Blood From a Stone (263 page)

H
e
s
t
a
r
ed
do
w
n
at
her
t
he
r
e
s
l
eep
i
ng
a
nd
t
he
t
hou
g
ht of
l
ea
v
i
ng
her
beh
i
nd…h
i
s
beau
tif
u
l
,
W
ill
o
w
,
so
f
u
l
l
of
lif
e and
l
o
v
e….nea
rl
y cho
k
ed
h
i
m
w
it
h
e
m
o
ti
on.
T
he
v
i
s
io
n of
her
tr
y
i
ng 
t
o
be
s
tr
ong 
w
h
il
e
her
hea
r
t
w
as
b
r
ea
k
i
ng  as
she
w
a
t
ched
h
i
m
t
u
r
n
fr
om
m
an
t
o
g
a
r
g
o
y
l
e
f
e
l
t
li
k
e a
k
n
if
e bu
ri
ed deep
i
n
h
i
s
ches
t
.
B
ut
he
a
l
so
k
new
t
hat
she
’
d
ne
v
e
r
f
o
r
g
i
v
e h
i
m
i
f
he abandoned her
now
t
o spa
r
e her
t
he a
g
ony
of
it
.

H
e
g
ot
out
of
bed
and
d
r
a
gg
ed
h
i
s
tir
ed
body
t
o
t
he ba
t
h
r
oom
t
o
c
l
ean
up.
T
he
r
e
w
e
r
e
fi
nal
p
r
epa
r
a
ti
ons
t
o
be
m
ade
i
n
t
he next
se
v
e
r
al
hou
r
s.

E
v
en
so,
he
w
asn
’
t
r
eady
t
o
l
et
her
k
n
ow
j
ust
y
e
t
,
w
hat
w
as
happen
i
n
g
.
P
e
r
haps
i
t
w
as
be
tt
er
t
o
l
et
h
e
r
ho
l
d
on
t
o her
hope un
ti
l
t
he
r
e
w
as
none
l
e
f
t
t
o be had.

H
e
g
ot
d
r
essed and padded o
v
er
t
o
w
here
she
l
ay s
l
eep
i
ng
peace
f
u
ll
y
,
k
i
ss
i
ng her
cheek and
nu
zz
li
ng
her
nec
k
. “
H
e
y
.
I
’
m
g
o
i
ng
t
o
r
un
out
and
do
a
f
ew
e
rr
ands.
I
’l
l
be
back
i
n
j
ust
a
littl
e b
it
.”

S
he
s
m
il
ed,
s
til
l
ha
l
f
as
l
eep
and
k
i
s
s
ed
h
i
m
li
g
h
tl
y be
f
o
r
e d
rifti
ng
back
i
n
t
o her
peace
f
ul
s
l
u
m
be
r
.

S
a
m
son
pa
tt
ed
C
i
sco
on
t
he
head and
w
a
l
k
ed out
t
he door
i
n
t
o
t
he
ch
ill
y
m
o
r
n
i
ng a
i
r
t
o
g
o
t
o
h
i
s
apa
r
t
m
ent
t
o
p
i
ck up
a
f
ew
t
h
i
n
g
s
he
’
d
p
r
epa
r
ed
o
v
er
t
he
past
w
eek or
so,
i
n
t
he e
v
ent
t
h
i
s
day
ca
m
e desp
it
e h
i
s best
e
ff
o
rt
s
t
o
t
h
w
a
r
t
it
.

A
dr
i
e
ll
e
l
ooked
w
orr
i
ed.
T
he
C
hange
li
ng had
i
ndeed co
m
e
t
o so
m
e very
i
m
por
t
ant
and
lif
e
-
a
lt
er
i
ng conc
l
us
i
ons.
H
e
w
as
i
ndeed
a
changed
m
an
i
n
every sense of
t
he
w
ord and had earned
h
i
s
r
i
gh
tf
ul
p
l
ace
a
m
ong
t
he
i
r
k
i
nd.
B
u
t
, d
e
sp
it
e
t
hat great
s
t
r
i
de
i
n
h
i
s
evo
l
u
ti
on,
he
’
d
f
a
il
ed
t
o
fi
gu
r
e out
t
he
m
ost
i
m
por
t
ant
part
of
h
i
s
curse.
A
nd,
un
ti
l
he
knew
w
hat
t
hat
w
as, he
w
as s
til
l
bound by
it
.

She
w
as
not
per
m
itt
ed
t
o
t
e
l
l
h
i
m anyth
i
ng
m
ore…
i
n
f
act
she
’
d a
l
ready
t
o
l
d h
i
m
t
oo
m
uch…
f
or
un
l
ess
he
f
ound out
f
or
h
i
m
se
lf
,
i
t
w
ou
l
d
do
h
i
m
no
good
at
a
ll
.
A
nd
i
f
he d
i
dn
’
t co
m
e
t
o
h
i
s
ep
i
phany
very, very
soon, he
w
ou
l
d
i
ndeed be co
n
de
m
ned
t
o
ano
t
her
10
cyc
l
es.
T
he
aura
of
go
l
den
li
ght energy
around
her
see
m
ed
t
o
d
i
m 
i
n
para
ll
el
w
it
h
h
e
r concern.