Blood From a Stone (37 page)

“
I’l
l
s
t
eal
a
w
ay
t
o be
w
it
h you aga
i
n.
I
s
w
ear.”

She
s
m
il
ed
and nodded and
i
n
t
hat
m
o
m
ent
each of
t
hem
knew
t
hat
t
hey
w
ou
l
d
be
f
r
i
ends
f
or
a
l
ong
ti
m
e
t
o co
m
e, desp
it
e
t
he
i
r
s
t
a
ti
on
i
n
lif
e.
H
e
w
ou
l
d
sneak
a
w
ay
and
m
eet her
i
n
t
he
fi
e
l
d
t
hat
w
as
part
w
ay
t
o
t
he
v
ill
age
f
rom h
i
s
f
a
t
her
’
s
es
t
a
t
e
as
o
ft
en
as
he
cou
l
d….several
ti
m
es
a
year.
A
nd
t
hey
’
d
w
a
l
ked
t
he
fi
e
l
ds,
en
j
oyed
t
he
w
oods
and
l
ay
back aga
i
nst
t
he
green
ear
t
h
on sunny days
t
o
m
arvel
at
t
he shapes of
t
he c
l
ouds
i
n
t
he sky
w
it
h a
l
l
t
he
w
onder
of
a
c
h
il
d
’
s
eyes.

T
he
seasons
had
co
m
e
and
gone
and
bo
t
h
had gro
w
n
i
n
t
o
t
he
i
r
t
een years…he
w
it
h
l
ong sandy
l
ocks,
t
urquo
i
se eyes and
a
s
t
rong,
w
e
ll-
m
usc
l
ed
body…and
she
a
l
ove
l
y
ny
m
ph
w
it
h
l
usc
i
ous
curves,
a
s
w
eet
bee
-
s
t
ung
pout
and
s
il
ky
ha
i
r
t
hat
w
ou
l
d dr
i
ve a
m
an
t
o h
i
s
w
it
s
end at
t
he s
i
ght
of
her.

T
hey
soon
f
ound
t
he
m
se
l
ves
w
e
l
l
i
n
t
o adu
lt
hood,
w
i
t
h h
i
m
ac
ti
ng
t
he
rogue,
t
o h
i
s paren
t
s d
i
s
m
ay, and
l
ong past
an age
w
here
he
shou
l
d
have
m
arr
i
ed
and
se
ttl
ed
do
w
n,
and
her
s
til
l
ho
l
d
i
ng
her
pur
it
y
f
or
so
m
e
pagan
f
ana
ti
c
i
sm
t
hat
he hoped
t
o r
i
d her
o
f
, at
l
east
f
or
an a
ft
e
r
noon.

H
e
w
as
used
t
o
w
o
m
en
t
hro
w
i
ng
t
he
m
se
l
ves
at
h
i
s
f
ee
t
.
H
e
had
no
l
ack
of
f
e
m
a
l
e
a
tt
en
ti
on
f
rom every
corr
i
dor, and
so he supposed her
re
f
usal
t
o bed h
i
m
w
as
w
hat
m
ade h
i
m
w
ant
her
even
m
ore.

A
nd
a
lt
hough
he
f
e
l
t
a
cer
t
a
i
n
f
ondness
f
or h
i
s s
w
e
et ch
il
dhood
f
r
i
end,
as
he
’
d
reached
m
anhood,
he
’
d come
t
o rea
li
ze
t
hat
she,
li
ke a
l
l
t
he res
t
,
w
as no
m
ore
t
han ano
t
her
f
e
m
a
l
e
w
ho
had
b
l
osso
m
ed
f
rom
a
w
i
de
eyed, 
f
a
i
r
-
ha
i
red ch
il
d
i
n
t
o
w
o
m
anhood.
A
nd
ye
t
,
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
drew
h
i
m
t
o
her
li
ke
a
m
o
t
h
t
o a
fl
a
m
e, and desp
it
e her
re
f
usal
t
o s
l
eep
w
it
h h
i
m
, he s
til
l
m
et
w
it
h her
o
ft
en.

A
nd a
lt
hough he
w
ou
l
d grudg
i
ng
l
y
put
u
p
w
it
h
t
he
i
r p
l
a
t
on
i
c
f
r
i
endsh
i
p
j
ust
so
he
cou
l
d see
her,
i
t
n
e
ver
s
t
opped h
i
m
f
rom
t
ry
i
ng
t
o
conv
i
nce
her
t
o share h
i
s bed on nu
m
e
r
ous occas
i
ons.

H
e
’
d
w
orked
on
break
i
ng
do
w
n
her
de
f
enses
ev
e
ry
ti
m
e
t
hey
’
d
m
e
t
….and
at
fi
rst
he
conv
i
nced
her
t
o
all
ow h
i
m a
f
ew
chas
t
e
k
i
sses.
T
hat
had
gone
w
e
ll
,
and so he
’
d con
ti
nued h
i
s
pursu
it
.
T
he
t
hr
il
l
of
t
he
hunt
had
dr
i
ven
h
i
m
t
o
m
adness.
T
he
l
ast
ti
m
e he
’
d seen her
a
f
ew
m
on
t
hs
ago,
t
hose k
i
sses
had
t
urned
qu
it
e
pass
i
ona
t
e,
and a
lt
hough she
pro
t
es
t
ed,
he
knew da
m
ned
w
e
l
l
t
hat
she des
i
red h
i
m
.