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where his hands rested.  I m sorry about the water, he said.  I had to get you to come
out of it somehow.
 It s okay. Taking the towel from him, she hid her face in it and scrubbed her hair
dry. The linen smelled fresh and floral, too airy for this dark life she so unexpectedly led.
Even though she detected a hint of lavender, it did nothing to calm her down. She still
needed a plan to get away.
 I brought a dry shirt for you, too. He reached for her zipper beneath the towel. His
fingers brushed her breast, unintentionally. He didn t linger but the memory did. God.
She didn t want Salim to be a bad man. She wanted him good, wanted to keep him in her
life. Over and over in her head, however, a woman shredded her own flesh with a jagged
edge of glass, and she knew, instinctively, that it wasn t some trick of Greg s designed to
manipulate her. That was Salim s past. His present. That s what he did.
He tugged at the zipper, drawing her back. She batted his hand away.  I can do it.
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Dragon Queen: Book 2: Dragon Dance
He hesitated, fingertips light against her breastbone.  You re sure you don t need any
help?
 I m sure. She lowered the towel, blotting at the saturated front of her sweater.
Salim tried to touch her cheek. She tilted her head away, avoiding his eyes.  I m going to
go blow dry my hair, she announced and forced her leaden legs to move.
He moved to let her off the sofa. Cora tried not to run and tried even harder not to
slam the door connecting the suite s two rooms.
Inside the bedroom, she rested her head against the door, panting and blinking back
tears. She wanted to demand an explanation, but what would he do if he knew that she
knew? Take the pearl away? He already knew she had it. Would she be dead right now,
spirit separated forcibly from her body, if she had swallowed the damned thing instead
of spitting it out in her bathroom sink?
From the corner of her eye, blurred by a sheen of tears, she saw her purse sitting on
the bureau beside the two hotel keycards. The pearl was in it& or had been. She
straightened away from the door, horrible suspicions a dangerous whirlpool spinning in
her head, and moved to check that he hadn t already taken it away from her.
Relief flowed hot and fast through her body. She had to sit down or collapse. The
pearl was still where she left it. She held fast, leaning against the bureau and staring
down at the innocent, dreadful little ball.
Salim knocked on the bedroom door once and opened it. Cora s eyes flew up in
shock; she balled a fist and thrust her hand behind her back. Her rubbery knees
threatened to give out entirely as she stared at Salim, who, in the twenty seconds since
she d last seen him, had taken on a crimson aura. She blinked, but the aura was still
there.
 You re glowing, she said.
 I m going out for a moment. He didn t acknowledge her observation.  I ll knock
when I get back. Make sure it s me before you open the door.
He retreated, leaving her alone. She d been holding onto the pearl so hard her hand
ached, and when she heard the outer door open and close, she finally loosened her
grasp. The sounds of the city roared in her ears; cold swept through her clothes. She
needed to sit down and think, but this was her chance to run. She turned to find the
beach bag she d filled with cassettes that and her purse were all she really needed and
her heart stopped.
Greg stood on the balcony threshold, almond eyes beautiful and exotic. He looked
like she remembered him; perfectly groomed, dark hair stylishly tipped with gold color.
The French doors white sheers fluttered to either side of him. He gazed at the pearl in
her hand.
 What are you doing? he asked softly.
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Dragon Queen: Book 2: Dragon Dance
Chapter Twelve
Cora reached for a dragon and couldn t find a single other soul in the suite. Had
Salim taken them both? Greg stepped inside.
 How did you get here? she asked stupidly, stalling, casting about frantically for
Da ar Es Saleem, and, when he didn t respond, she reluctantly tried to call for the
unpredictable Ii. She hit barriers more solid than walls.
 It doesn t matter. We re going away.
She panicked, flying into motion and popping the pearl onto her tongue, so fast the
heel of her palm smashed her bottom lip against her teeth. Greg snarled and reached for
her, hissing,  Don t swallow it!
Her mouth was so dry she gagged when she tried to get the pearl down. She spun and
dove for the bathroom, where she could get a handful of water to lubricate her mouth.
Greg caught her mere steps into the other room and threw his weight against her. She [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]