Lara Adrian Midnight Breed 04 Midnight Rising

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.And as tempting as the thought actually was, getting herself fired wassomething she really couldn t afford to do right now. Damn it, she muttered, sliding her mouse over to click theDeletebuttoninstead. It s too late for me to cancel this meeting, and I probablyshouldn t anyway.You all are going to have to continue on to Vienna withoutme.I have to stay behind and take care of this story.Rio disembarked in Prague from a train packed with humans.Thanks to theblood he d consumed and the rage that was coursing through every nerve endingin his body, his Breed instincts were locked on full alert as he stepped ontothe platform of the busy station.Apparently his quarry had fled here, toPrague, after their confrontation earlier today.He d been able to track herscent from the mountain into Jic�n.From there, with a bit of mentalpersuasion, the operator of the small hotel in town had been cooperativeenough to direct him toward Prague, where the American female and hercompanions had mentioned they were heading for the last leg of their stayabroad.The tranced human had also been persuaded to fit Rio with a lightweighttrench coat from the hotel s lost-and-found.Although the taupe garment wasout of season and several sizes too small, it did a decent job hiding theworst of the filthy, bloodstained rags he wore underneath.He didn t give ashit about style or his looks, or even his certain stench, but he didn t needto draw undue attention by walking into a public place like some kind ofcastaway freak show.Rio tried to mask his muscular bulk and height, assuming a hunched yetpurposeful shuffle as he ambled through the busy station.No one gave himanything more than a passing glance, the humans subconsciously dismissing himPage 44ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlas one of the dozen-plus homeless unfortunates who loitered near the platformsor slept in corners of the station as the trains screeched and roared throughthe terminal.With his head down to hide the scar-riddled left side of his face, eyesintense beneath the fall of his unkempt hair, Rio headed for the exit thatwould put him on a direct path into the heart of the city, where his hunt forthe woman and her damning pictures would resume.Anger kept him focused, even when his head began to spin in the noisy,harshly lit cavern of the station.He ignored the swamping feelings ofdizziness and confusion, pushing them down deep so he could find his courseand keep it.Forcing his vision to clear, he moved through a tight knot of young menengaged in a sudden argument in the middle of the terminal.The verbal contestturned physical as Rio passed, one skinny kid from the group getting shovedinto a well-dressed English tourist who was yammering on a cell phone as hehurried for the train.The unwitting mark scowled as he recovered from thevery deliberate collision and continued on, unaware that he d just lost hiswallet to the gang of professional pickpockets.The thieves moved off withtheir score, dispersing into the crowd where they would probably pull the samestunt a few more times before the night was through.In another time, another place, Rio might have gone after the juveniledelinquents, just to set them straight.To show them that the night hadeyes& and teeth, if they were too cocky to take a helpful hint.But he was through playing the dark angel to the humans who lived alongsidehis kind.Let them cheat and kill one another.He frankly didn t care.As oflately, there wasn t much of anything he cared about save his oath of honorpledged to his brethren of the Order.Damn fine job he d done upholding that vow.He d let them down by not sealing the mountain crypt as they d trusted himto do several months ago.Now that failure was compounded.Now there was awitness.With photographs.Yeah, absolutely stellar job he d done so far.Now the situation was as fucked up as he was.Page 45ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlRio strode hard for the station exit, inhaling the countless scents thatfilled the air around him and processing them with a ruthless, determinedconcentration.His feet stopped moving at the first trace of juniper and honey.He swung his head around, following the tickle in his nose like a hound letloose on felled game.The scent of the one he sought was fresh too fresh to beanything but immediately present.Madre de Dios.The woman he hunted was here, in the train station. You sure you re going to be okay by yourself, honey? I don t feel rightabout leaving you behind like this. I ll be fine.Dylan gave Janet and the other two women quick hugs as the group of themstood inside Prague s central train station.It was busy even at this time ofnight, the art deco building crowded with travelers, panhandlers, and quite anumber of sleeping homeless people. What if something should happen to you? Janet asked. Your mom would neverforgive us and I would never forgive myself if you get hurt or lost ormugged. Thirty-two years in New York hasn t killed me.I m pretty sure I cansurvive a day here on my own.Page 46ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlMarie s brow furrowed. And what about your flight home? Already taken care of.I changed everything online back at the hotel.I llbe flying out of Prague the day after tomorrow. We could wait for you, Dylan. Nancy hefted her backpack up over hershoulder. Maybe we should forget about Vienna and rebook our flights too, sowe can all go home together. Yes, Marie agreed. Maybe we should.Dylan shook her head. Absolutely not.I m not going to ask any of you tospend the last day of your trip babysitting me when it s really not necessary.I m a big girl.Nothing s going to happen.Go on, I ll be perfectly fine. You re sure, honey? Janet asked. Positive.Enjoy yourselves in Vienna.I ll see you back home in the Statesin a couple of days.It took a further round of fretting and tongue-clucking before the threewomen finally made their way to the departure platform.Dylan walked alongwith them, waiting as they boarded.She watched the train roll out of thestation, then turned to leave with the rest of the people who d come to seeloved ones off that night.As she walked toward the station exits, she couldn t shake the feeling thatshe was being observed.Paranoia, no doubt, brought on by Janet s worrying onher behalf.But still&Dylan glanced around her in a casual pan of the area, trying not to lookanxious or lost emotional beacons for the types of people who liked to prey onstupid tourists.She held her purse in front of her, one arm locked down overit to keep it close to her body.She knew public transportation areas wereprime targets for thieves, just like in the States, and she didn t miss thefact that the group of local teens hanging at a bank of pay phones near theexit were casting measured looks at the crowds as they dispersed.Pickpockets,most likely.She d heard they often ran in packs around these places.Page 47ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlJust to be safe, she cut a wide berth and avoided them, taking the farthestdoor from the group [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Linki