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swinging his legs off the bed. Let s get the hell out of here.
We ll never make it to the car, Preston. Our only hope is escaping
into the swamp. It goes on for miles. We can hide there until he s
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gone.
His jaw line tightened. You don t know my brother. He won t
leave this area until he s exhausted every resource to smoke us out. He
knows we will eventually return for the car.
Then we just won t return to pick up the car. Anyway, it s in too
bad a shape to do us much good, she announced, opening the door a
crack to peer out. The coast is clear. Come on. Let s get out of here
while we still can.
Preston heard his brother s voice shouting his name as he neared
the swamp. He grabbed Gabrielle s hand and took off at a dead run,
never looking back to see if his brother followed. The overly sweet
smell of rotting vegetation rose up to meet him, and he tried not to
think about what kind of wildlife could be lurking nearby.
They ran past twisted, moss-shrouded oaks that seemed to reach out
to them. Although he knew it was ridiculous, Preston steered clear of
their low-sweeping branches. Cypress trees heralded their approach,
rising like the malevolent spikes of some medieval torture device. He
shuddered, feeling as if, in this nightmarish landscape, anything was
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possible.
Thirty minutes later, panting for breath, he pulled to a stop. Spread
out before them was a chain of tiny islands. They seemed to float upon
a sea of spiky grass. The earth beneath their feet was no longer stable.
He knew if they continued on the route they were going, either of them
could easily be trapped in a quagmire of quicksand, or lose their
footing trying to navigate through the shallow brackish water. No, it
was too risky to try and wade across. Better to go around, he thought.
Raw panic clawed at his gut as the first rays of feeble sunshine
broke through the thick gray lace coverings of the trees overhead.
Damn, he d forgotten about the curtains in all the commotion.
Gabrielle could die because of his forgetfulness.
Preston wildly glanced around, hoping to find something he could
use to combat the sunlight, but he saw nothing that would help. He
tried to think through the fear clouding his mind.
What could Gabrielle do to protect herself from the bright of day?
He cursed aloud for getting her into this predicament. If not for
him, she could have been hundreds of miles away, somewhere safe, for
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a while at least. He pulled Gabrielle against him, wanting to protect
her from the deadly rays, yet helpless to do so. What can we do? he
asked, his voice rough with unspoken emotion.
Gabrielle let herself lean against him, taking comfort from his
nearness. If I am to survive, I must go to ground.
Then do it and do it quick. I don t want to lose you again, my
love. Gabrielle could hear the near-panic in his tone and marveled at
how much he cared. It was hard for her to believe he was so concerned
for a cursed creature. But against all logic, he was.
I don t want to lose you again, my love. The statement beat a tattoo
in her head; shocked recognition flowed through her veins. Time stood
still for a split second. She was in the past, hearing Damon s voice
repeat those same heart-wrenching words just before the Blood War
began.
Before she knew what was happening, she was back in the present
with Preston in his arms, his lips seeking hers, his mouth invading
hers with a scorching heat that set her aflame.
His scent filled her nostrils, making her dizzy with desire. Part of
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her mind screamed at her to put a halt to this. He wasn t Damon, nor
would he ever be Damon.
But another part of her, perhaps the part where her soul once
resided, demanded more of his searing kisses, his caresses. That part of
her recognized him as Damon, and with a heart-startling realization,
she knew he was Damon.
Before she could sort out in her mind what her heart and body
already knew, he roughly pushed her away. Go now, Gabby-Skye. No
one will harm you while you sleep. You have my word. Again, he
used the endearment he couldn t possibly know, but yet somehow he
did.
Gabrielle opened her mouth, wanting to let him know what she had
just discovered, share with him the joy of at last finding each other
after two centuries, but the sun was rising fast.
Wait for me, she whispered before she sank into the marshy
ground.
He nodded, his face grim and determined. He would die before he
let Cameron within ten feet of her resting-place.
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* * *
Dusk had just put in its appearance when she awoke and rose from
her shallow grave. God s teeth, how she hated to go to ground. It was
almost as bad as killing the animals she needed to sustain her life. If
she weren t such a coward, she would take her own life and be done
with it.
But something held her back, her religious background she
supposed, even though it was ironic that any traces of her former faith
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