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"Oh" Seth had done that teleportation thing again

Freaky

Sarah wrung her hands in front of her in a vain atte several feet away, Roland studied her, his criht?"

She nodded, lowering her gaze when her vision wavered with tears A lu spread from her hands to the rest of her body

"Sarah?" he asked, voice soft with concern

Shaking her head--she was so not all right--she strode forward until her foreheadand reassuring

Sarah slid her own around his waist and burrowed closer, tears streaht" His large hands slid up and down her back in long, soothing strokes "Everything is going to be all right"

She nodded, embarrassed by her tears, yet helpless to stem their flow

He rested his chin atop her head and held her tight "I’ her head, she spoke between sniffles "It isn’t your fault sohtened his hold on her "Yes, but I didn’t have to drag you into it"

"You didn’t drag h it’s selfish of lad you did"

Her tears abated beneath his tender, cal her head, Sarah took a step back, a little disappointed when his ar" She swiped at her damp cheeks "You must think I’m a total basket case" Her body was still racked with shivers, yet he was as relaxed as though they had just spent a pleasant day sightseeing

He raised a hand, brushing the hair at her teht of you, you would never stop blushing"

She stared up at hied his head fronificent today Confronted with a dozen men armed with semi- and automatic weapons, you didn’t panic You wielded your 9mm with cool precision and faced down three of theain And Marcus’s"

His viehat had happened sounded a lot better than her own "I was terrified," she countered Not cool under fire Notto die When I saw you with all those wounds and the sun scorching your skin … I thought you were going to die, Roland" And damned if more tears didn’t well up and spill over her lashes just at the thought of it

He stared at theh mesmerized "Blood loss will not kill me It may hurt like hell, but it won’t kill me I can slowas it takes for another blood source to co But the sun … The sun will roast me, Sarah, when I’m that injured and I don’t know that I would have made it to the forest if you hadn’t hauled us there, then called in the cavalry Are those tears for me?"

She almost didn’t catch the question tacked onto the end with no pause "Yes," she adotten a little attached to you"

His brown eyes turned arown attached to you, too" He stroked a finger along her jawline

She didn’t knohat to say to that "I can’t seeave it a squeeze "I can re roo after him into a hallith several closed doors

"It’s been a couple of decades or so since Marcus caht The room inside appeared to be a library "But he stayed here when he did and I see …" He opened the door across from it and Sarah peered past him into a stairwell that led down into darkness "A basement," he finished with a smile "Excellent"

She didn’t kno a da to help her, but tromped down the stairs behind him anyway Perhaps, after the incident with the sun, he found the idea of being underground soothing She probably would if she were in his position

The wooden steps were cool beneath her bare feet

At the bottom lay a wide carpeted hallway that led to the left and to the right Roland went right and opened the first door they encountered

When he flicked on the overhead light, she saas a lovely bedroom Not cold or dalanced up at hiave her another of those heart-stopping sh the rooe as the bedroo for luxurious bathroos, Roland took her by the shoulder and steered her away from the sinks "Don’t look in the ht to one of the two mirrors mounted above the double sinks When she saw her reflection, her eyes widened There was blood smeared all over the middle and left side of her face froin’ Carrie on prorimaced "Sorry about that It came off my shirt when I held you"

"That’s okay" She refrained fro her pale, wide-eyed face liberally coated with ruby liquid gave her the creeps

Crossing to the shower, Roland opened the glass door and leaned in The faucet squeaked a little as he turned on the hot water Alan to spill forth He turned on the cold tap, adjusted the tehtened and turned to face her

"Now," he said, prowling toward her, "let’s get those clothes off"