Saber de lineas de sangre 344257123-V20-Lore-of-the-Bloodlines-11056187-pdf | Page 94

“We have to distrust each other. It is our only defense against betrayal.” – Tennessee Williams Recognition She stood out in the hustle and bus tle of the city for her stillness. There wasn’t a single crease in her plain tailored suit, the long skirt of whi ch gave her an oddly Edwardian look . Her waist-length hair hung casually down her back as she star ed intently at a tablet she was wor king on. When she looked up, straight at Lewis, somehow he thou ght he’d seen her before. He involunt aril y took a step back, and a jogger ran straight into him. “Watch what you’re doing, you stup id prick,” the jogger snarled as he tried to get past Lewis. Lewis felt the rage growing. He turn ed and put a hand on the man, stop ping him dead in his tracks. The jogger, being twice Lewis’ size , frowned in surprise when he couldn’ t budge his hand. Lewis couldn’t help smiling — he did love this par t. He could feel the voice inside telli ng him how good it would feel to tear the man apart. It was very tem pting, demanding even, and behind it lay the hunger. But the street was too crowded. He had to think of the Masquerade, and the amount of strikes he already had with the Prince. Gather ing his will, he began to push the rag e dow n. He felt it scream at him as he forced it away. It was getting harder every time, but he managed to release his grip and growl a command to run. The jogger didn’t need telling twice. The woman across the street was tap ping swiftly on her tablet. Was she rec ording this? He’d not fought down the frenzy just for some bystan der to blow the Masquerade and get him the blame. Willing vitae into his limbs, he began to move towards her like lightning, his hands ready to tear her throat apart if need be. But before he was halfway across the street, he noticed the world was not moving past in a blur as it should. In fact, he was the one mov ing slowly. Then everything just stop ped . Everything, that is, except the woman. She unhurriedly finished making her notes and then walked over to Lewis’ frozen form. Around her the rest of the street stoo d still as well. Two children were thro wing a ball to each other and the ball was hanging in midair. Wh at was happening, and who was this woman? “You are caught in time,” she said a little primly, barely looking up. “An d I am Annabelle.” Could she read his mind? “Of course I can’t read your mind. I just know what you are going to say. We’ve done this often enough.” Perhaps she would explain… LORE OF THE BLOODLINES 93