Страница 64 из 86
<p> “She’s not competition,” he said, and kissed me, fast and hard. “She’s been voted off the island.”</p>
<p> I didn’t know why that was fu
<p> “And clothing optional?” he murmured. “I’d like that, too.”</p>
<p> “Well? Get to it, Magic Man.” I wasn’t serious, and he wasn’t taking me seriously. Man, being responsible was a huge pain in the ass. “David-I still don’t remember. What memories I have, they’re borrowed, they’re not mine. But my feelings…those are mine. And they’re real.”</p>
<p> His hands went still, waiting.</p>
<p> “I have these feelings for you that I really can’t-God. David, look, if you want to go find Joa
<p> He gave me a slow, wicked smile. “But I like working with my hands.”</p>
<p> I fought the urge to melt against him. “What are we going to do about her?”</p>
<p> His eyes, which had faded to a warm human brown, flared back to bronze. “She tried to convince me to kill you,” he said. “I don’t know what she’ll do next.”</p>
<p> “Well, Ve
<p> “Ve
<p> “I’m not so shortsighted,” Ve
<p> At her feet lay Ashan, unconscious.</p>
<p> “I wasn’t just protecting <i>her</i>,” Ve
<p> David’s eyes were fixed on Ashan. “What about him?”</p>
<p> “All locks have keys.”</p>
<p> “You can make duplicate keys,” David said, “when you break one.”</p>
<empty-line/>
<p> To his credit, David didn’t rip Ashan in half on sight. I suspected that was because of what he’d found in Sedona, and because-maybe-of what Imara had conveyed to him. He hadn’t said a word about it, but there was a deep-seated peace in him that hadn’t been there before. Apparently he was willing to let bygones be…</p>
<p> Well, maybe not. After staying still for several long seconds, David flashed across the intervening space, grabbed Ashan by the back of the neck, and dangled him off the ground like a toy. His lips were drawn back from his teeth, and those teeth were <i>pointed.</i> I remembered Rahel giving me the shark grin when we’d met after the helicopter ride; that was nothing compared to the savage expression on David’s face at that moment. <i>Even predators can be pets</i>, Ve
<p> “If you kill him,” Ve
<p> I was afraid he hadn’t heard her for a second, but then he threw Ashan down-hard-and crouched to converse eye-to-eye with Ve
<p> “The same as you,” she said. “I found her here. I kept her alive. I found Ashan.”</p>
<p> “You <i>kept</i> Ashan from me. Didn’t you?”</p>
<p> “Well, yes, I expected you’d try to destroy him,” she said. “Confess. Aren’t you glad I did? Really?”</p>
<p> “You didn’t do it to help me or Joa
<p> She shrugged.</p>
<p> David looked grim, and almost angry. “Ve
<p> “I can’t,” she said. “It’s not my choice, David; it’s just practical. You may be in charge now, but you won’t be for long, because the old ones aren’t listening to you, and they won’t <i>ever</i> listen. You may be the conduit, but you’re not Jonathan. They won’t obey you. Somebody needs to be able to control them, and it can’t be one of the New Dji
<p> I didn’t know what she was talking about, but it sounded ominous. Worse, it sounded ominous for <i>David.</i> Personally.</p>
<p> “You didn’t save Ashan for me or for Joa
<p> She didn’t even try to deny it. “Yes,” she said. “He deserved punishment, and he <i>was</i> punished. But he doesn’t deserve destruction.” She met his eyes. “He’s my brother, David. He’s your brother, too, in a lesser way. But I wouldn’t expect a human-born to understand what that means to one of us.”</p>
<p> David’s face tightened. “She wasn’t your daughter, Ve
<p> “More loss doesn’t balance the scales. It’s enough, David. <i>Enough</i>.”</p>
<p> He let out a slow, unsteady breath. “You want me to help restore his powers? And trust him?”</p>
<p> Ve
<p> “Excuse me,” I said, and stepped forward. “Could you speak in the kind of English that makes sense? Because it sure as hell sounds like you’re pla
<p> Ve
<p> “Ve
<p> Ve
<p> “Shut up,” he said, and took a step toward her. Ve
<p> “Don’t tell me what to do,” she said. “I’m not your toy. And you’re not Jonathan.” She reached down, grabbed Ashan by the collar of his shirt, and dragged him up to a sitting position. He remained limp as a puppet. “When you decide to be sensible, let us know. Until then, he remains with me.”</p>
<p> “Ve
<p> She disappeared with a faint shimmer and a pop.</p>