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.An image of Blaine lying bloodiedand bowed before me flashed through my mind.I gasped out loud and drew the annoyed glances ofthose sitting around me.I swallowed down the nausea that roiled in the pit of my stomach.When the lecture ended, I quickly gathered my things and hurried out of the hall.Many of the otherstudents were hanging around to ask questions but I needed to get out of there as fast as I could.I heldmy breath until I got outside and then sucked in a long, cold drink of winter city air.It made my eyes stingand I closed them, feeling warm tears slide down my cheeks.When I opened my eyes again, Val wasstanding in front of me with a frantic look on her face. Babe! What is it? She had a large duffel bag thrown over her shoulder.It looked heavy but she didn tseem to remember that it was there. What happened? Are you hurt?I rubbed a hand across my face and brushed the tears away. I m fine, sweetheart.I m sorry I scaredyou.I had a moment in the lecture, but it s over now.I just got seized by an unfamiliar sensation.That sall.I ve got it under control now.Valentine looked like she wanted to push the issue but I took her hand and led her away towardWashington Square Park.We walked a few blocks and flagged down a cab.I held Val s hand as thecab sped north toward the Consortium hunting facility.She was vibrating tension I didn t need thepanther s awareness to know that.I placed a kiss on her shoulder and snuggled into her arm.Tonightwould be my first full moon.I would be ready.I had to be.Val walked with me into the vast hunting room.The whole trip to the facility, she kept glancing over atme as if I were going to change right then and there.Karma met us on the way in, but as soon as she sawthe looks that Val was giving me, she offered to wait outside.If Helen was in the facility somewhere, shedidn t make it known right away.I wasn t offended.I figured she would make her appearance at the most dramatic and emotionallyinappropriate time.I couldn t shake the strange, new feeling that she was just waiting for an opportunePage 115Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlmoment to claim Val for her own.We walked to the same spot where Darren had shifted for me almost a month before.I turned to Valand stepped into her embrace.She buried her face in my hair.I didn t know what to do or say, so I took refuge in the pragmatic. I should probably take my clothesoff.No sense in ruining a perfectly good pair of jeans. Val smelled so good, like Belgian waffles andcrossword puzzles on a Sunday morning.I backed away from her reluctantly. Here, let me help. Her fingers were sure as she gently unbuttoned my pink oxford shirt.I reached backand unfastened my bra and when Val was done, I slipped both the bra and my shirt off in one motion.Val sucked in an involuntary breath and I could see her pupils dilating in desire.I unbuttoned my jeansand slipped them off with my panties.I handed the whole pile of clothes to Valentine, who was gazing atme with equal parts devotion and need. You are so beautiful.I stepped in close again and took her face in my hands, then tenderly pressed my lips into hers.I dwanted it to be a soft comforting kiss but the moment we touched, her desire poured into me like a floodunleashed.I groaned into her mouth and slid my fingers back so I could grasp her hair and pull hercloser.My nipples tightened and chafed against the wool of her sweater.When I forced myself to pullaway, she cried out softly. Wow, that was& wow. I was breathing faster now and warmth suffused my entire body. I wish wecould& I mean& it s getting kind of late. I finished lamely.Val sighed and nodded her head. I ll be upstairs.And I ll be right here when you come back.I loveyou. We kissed one more time and then she took my clothes and exited from the doorway that led tothe observation room upstairs.I heard the metal doors clang shut behind her with a brutal kind of finality.With Val gone, the room felt bigger.I wasn t quite sure what to do with myself.I was suddenly keenlyaware of my nakedness and overwhelmed with the urge to cover myself.Perhaps a pair of jeans wasworth sacrificing.I sat on the cold concrete floor and hugged my knees to myself.Soon.It would allhappen very soon and then things like nakedness and modesty would hardly matter.I could feel the panther stirring inside me.My own thoughts were becoming increasingly punctuated withprimal urges like hunger and fear.The panther didn t like sitting out in the open; she wanted to be in thebrush.There were times when I practically shook from repressing the intense urges that bubbled upinside me like random compulsions.Run.Hide.Hunt.I don t know how long I sat there but eventually, the urges stopped.Or rather, they were replaced bystronger and more compelling physical sensations.My skin tingled and I radiated heat.I untucked mylegs and felt an unfamiliar soreness in my limbs.Then, the full-body convulsions seized me.It felt likecramps in every muscle at the same time.Distantly, I heard a cry.Mine?The nausea hit me faster than I could clamp down and then, I was vomiting my dinner into my lap.Ididn t have a chance to clean myself before another round of cramps lifted me from my sitting positionand flipped me onto my side.I vomited again and this time there was blood.I wrenched myself back intoa sitting position and looked toward the observation room.My vision was filmy, as if something thick andviscous was covering my eyes.I squinted and could barely make out Valentine s shape.It looked likeshe was pounding on the window and someone was holding her back.My stomach contracted and Irolled into a fetal position.I felt fire within and without.My mind didn t know how to process the assaultof sensation.I felt numb, frozen not in oblivion, but in a haze of agonizing pain.Page 116Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlI began to retreat, psychologically and physically.My mind, in a last ditch effort for self-preservation,began to shut itself off from my body, absolving itself from physical responsibility.I let it.It hurt so much [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]