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.Of course, we re talking ahalf-crazed, bloodthirsty mother with her blood-splashed yellow shirt sticking to her thin frameand dark hair flowing down her back.My Gabriel still stood strong beside her, a knife in one hand and a naturi short sword in the other.I didn t want to contemplate how long he had been without ammo.His right shoulder and leftthigh were bleeding, but he didn t waver, so I hoped the wounds were superficial.I couldn t losehim too.And in the eye of the storm stood Jabari.His energy pulsed in violent waves through the room.At least a dozen bodies circled him, torn apart in various ways.The nightwalker stood empty-handed, covered in the blood of his enemies.Jabari didn t use a sword or knife.He preferred totake apart his enemies with his bare hands.It was a lost art.Watching him face down the five naturi that currently circled him, I remembered why I hadalways loved him.I loved his strength and his power.I loved that I only felt anger radiating fromhim, no fear, no doubt, no indecision.With little effort and no hesitation, Jabari pulled the heartfrom a naturi s chest.He tossed the two objects carelessly aside and moved onto his next prey.And deep down I knew I was standing in that line, no matter what happened from here on out. Shall we? I said, looking over at Danaus as I tried gauge the best place to enter the fray.Relieving Sadira and Gabriel would probably be the wisest place to start.Jabari was doing fineon his own. After you, Danaus said, motioning for me to precede him.I was beginning to think he wasenjoying himself.He was splattered with blood and a line of sweat ran from his temple to hishard jaw.His narrowed eyes were keenly focused on the naturi in the room, weighing their skills.But there was also a glitter of amusement there, soaking in the thrill of the battle and the rush ofadrenaline.At that moment, Danaus was more of a predator than the naturi could ever be.Hewas a dark stalker riding the wave of blood and death, his human side obliterated.With a slight shake of my head, I jumped in, lunging at the naturi that was backing Gabrieltoward the wall.After a couple of exchanges he was dead, his head rolling across the room.Inthe spare moment between adversaries, I tossed Gabriel the gun I d been carrying.I wasn t surehow many bullets it still had, but it was better than nothing. Keep back and make sure nothing comes through the door, I said over my shoulder as one ofCreate PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)the two naturi attacking Danaus rushed me.We crossed swords, circling each other the best wecould considering the floor was thick with miscellaneous body parts and slick with blood.Poorlybalanced with my left foot on someone s chest while my right foot rested on another s hand, Iblocked an overhead blow aimed to split my skull.I finished by swinging my blade down,cleaving my foe in two.Half stumbling off the dead body, I looked up in time to see Danaus skillfully finish off hisopponent with a neat spinning slash that not only lifted and threw the naturi across the room, butcut him clear to the spine.While I was skillful with a sword, watching Danaus was like taking inthe Russian ballet.I could feel more than see the ripple of muscle and sinew dancing beneathhis tanned skin.Every movement was precisely timed and balanced for the maximum effect.The light throb of his powers tumbled from him to wash through me.I glanced around the room.Jabari was down to his last two naturi.Sadira knelt beside Tristan,her bloody hands cupping his pale cheeks.Gabriel leaned against the wall near them, strugglingto catch his breath. How bad is it? I inquired, looking down at the young nightwalker.We were all covered in blood,making it hard to tell who was actually bleeding. The cut isn t deep, but the sword was charmed, Sadira said, flicking worried eyes over to me.There was a smear of blood across her forehead, and her blood-soaked clothes clung to herslender frame, making her look even frailer. It slows the healing.It s more pain than actual poison.He ll survive, I said, turning my attentionto my guardian angel.He stood staring down at the gun in his hand, a frown on his full lips. He died saving my life, I volunteered, struggling to keep my voice steady as an image ofMichael lying in my arms flashed across my mind.I should have been paying more attention.Imight not have been able to sense the naturi, but I should have heard the door opening or thefootsteps.Gabriel nodded. Then he died happy. His fingers tightened around the handgun, his expressionhardening.He d said the words as much for me as for himself.My brown-haired angel hadoutlived three bodyguards now.The other two had been brash and careless, picking a fight whenthey should have known better.Michael, in contrast, had been smart.He knew when to keep hishead down and how to follow orders.In the end, I was just bad for him.Forcing my attention back to Danaus, I pushed those regrets aside for now.They would onlydistract me and get me killed.Later, I would cry bloody tears for my fallen angel.The hunter wasstaring toward the broken window, his expression intense and drawn.It wasn t good. Here they come.I was already moving before the last word crossed his lips.Jabari had just ripped the arms off hisfinal opponent and was standing in the open in the center of the room.Much like Michael hadwith me earlier this horrible night, I put my shoulder into Jabari, throwing us both to the ground asa barrage of arrows entered the room through the window.These bastards were starting tobecome predictable.Frowning, I looked down to find Jabari staring up at me with a stunned look in his wide browneyes.I guess I would have too, had I been in the same position.Less than an hour ago we d triedto kill each other. It s been years since we had fun like this, I said, lying across his strong chest.Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)Jabari gave a weary sigh, his eyes suddenly turning sad.His face had lost its walking dead look.He looked almost human, or at least a little less like a corpse. I still do not understand you,desert flower. He reached up and tucked a dirty, wet strand of hair behind my ear. But thingshave not changed between us. I don t expect them to.You are just one of the many people who wish to kill me right now, Ireminded him as I rolled off his chest and to my feet.I remained squatting down as anotherbarrage of arrows soared through the room.I could smell his blood now that we were so close.He had been cut.It was impossible to tell how many times or how deep.As an Ancient, he wouldbe able to tolerate the pain better than most, but without rest or a meal, he was going to slowdown.We all were. Promise me something, I continued, my eyes locked on the window. What do you desire? He knelt beside me, his long body tensed and ready for the attack.Hissoft accent rippled across me like a soothing hand rubbing my back. I love it when you say that, I teased in a dreamy voice.He said nothing, but his expressionhardened in warning.I was pushing my luck [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]