Blood From a Stone (111 page)

F
or
t
he
fir
st
ti
m
e
i
n
a
l
l
t
hese  cen
t
ur
i
es  he  had d
i
sc
l
osed
a
pa
r
t
of
h
i
s
da
r
k
est
sec
r
et
t
o
ano
t
her
s
ou
l
.
G
r
an
t
ed
i
t
w
asn
’
t
of
h
i
s
o
w
n
v
o
liti
on,
nor
w
as
t
he
po
w
er
h
i
s
b
l
ood see
m
ed
t
o
ho
l
d
e
v
en
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng he
’
d
k
no
w
n be
f
o
r
e
t
h
i
s
past
w
eek
h
i
m
se
lf
,
but
i
t
had
happened
none
t
he
l
ess.
S
he
k
new
a pa
r
t
of
t
he
tr
u
t
h…so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
r
eal
about
h
i
m
,
and
she
w
asn
’
t
r
unn
i
n
g
.
H
e
w
asn
’
t
r
unn
i
ng e
it
he
r
.
I
n
f
ac
t
,
he
w
as
n’
t
g
o
i
ng a
n
y
w
he
r
e
i
f
he cou
l
d he
l
p
it
.

H
e
had
exac
tl
y
t
h
r
ee
and
a
ha
l
f
w
ee
k
s
l
e
f
t
t
o
fi
g
u
r
e out
t
he
pu
zz
l
e,
and
t
he
need
t
o
do
so
bu
r
ned
w
it
h
i
n
h
i
m
i
n
a
w
ay he
hadn
‘
t
f
e
l
t
i
n
a
v
e
r
y
l
ong
ti
m
e, and W
ill
ow
D
a
l
t
on
w
as
t
he
f
uel
t
hat
k
ept
t
hat
fir
e s
t
o
k
ed
t
o
w
h
it
e hot
i
n
t
ens
i
t
y
.

S
he
w
a
l
k
ed
do
w
n
t
he
ha
l
l
and
g
r
abbed
a
b
l
an
k
et
fr
om
t
he
c
l
ose
t
,
t
ook
h
i
s
hand
and
l
ed
h
i
m o
v
er
t
o
t
he
l
a
r
g
e
cha
i
se cha
i
r
w
he
r
e
t
hey
bo
t
h
p
l
un
k
ed
do
w
n
and
l
eaned
back a
g
a
i
nst
t
he
so
f
t
p
ill
o
w
s.
H
e
snu
gg
l
ed
i
n
next
t
o
her
and
w
r
apped
t
he b
l
an
k
et
a
r
ound
t
hem
bo
t
h
as
she
l
eaned
i
n
and
w
h
i
s
p
e
r
ed
i
n h
i
s
ea
r
,
“We
can
t
a
l
k
m
o
r
e
about
w
hat
ha
p
pened
l
a
ter
.
F
or no
w
,
l
e
t’
s
j
ust
f
o
r
g
et
about
i
t
and sa
l
v
a
g
e
w
ha
t‘
s
l
e
f
t
of
our da
t
e?”
S
he
k
i
ssed
h
i
s
li
ps
so
ftl
y and
g
r
abbed
he
re
m
o
t
e
fr
om
t
he end
t
ab
l
e.

S
he
w
as
ri
g
h
t
.
P
i
zz
a
and
a
m
o
v
i
e on cab
l
e. Ma
y
be a
littl
e
ti
m
e
i
n
h
i
s
a
r
m
s
a
ft
e
r
w
a
r
d.
O
r
no
t
.
I
t
d
i
dn
’
t
r
ea
ll
y
m
a
t
t
e
r
.
H
e
w
an
t
ed
he
r
,
but
i
t
w
asn
’
t
j
ust
about
w
an
ti
ng
her
f
or
h
i
s o
w
n
p
l
easu
r
e
an
y
m
o
r
e.
H
e ca
r
ed about
he
r
…or
m
a
y
be
h
e
w
as
j
ust
g
o
i
ng
t
o
ha
v
e
t
o
ad
m
i
t
he
w
as
f
a
lli
ng
i
n
l
o
v
e
w
it
h
he
r
.
D
a
m
n.
H
ad he
j
ust
t
hought
t
hat
t
o h
i
m
se
lf
?

H
e
s
m
il
ed…a
l
m
ost
l
au
g
hed
out
l
oud.
H
e hadn
’
t
e
v
en s
l
ept
w
it
h
her
f
or
C
h
ri
s
t’
s
sa
k
e.
A
nd
he
’
d
on
l
y
k
n
o
w
n
her
f
or a
f
ew
da
y
s.
S
o,
w
hy
d
i
dn
’
t
t
hat
seem
t
o
m
a
tt
er
ri
g
ht
no
w
?