[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
past the pearl look-alike hang-up she had and washed Diane s painkiller down with a
gulp of water. Even though it was tap, the cool clean fluid soothed her throat. She
watched Diane and Salim exchange glances over her head and drank again, draining the
glass of half its contents before giving it back to Diane.
Cora has something the other dragonlord wants, Salim said, borrowing
terminology from her family s version of myth. His gaze never wavered from Cora s face.
Miranda scoffed. That s it?
It s the short version. This isn t the time for the long version.
If my daughter is in this much danger, I demand to know precisely what is
happening.
Stop, Cora said. The word was fire in her jaw, but the pen and paper would draw
everything out longer than she cared to continue this discussion. Trying to put his
dragon in me.
Miranda swore beneath her breath and stalked away. She made short work of finding
the suite s alcohol stores.
Salim leaned against the foot of the bed. She wanted to hide under the covers, torn
between the promise of security if she only invited him close to hold her, and the
remembrance of bloodshed at his hands.
I know what you do, she accused. With the spirits. The familiars. He told me.
Showed me.
He? Greg?
The dragon.
What else did he tell you?
That you re going to take him away from me.
62
Dragon Queen: Book 2: Dragon Dance
What else?
I m supposed to protect the dragons from you.
He moved and took her hand in his. She squeezed her fingers in a fist, reflexively,
and he pried her fist open.
You re glowing, he murmured and held her hand up in front of her face.
Diane leaned close. What are you doing?
Dragon s aura, Salim answered.
I didn t want it, Cora whispered and swiveled her wrist, trying to shake the cursed
nimbus of spiritual fire onto the floor. She brushed the pad of paper aside.
But you took it. He folded her fingers around the glow and held her hand trapped
in his fist.
I didn t want it inside me. It ll make me Greg s, she said.
Diane took Cora s wrist in one hand and Salim s in the other, and pulled them apart.
I think you need to move away from my sister.
Salim shook Diane s hand off and moved to evade her reach. Nothing will ever make
you his. Fierce eyes caught and held hers. He released her hand and cupped her cheeks,
careful of tender swelling. You might not believe in meant-to-be, or you and me, or
your strength and abilities, but I do. He can t have you. No part of you. Do you
understand?
Volcanic heat exploded in her stomach and surged up her esophagus. The fire
brought back the montage of death she d witnessed earlier, featuring Salim in the
leading role. The way he touched her face the astute perceptiveness of his eyes
something instinctive, deep inside, whispered warnings of soul-gazing, of essence-theft.
She recoiled. Don t touch me, she gasped. Diane was the safest point, the first
landmark she located, and she flung herself at the other woman. Salim grabbed at the
back of her shirt; she hissed a warning. Fire tore through her body and impossibly leapt
from her mouth.
Cora caught a glimpse of Diane s face, shocked and ghost-white, right before she
staggered and fell under Cora s weight. A gout of flame licked at Diane s hair and seared
the blonde wood of the hotel nightstand, melting the polish black.
Somebody threw a blanket over Cora s head. The heavy bedspread trapped her with
the heat of the dragon erupting from her stomach, and she couldn t breathe.
Get it out of her! Miranda shrieked.
Salim leapt on her, heavy and hard, and pinned her to the floor. Ii roared outrage in
her ears. She was so hot beneath the blanket and couldn t breathe. Desperation gave her
strength to wrestle an elbow free; she jabbed up and back, but hit nothing but air. The
weight on her back compressed her lungs.
What the hell was that? Diane asked. Her voice was far away.
She can t control it. Salim grunted. He clamped his knees around her and
immobilized her hips. She couldn t even lift a foot to kick at him.
Get it out of her! Miranda.
Everybody had a comment to contribute, but Cora couldn t force a single word from
her throat. She tried to connect with Ii, to tell him to back off. The enraged dragon
ignored her. Its fullness thrashed in her own spirit she feared it would rend her soul to
shreds. The heat was unbearable, a red haze in the dark under the blanket. She closed
her eyes to escape it.
63
Dragon Queen: Book 2: Dragon Dance
* * *
The hotel suite was quiet when she came to, and the quiet didn t stop in the room. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl karpacz24.htw.pl
past the pearl look-alike hang-up she had and washed Diane s painkiller down with a
gulp of water. Even though it was tap, the cool clean fluid soothed her throat. She
watched Diane and Salim exchange glances over her head and drank again, draining the
glass of half its contents before giving it back to Diane.
Cora has something the other dragonlord wants, Salim said, borrowing
terminology from her family s version of myth. His gaze never wavered from Cora s face.
Miranda scoffed. That s it?
It s the short version. This isn t the time for the long version.
If my daughter is in this much danger, I demand to know precisely what is
happening.
Stop, Cora said. The word was fire in her jaw, but the pen and paper would draw
everything out longer than she cared to continue this discussion. Trying to put his
dragon in me.
Miranda swore beneath her breath and stalked away. She made short work of finding
the suite s alcohol stores.
Salim leaned against the foot of the bed. She wanted to hide under the covers, torn
between the promise of security if she only invited him close to hold her, and the
remembrance of bloodshed at his hands.
I know what you do, she accused. With the spirits. The familiars. He told me.
Showed me.
He? Greg?
The dragon.
What else did he tell you?
That you re going to take him away from me.
62
Dragon Queen: Book 2: Dragon Dance
What else?
I m supposed to protect the dragons from you.
He moved and took her hand in his. She squeezed her fingers in a fist, reflexively,
and he pried her fist open.
You re glowing, he murmured and held her hand up in front of her face.
Diane leaned close. What are you doing?
Dragon s aura, Salim answered.
I didn t want it, Cora whispered and swiveled her wrist, trying to shake the cursed
nimbus of spiritual fire onto the floor. She brushed the pad of paper aside.
But you took it. He folded her fingers around the glow and held her hand trapped
in his fist.
I didn t want it inside me. It ll make me Greg s, she said.
Diane took Cora s wrist in one hand and Salim s in the other, and pulled them apart.
I think you need to move away from my sister.
Salim shook Diane s hand off and moved to evade her reach. Nothing will ever make
you his. Fierce eyes caught and held hers. He released her hand and cupped her cheeks,
careful of tender swelling. You might not believe in meant-to-be, or you and me, or
your strength and abilities, but I do. He can t have you. No part of you. Do you
understand?
Volcanic heat exploded in her stomach and surged up her esophagus. The fire
brought back the montage of death she d witnessed earlier, featuring Salim in the
leading role. The way he touched her face the astute perceptiveness of his eyes
something instinctive, deep inside, whispered warnings of soul-gazing, of essence-theft.
She recoiled. Don t touch me, she gasped. Diane was the safest point, the first
landmark she located, and she flung herself at the other woman. Salim grabbed at the
back of her shirt; she hissed a warning. Fire tore through her body and impossibly leapt
from her mouth.
Cora caught a glimpse of Diane s face, shocked and ghost-white, right before she
staggered and fell under Cora s weight. A gout of flame licked at Diane s hair and seared
the blonde wood of the hotel nightstand, melting the polish black.
Somebody threw a blanket over Cora s head. The heavy bedspread trapped her with
the heat of the dragon erupting from her stomach, and she couldn t breathe.
Get it out of her! Miranda shrieked.
Salim leapt on her, heavy and hard, and pinned her to the floor. Ii roared outrage in
her ears. She was so hot beneath the blanket and couldn t breathe. Desperation gave her
strength to wrestle an elbow free; she jabbed up and back, but hit nothing but air. The
weight on her back compressed her lungs.
What the hell was that? Diane asked. Her voice was far away.
She can t control it. Salim grunted. He clamped his knees around her and
immobilized her hips. She couldn t even lift a foot to kick at him.
Get it out of her! Miranda.
Everybody had a comment to contribute, but Cora couldn t force a single word from
her throat. She tried to connect with Ii, to tell him to back off. The enraged dragon
ignored her. Its fullness thrashed in her own spirit she feared it would rend her soul to
shreds. The heat was unbearable, a red haze in the dark under the blanket. She closed
her eyes to escape it.
63
Dragon Queen: Book 2: Dragon Dance
* * *
The hotel suite was quiet when she came to, and the quiet didn t stop in the room. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]