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Numb, I followed Max to the hallway.  Don t do it, I said flatly, once the
door had closed behind us.
Max gripped my shoulders and twisted me to face him. His fingers dug
painfully into my flesh, and I protested with a loud,  Ow!
 This is not a game, Carrie. He held his face inches from mine.  I m going
to have to kill Nathan. I don t know what you were thinking in there, but I
still have a job to do.
He released me and turned to walk away. I rubbed one sore shoulder.  Yeah,
but you don t know where he is yet. You can stall for time while I figure out
what s going on.
He laughed, the way someone would laugh at a child s overly simple solution
to a serious problem.  And how do you plan on doing that? You ve got no
resources, no one willing to help you. Even if you can magically cure Nathan
of whatever has a hold on him, I m still under orders to kill on sight. You re
on your own here. Nathan is as good as dead, and you re fooling yourself if
you think otherwise.
 So that s it then? I shook my head in disbelief.  You re just giving up?
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 I m watching my own back!
I closed my eyes. This was not the Max I knew. This was a complete stranger
standing before me.  Max, please trust me. Trust that I m not going to do
anything that would put you in harm s way.
 You re going to do what you need to do for yourself, Carrie. He wiped his
sleeve across his forehead.  It s what survivors do.
I looked at the pictures he held. Breton hadn t bothered to put them in an
envelope. The cadaver s empty stare bore into me from the glossy surface of
the photo.
 I m not interested in helping myself, I said, choking back tears.  I just
want to save Nathan.
 It s too late for that, Max said softly.  The Movement has made their
decision, and no matter what happens, they ll just keep coming.
I shook my head.  Not from the Movement. I want to save him from himself.
6
Oracle
Max needed to gather some supplies before we headed out. I had no idea what
kind of equipment he needed to kill my sire, but I refused to help him
retrieve it. He headed to the armory after giving me strict orders to go
directly to the reception area.
Not that I had a choice. As soon as he walked away, a guard came from
seemingly nowhere and steered me toward the lobby.
 Nothing personal, he said as he guided me through the doors.  Just can t
have non-Movement vampires roaming the halls.
Anne had returned to her post at the desk, and she looked up when the doors
closed. Her face brightened.  So, how d it go with the general?
 Not well. Normally, I would have resented having to spill to a total
stranger, but she wasn t exactly wheedling me for information. In fact, her
casual interest made mewant her to wheedle. I d never realized I was such an
attention whore.  He basically shot me down.
 What a prick. She sounded genuinely sorry.  That s too bad.
I scuffed my toes on the carpet as I went to one of the plush chairs.  He s a
very stubborn man, isn t he?
Anne stood and came around the front of the desk, where she dropped to the
floor and sat cross-legged. The shiny buckles on her knee-high combat boots
caught the light as she made herself comfortable.  Well, you don t get far in
this organization if you re not stubborn.
 I don t know. I watched her toy with the black rubber bracelets that looped
her wrist.  You seem to do okay.
With a crooked smile, she rolled her eyes.  Yeah, I m a great receptionist.
Where s Max?
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 Loading up on gadgets and supplies with which to kill my sire. I slumped
down in the chair.  I m insane, to be waiting for him. I should be tearing off
to the States.
 Yeah, on a commercial airliner?Good luck. She shook her head.  Max has to
look tough and serious about the job. I doubt he ll actually kill him.
 Won t he be penalized? The Movement seemed to dole out  probation like
candy on Halloween.
 Nah. She made a face to accompany the guttural sound.  Max has shirked
assignments before. He ll never come out and actually say,  No, I m not going
to kill this vampire, but I can tell when it s going to happen. He ll call to
check in and say things like,  No luck yet, but I ll find the bastard. You
know, things like John Wayne might say in a movie.
 That s how Max usually talks, I reminded her.
She rolled her eyes.  I know, right? But this is different. He puts up a much
tougher front if he s reluctant to do the job.
Her assurances made me feel a little better. As much as Max and Nathan
bickered, neither of them truly wanted the other dead. Maybe once we were away
from the eyes and ears of the Movement, Max would change his mind.
 So, Anne said brightly, grasping the toes of her boots and leaning forward.
 What did you think of the place?
 I thought it was& nice, I offered lamely. Not at all what I was expecting.
 I know, right? Most people think it s going to be stone walls and torchlight
and guys with long beards, in scary robes. I mean, we have the guys with long
beards, but they only wear their robes during a ritual. She said this with a
shrug, as if it was completely normal to deal with occult forces in the
workplace.  Aside from them, there s really nothing that weird here.
 Well, except the Oracle, I began casually.  But I guess I won t be seeing
her anytime soon. What s she like? [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]