"Death Row 03 - The Avenger" - читать интересную книгу автора (Black Jaid)

“Do you think to run from Me again, Nellie?” His jaw steeled as he stood up and pushed away from her. “Because I’ll hunt you down again if you do,” he growled. “Only the next time—”

“No!” Nellie quickly assured him. She wasn’t quite ready to tell him about her sire yet. She needed the time he’d be gone with his brother to look for Elijah and hunt for Kora to work up her nerve. “You took the meaning of my words and twisted them,” she said quietly. She sighed as she slowly stood up. “I have no intention of running from You, Kerick.”

Silence.

“Where has she gone?” he murmured. His commanding gray eyes flicked down to meet hers.

Nellie didn’t pretend not to understand his meaning. She rubbed her temples and glanced away. “If You find Kora, then You find her. But do not expect me to betray mine own race.”

Within Federated Earth there were but three races: male, female and sub-human. Amongst uninfected humans, it was the male race that turned on each other. Females didn’t do that. At least not any females Nellie had ever known. Even her sire’s wives—none of whom she’d had a care for besides Nicoletta and her mother—hadn’t betrayed one another to their Master when push came to shove.

The problem as Nellie saw it was there was no way to go to the Xibalba without giving away the secret hiding place of so many runaway females…or breaking her vow and running from her husband. Soon—very soon—she would have to decide which of those scenarios was the lesser of two evils. She was needed in the Xibalba to work on the serum. This Nellie knew. Kora had told her as much in no uncertain terms.

But her husband. He’d never forgive her…

Kerick frowned. He took a slow, measured breath and blew it out. “I shall return before nightfall,” he muttered. His eyebrows rose. “Make certain I find you here within our bedchamber upon My return.”

She nodded in a distracted fashion, her thoughts in too much chaos to concentrate.

Silence.

Nellie glanced up. Her green eyes widened questioningly at the intent expression on his face.

“The zida stones have been removed from the caverns, little one,” Kerick said softly. Too softly.

Her teeth sank into her lower lip as she nervously studied his face. The man seemed capable of anticipating her every possible thought. Not that she had decided to run from him. She still didn’t know what was the right thing to do. The lesser of two evils… What an impossible decision. Break one’s word or betray one’s race—both were considered vile in the biospheres as well as the Outside.

“Do not force My hand, Nellie. I’ve no desire to punish you.”

She cleared her throat. “Well,” she breathed out, forcing a smile to her full lips, “I suppose that makes two of us for I’ve no desire to be punished.” She had seen some of the punishments her sire’s wives had received over the years. Every last one of them had left much to be desired, to say the least. “Go to Your brother,” she whispered. “All will be well.”

“Will it, Nellie?” he murmured. “Be well?”

She was given no time to answer that question for a moment later he had seized her by the shoulders and pulled her tightly against him. He claimed her mouth, kissing her roughly on the lips, branding it in the way he’d branded her body last eve. His kiss, she thought sadly, was as desperate as she felt.

By the time he pulled away, his breathing was heavy and his nostrils flaring. “I love you, Nellie Riley. Do not betray Me.”

Her eyes widened at the love words. She opened her mouth to give them back, but to no avail. The chamber door slammed shut, barring her inside alone.

* * * * *

Kerick’s eyes narrowed at Xavier as his friend made his way into the Commons. He had that look about him. A look that told him without words that something was not as it should be. “What is it?” Kerick barked, one eyebrow slowly arching. “What have you learned?” His gut clenched as he considered the very real possibility that Kieran had met a bad end while searching for his runaway wife. “Is it my brother?”

Xavier’s demeanor, typically lighthearted, was serious. His expression, typically teasing, was intense. “No,” he murmured, coming to a standstill before Kerick. He placed the torch he’d been carrying in a nearby wall sconce and gave him his full attention. “It is your wife,” he sighed. “Holy Cyrus. You are never going to believe this, amigo.”

Kerick stilled. His jaw clenched as he regarded his friend. Kerick had been gone from Nellie less than an hour. If she had already attempted to run from him after giving her word that she wouldn’t, there would be hell to pay. “Go on.”

“I was at a Pussy Parlour last night. Particularly, I was at the one Old Gingus owns near to the Crossroads.”