coincidence until he grinned down at me. My heart sped up and I raced after him, trying to catch up, cursing when I couldn't. I forgot about Annie and the fire and the bear, and everything that happened before that--and it was just us again, climbing a tree, the bark rough under my hands, the sharp smell of pines surrounding me, the sound of his breathing pulsing through the a..
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Kelley Armstrong |
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ed1bc9b
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I didn't even notice I'd caught up until I was right beside him and he was leaning around the tree, smiling at me. "Gotcha," I said. "Uh, no. I stopped." He waved overhead and I realized we were as high as we could safely go. "Damn," I said."
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Kelley Armstrong |