[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
reality they inhabited. He picked up the book and dropped into an armchair, flipping the pages without
really seeing them.
It was strange and uncomfortable to be here, in Nolen s personal home. Here and there, photographs in
cheap frames cluttered the bookshelves and end tables. Some of them depicted Ziggy, the young man
Nolen had called son.
Cyrus remembered the boy with fondness. He d been bright and pleasant, and very talented in the
bedroom. And Cyrus had repaid him with cruelty, drawing the youth to him and pushing him away by
turns.
Shame burned in him at the memory. You do know your father and I have a history, don t you? Of
course, he wasn t nearly as responsive as you are. Does that excite you? To know you re a better lay
than he was? God, what would he think of you if he saw you, on your hands and knees, begging me to
fuck you?
And he had begged. Cyrus had made sure of that.
Absently, he reached out and flipped down the nearest picture, so he wouldn t have to see the smiling
faces of father and son staring back at him.
Max immediately stepped forward and righted the frame.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Ah, so that s how it would be then. It made sense. In his life, Cyrus had done abominable things, and
worse. Now, he was receiving retribution. But if this puffed up child-masquerading-as-tough vampire
thought he could dole out the worst of the punishment, he was sadly mistaken. Some vampires in the
desert had already claimed that particular prize.
Morbidly, Cyrus s mind made its way back to the church basement. Did the fire still smoke? Had
anyone found her? Had her body burned away? It seemed wrong that he d left her there, helpless in her
death. His logical mind recognized the fact she felt no pain, but his emotions played havoc with his brain,
showing pictures of her serene face contorted with terror as she woke to find herself abandoned to the
flames.
He should have made Carrie leave him with her, so he could have said goodbye in private. Oh, he
wouldn t have used her the way he had done the girls he d killed himself. The thought was disgusting
when applied to a person he cared about, a person whose life he d valued. But it had seemed rushed.
He d wanted to hold her, to lie beside her, close his eyes and pretend she lived, despite the stiffness
creeping into her limbs and the coldness of her skin. Maybe he would have stayed a few days, never
moving. Maybe he would have died of a broken heart.
It was a possibility that eluded him now. His grief, left untended, had subsided some. He didn t want to
survive losing her, but circumstance had forced him to heal to a cruel plateau. He ached for her, but he
could not bring that ache to drive him to the madness required to harm himself.
The werewolf Bella, Max had been calling her walked in a few lazy circles around a pile of blankets
before lying down. She pillowed her chin on her arms, stretched in front of her like a dog s paws, her
eyes scanning a book.
Max stretched on the couch, trying valiantly to read something handwritten. His eyes flitted occasionally
from the pages to the woman on the floor.
Cyrus wanted to urge caution. Love was fleeting, and it could be taken so easily. But he didn t care
enough about either of them to impart this knowledge, and if they were smart, they would have known it
on their own.
Instead, he gestured to the book in Max s hands. What is that?
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
The Big Book of None of Your Business. He frowned at the lines as if he d been concentrating on the
words and not the object of his obvious desire.
The rejection rolled off Cyrus like water. It looks like a journal. A book of shadows?
Max didn t look up. It is a journal, and you can stop talking at any time.
I d like to know what I m supposed to be looking for. Unless you d just like a comprehensive report
on the entire text? Cyrus closed the book with a loud snap that sent up a puff of dust. Emblazoned in
cheap, gold ink across the cover were the words Vou Dou Spells of Possession and Control.
Lovely.
Max finally deigned to glance up, cold fury etched in every line of his face. You d know better than we
do what he s up to.
He? Cyrus shrugged innocently. If by that you mean my father, you are mistaken. I haven t heard
from him since before I died, and he wasn t happy with me then.
Right, and we re supposed to believe that. I suppose you have no idea why he brought you back from
the dead? Like a shark circling a reef in search of dying fish, Max stood and paced around the room.
It wasn t quite intimidating enough. In fact, the absurdity of the situation brought a bubble of laughter
from Cyrus s throat, which he quickly suppressed. No, I do know that. Carrie told me. He s trying to
become a god. But you re not going to find anything in here to stop him.
Where would we find it? Her attention finally captured by the conversation, Bella sat up. Cyrus would
have found her attractive, if not for the fact she was a dog, but he didn t believe it would be wise to make
a pass in front of her boyfriend, especially when he was so obviously besotted with her.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Instead, Cyrus gave her an answer simple enough even the caveman vampire could understand. I don t
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]