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[ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ] his way. And he won't discuss strategy with us until the last minute. And maybe not even then." She turned back to me. "I don't trust him, Chris. Even if he is who he says he is. Maybe I trust him even less if he is the real Dracula." She grasped my arm. "I've sworn my allegiance to Pagelovitch no one else. And the Doman has always allowed me to run my missions my way. I won't take responsibility for the lives at risk, otherwise." She glanced back at Wren. "So if and when push comes to shove, you're gonna have to decide." "Decide what?" "Whether you take orders from him or from me. If I give the signal, Lupé will neutralize Wren and I'll take down Bassarab myself. I hope I can count on you." "To take orders from you?" She looked at my face and was not reassured. "You'd side with him?" "What if I side with me?" I asked quietly. "What if I decide to follow some orders of my own?" "Chris, he's the one responsible for your condition! Directly or indirectly, he's the cause of your wife and daughter's deaths!" "You're missing the point." Now it was my turn to steer her a few feet farther from the Wren. "That day I drove through Weir and saw a column of smoke well, it was the last day that my life was my own. I was summoned into that barn. And ever since that moment, I've been sleepwalking through an ongoing nightmare." "We've tried to help " "Oh, yeah!" I snapped. "I was abducted, kept under house arrest, and basically told how my life was going to be from now on!" "I thought you understood the reasons for " "Your reasons," I said harshly, "not mine. I'm not ungrateful and I do understand the necessities as you and the others saw them. But I'm through taking orders. From now on, I'll cooperate when it's the obvious and meaningful thing to do." I curled my fingers into a fist. "But it's my life," I said, thumping my chest. "Such as it is. And it's long past time for me to start taking responsibility for it again." The gesture was obviously meant to be conciliatory. But, as she laid her hand upon my arm, I felt a surge of resentment. "We need you, Chris. And you need us." A sense of manipulation there. "Think of the research " "Since you are so fond of research, Doctor, let's try something right now. Look in my eyes." "What?" She looked up at me, startled but unafraid. "I'm a member of the Master Race now. Maybe a half-breed bastard by analogy, but definitely something beyond human." I smiled, feeling hollow. I looked into her eyes, forbidding her to look away. "You, Taj, are merely human." A puzzled frown tugged at her lips and forehead. "Why are you talking this way?" I swallowed, the taste of ashes was in my mouth. "Kiss my feet." "What?" "It's very simple, Doctor: I want you to get down on your knees and kiss my feet." The frown was fully formed, but her eyes were still clear. "And why should I Page 134 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html do such a thing?" "Why? Because I command you," I said in a reasonable tone. And all the while forced the image of her compliance to the forefront of my thoughts. "You will obey me because I wish it. Because your will is no longer yours, but mine." "I-I don't understand. . . ." Now there were clouds gathering in her eyes. She trembled a bit. "It's not important that you understand, Taj. It's only important that you obey me. Kiss my feet." "I don't want to." Her voice was shaky and her eyes were starting to unfocus. "It doesn't matter what you want, my dear. It only matters what I want." I pushed at the image in my mind, made the mental image of Mooncloud drop to her knees. "Get down on the sidewalk and kiss my feet." The woman in front of me slid the crosspieces from under her arms and, gripping the stems of the crutches, lowered herself to one knee. "No," she whispered. "Yes." I pushed the mental image further, felt the bile rise in my throat. "Do it!" The other knee came down. "Please," she whispered. The crutches clattered to the ground on each side of her. "I can make you do it," I said. "You can't resist my will." "Please. . . ." She was swaying on her knees and suddenly fell forward, arms rigid and hands splayed, catching herself before her face landed on the sidewalk. "Taj," I said, speaking gently but holding the command in unyielding mental subjugation, "say 'uncle.' " "It's the virus," she grunted through clenched teeth. "It's already begun to affect your mind your personality " That wasn't the reason I was doing it, but I released her, anyway. "You bastard!" she said, red-faced and struggling to pull herself back up on her crutches. "What the hell did you do to me?" "Research, Doctor. Vampires are supposed to have the power to cloud men's minds, to dominate another's will. To bind mental slaves and hold them in thrall. I wanted to see if I could do it. I think I can." I easily intercepted the slap aimed for my face, held her wrist in my grasp. "Do you agree or do I need to repeat the experiment and carry it out to an undeniable conclusion?" "Yes, damn you!" Her eyes were no longer clouded; the fear was gone, replaced by anger. "Hell of thing, research," I remarked, still holding her wrist in my grasp. "And a hell of thing when people can control you, make your decisions for you." I released her wrist. "Well, what have we learned here, Doctor? I've learned that my brain chemistry is, indeed, changing. What have you learned?" I turned and walked back toward the Duesenberg. "I thought we were friends, Csejthe," she called to my back. I stopped. "I thought we were friends, too," I said quietly. "But tonight I realized that you would still be my keeper." I walked on over to the Duesenberg and found Bassarab already returned and in conversation with his chauffeur. "Problem?" he asked as I approached. "Nothing I can't handle," I said. "Didn't notice your return." He shrugged dismissively. "Didn't want you to." He looked about. "Where is the lycanthrope?" My turn to shrug. "I don't know, I'm not her keeper." My temper was short tonight. "You need to remedy that." And getting shorter. But before I could open my mouth, Lupé trotted up. "Black limo and tan Chevy van parked on the side street to the west. Arkansas Page 135 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html plates on the van." The wolf paused, lifting her hind leg to scratch at something behind her ear. "No loose boards on the ground level. Try checking the fire escape." "And only one is presently home," Bassarab added. "The rats say that he may be [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ] |