Blood From a Stone (123 page)

H
e
r
e
l
axed
h
i
s
body and sa
v
o
r
ed
t
he s
o
ft
ness of
t
he p
ill
ow beh
i
nd
h
i
s
head, 
w
i
sh
i
ng
W
ill
ow
w
e
r
e
t
he
r
e
s
o  he cou
l
d
f
eel
t
he cu
r
v
e of
her
body
next
t
o h
i
s
under
t
he b
l
an
k
e
t
s.
Y
eah,
a
littl
e
‘
desse
rt
’
w
ou
l
d ha
v
e
been n
i
ce, but
i
t
w
ou
l
d be enou
g
h
j
ust
t
o
ha
v
e
her
l
y
i
ng
t
he
r
e
w
it
h
her
a
r
m
s
ar
ound
h
i
m
ri
g
ht
no
w
.

A
f
ew
m
o
m
en
t
s
l
a
t
e
r
,
on
l
y
t
he
s
t
eady
s
ounds
of
h
i
s s
l
o
w
ed
b
r
ea
t
h
i
ng b
r
o
k
e
t
he
s
il
ence
w
h
il
e
he
d
rift
ed
o
f
f
i
n
t
o a d
r
ea
m
,
as
t
he
s
l
eep
he
c
r
a
v
ed
ca
m
e
t
o
c
l
a
i
m
h
i
s
body
and
m
i
nd.

C
H
AP
T
E
R
F
OU
R
T
EE
N

A
s
m
a
l
l
s
tr
eak of
sun
li
g
ht
pee
k
ed
t
h
r
ou
g
h
t
he
shade co
v
e
ri
ng
t
he
bed
r
oom
w
i
ndo
w
.
I
t
w
as
a
littl
e
past
8
am as
S
a
m
son
opened
h
i
s
e
y
es
and
sat
up
qu
i
c
k
l
y
,
t
a
k
i
ng
a
m
o
m
ent
t
o
ad
j
ust
t
o
t
he
s
tr
an
g
e
sensa
ti
on
of
ha
v
i
ng
j
ust
w
o
k
en up…a
g
a
i
n.
I
t
had
been
m
i
ss
i
ng
fr
om h
i
s
lif
e
f
or
so
l
ong
t
hat
i
t
w
ou
l
d
t
a
k
e
so
m
e
g
e
tti
ng  used
t
o.
A
nd
he
sa
v
o
r
ed
e
v
er
y second of
it
.

H
e
s
tr
e
t
ched
h
i
s
m
usc
l
es,
r
ose
fr
om 
t
h
e
bed
and padded
t
o
t
he
ba
t
h
r
oo
m
.
H
e
r
e
li
e
v
ed
h
i
m
se
lf
,
sp
l
as
h
ed cool
w
a
t
er
on
h
i
s
f
ace,
and
no
t
ed 
t
he 
fl
ush 
i
n  h
i
s  chee
k
s 
t
hat
l
oo
k
ed
j
ust
li
k
e
y
es
t
e
r
da
y
,
a
ft
er
he
’
d
s
l
ep
t
,
and
d
r
ea
m
ed
f
or
t
he
fir
st
ti
m
e
i
n
fi
v
e
cen
t
u
ri
es.
A
nd
a
g
a
i
n
he
no
t
e
d
how he
l
oo
k
ed 
r
e
j
u
v
ena
t
ed so
m
eho
w
.
S
tr
an
g
e
i
ndeed.

H
e
headed
f
or
t
he
k
it
chen
and
be
f
o
r
e
do
i
ng an
y
t
h
i
ng e
l
se,
dec
i
ded
t
o
ca
l
l
W
ill
ow
and
m
a
k
e
su
r
e
e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
ng
w
as a
l
ri
g
h
t
.

H
e
p
i
c
k
ed
up
h
i
s
ce
l
l
and
nea
rl
y d
r
op
p
ed
i
t
w
hen
he
l
oo
k
ed
o
v
er
and
saw
t
he
appa
riti
on
fr
om
l
ast
n
i
g
ht
s
t
and
i
ng
i
n
t
he
da
r
k
est
co
r
ner
of
h
i
s
d
i
n
i
ng
r
oo
m
.
S
he
w
asn
’
t
f
aded
t
h
i
s
ti
m
e…he
cou
l
d
m
a
k
e
out
her
f
u
l
l
shape and
f
o
r
m
, and her
f
e
a
t
u
r
es
as
w
e
ll
.
S
he
g
l
o
w
ed
as
i
f
su
rr
ounded
by s
o
m
e
k
i
nd
of bac
k
li
g
h
ti
n
g
.

H
i
s
hea
r
t
pounded
j
ust
a
littl
e.
Y
eah,
he h
i
m
se
l
f
w
as so
m
e
k
i
nd
of
‘
m
ons
t
e
r
’
fr
om
l
e
g
end,
but
w
hat
w
as
s
h
e?
A
g
hos
t
?
S
o
m
e
k
i
nd of
banshee?

“Who a
r
e
y
ou?”
H
e app
r
oached her
cau
t
ious
l
y
.

S
he
bac
k
ed
up
fr
om h
i
m and
t
hen
ca
m
e
in
c
l
ose
r
.
H
e cou
l
d
f
eel
a
ch
ill
…
.
t
hat
ch
il
l
w
hen
she
b
r
ushed
by h
i
m
!
T
he sensa
ti
on
he
’
d
f
e
l
t
at
C
h
i
co
’
s
w
hen he
w
as
a
l
one
and a
g
a
i
n
w
it
h W
ill
ow
t
he o
t
her
n
i
g
h
t
.

So,
t
hen.
P
e
r
haps
y
es
t
e
r
day
w
as
not
t
he
fir
st
ti
m
e she had
been
i
n
h
i
s
p
r
esence.
A
ppa
r
en
tl
y
she
’
d
been
f
o
ll
o
w
i
ng h
i
m
a
r
ound
f
or
at
l
east
a
f
ew
da
y
s
no
w
.