Dartt, Jewel Enemy Mine

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be it. His voice was harsh.
No, you can t CeCe protested, her thin, high voice quavering
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with distress.
Will swung around to glare at her. I m head of this family. I can
do whatever I think is necessary to preserve our mission. He shot his
grandson a bleak look. Even if that means one of our own goes over
to the enemy. From the very beginning of our fight against evil, there
has never been a male Adams who shirked his God-given duty. I
should have suspected you would; you have a Goddamned bleeding-
heart attitude like your mother. I always knew you d turn out like her.
I tried to warn your father before he married her that she couldn t
accept what we did, but he wouldn t listen.
Preston stiffened at the contempt in his grandfather s voice. Leave
my mother out of it. She has nothing to do with this.
Damned if I will, Will snorted. If not for her influence, you
could have been as good a hunter as your brother. If I hadn t stepped
in when I did, she would have ruined Cameron, too, with her bleeding-
heart talk. You were so young. I thought I had time to remove you
from her influence before it was too late. Now I know I was wrong.
Preston stepped forward, his hands balled into fists at his sides.
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My mother was a good woman, Granddad. You broke her heart when
you stuck Cameron in training. She cried herself to sleep every night
after that. And when you did the same to me a few years later, it killed
her.
She was weak too weak to be an Adams. My son should never
have married her.
Preston reached over the wide desk and gripped his grandfather by
his shirt collar.
CeCe grabbed his arm in a desperate grip. No he doesn t know
what he s saying.
I know perfectly well what I m saying, Will said, giving her an
angry glare. I m not senile. So go ahead, boy, hit me. Perhaps that
will bring you to your senses.
Preston forced back the red tide of anger. He wasn t going to let his
grandfather goad him into a fight, do something he d regret later. I
think not, Granddad. With that, he turned on his heel and walked out
of the study.
He was halfway to the front door when he felt CeCe tug at his
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sleeve. Please don t go like this, Preston, she pleaded. Two fat
teardrops ran down her pinched face.
He leaned down and hugged her. I m sorry, CeCe, you re the last
person I want to hurt, but I have to do this. Somebody has to put a stop
to the killing.
Why does it have to be you? she asked through tears.
There is no one else to do it, he said with a bleak smile.
I can t bear to lose you the way I lost your dear mother. Please
reconsider, Preston. Surely, this creature is not worth losing your
family over.
He gently pulled away from her. I m not dead, CeCe. I m just
going away.
You might as well be dead, CeCe said miserably. He ll send
Cameron after you and Gabrielle. He s trained your brother well. I m
afraid that if you get in his way &
He ll sacrifice me for the good of the cause, he finished for her,
putting his arm around her narrow shoulders. CeCe, I know the risks,
and I m more than ready to take them. I ll be ready for Cameron, or
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any of the others he might send.
Is she really worth alienating your family?
Yes, I think so.
I don t understand. CeCe sadly shook her head.
Preston touched her cheek. I don t either, but I know what I have
to do.
CeCe shoulders slumped in resignation. She reached up and kissed
his jaw. May God keep you safe. She watched with sad eyes as she
stepped outside to see him drive away, his automobile s wide tires
kicking up a spray of gravel. From your own brother & she added in
a whisper.
* * *
Dawn was just a few hours away when Preston walked into the
bedroom. Gabrielle took one look at his face and knew the news was
not good. How did it go with your Grandfather?
Badly. It didn t go the way I expected. But then again, I m not
exactly sure what I did expect from someone so hardheaded and
opinionated. He sat on the edge of the bed. The man just can t be
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reasoned with when it comes to vampires.
I expected that. And you should have, too. You can t change
something in a matter of hours that has been going on for centuries,
Preston.
But I thought maybe I could get him to listen. It was time someone
questioned our profession. He let out a tired sigh. But he wouldn t
even try to understand.
Gabrielle wanted to reach out and somehow erase the pain and
exhaustion she saw in his face, but she resisted the urge. This was not
the time to stir up emotions she didn t understand or want to feel.
What do we do now? she asked quietly.
Preston leaned forward and rubbed the back of his neck. Well, I
don t know about you, but I have to get some sleep. I feel like I
haven t slept for a week. Later, when the sun sets, we go back on the
road.
We keep running. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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