Ember (40 page)

He
r
gu
e
st
h
a
d
scr
eame
d
.
T
h
e
r
e
wa
s
so
me
thing
a
bout
h
ea
ring
a
ma
n
scr
eam
in
p
a
in
th
a
t
unn
e
rv
e
d
h
e
r
to
th
e
bon
e.
T
h
e
a
gony
in
it
wa
s
e
nough
to
finish
shr
e
dding
wh
a
t
wa
s
l
e
ft
of
h
e
r
soul
.
W
h
a
t
h
a
d
sh
e
don
e
?
S
h
e
could
only
th
a
nk
th
e
h
ea
v
e
ns
th
a
t
Fa
th
e
r
h
a
dn’t
been
at
ho
me.
He
wou
l
d
h
a
v
e
t
a
k
e
n
his
o
w
n
pound
of
fl
e
sh
h
a
d
h
e
discov
e
r
e
d
h
e
r
gu
e
st
.
P
r
a
y
G
od
non
e
of
th
e
n
e
ighbors
h
a
d
h
ea
rd
th
e
ma
n’s
shouts
of
p
a
in
.
S
h
e
did
not
know
wh
a
t
sh
e
’d
s
a
y
shou
l
d
a
const
a
bl
e
a
rriv
e.

G
oing
to
hospit
a
l
h
a
d
been
out
of
th
e
qu
e
stion;
on
e
wa
s
m
or
e
lik
e
ly
to
di
e
fro
m
picking
up
an
inf
e
ction
th
e
r
e
th
a
n
on
e
wa
s
to
be
h
ea
l
e
d
.
Besides,
M
ir
a
nd
a
kn
e
w
how
to
h
ea
l
burns
.

I
t
had
been
a
tri
a
l
t
hough,
cu
tti
ng
t
he
t
hug
’
s
c
l
o
t
hes
away
wh
il
e
he
w
rit
hed
as
skin
pu
ll
ed
away
w
it
h
h
i
s
c
l
o
t
h
i
ng,
ge
tti
ng
h
i
m
ca
l
m
so
t
ha
t
she
m
i
gh
t
a
tt
end
t
o
h
i
s
r
oas
t
ed
fl
esh.

A
sob
brok
e
fro
m
h
e
r
m
outh
as
sh
e
rush
e
d
into
th
e
kitch
e
n
.
He
n
ee
d
e
d
m
or
e
l
a
ud
a
nu
m.
S
h
e
n
ee
d
e
d
m
or
e
m
ilk
to
so
a
k
th
e
lin
e
n
strips
th
a
t
sh
e
’d
ging
e
rly
pl
a
c
e
d
upon
hi
m.
Hee
dl
e
ss
,
sh
e
wa
s
r
ea
ching
for
h
e
r
r
e
ticul
e
wh
e
n
a
p
a
ir
of
a
r
m
s
w
r
a
pp
e
d
th
em
s
e
lv
e
s
a
round
h
e
r
wa
ist
.

M
ir
a
nd
a
squ
ea
k
e
d
,
but
h
e
r
body
r
e
cogni
ze
d
Ma
rtin
in
an
inst
a
nt
.
He
pull
e
d
h
e
r
b
a
ck
a
g
a
inst
his
h
a
rd
ch
e
st
b
e
for
e
turn
i
ng
h
e
r
round
.
H
is
lips
me
t
h
e
rs
in
a
hungry
kiss.
S
h
e
did

not
d
e
ny
hi
m.
N
othing
could
be
m
or
e
w
e
lco
me
at
th
a
t
m
o
me
nt
.
S
h
e
n
ee
d
e
d
to
be
h
e
ld
just
now
,
m
or
e
th
a
n
sh
e
n
ee
d
e
d
to
br
ea
th
e.

Ma
rti
n
’
s
go
l
d
eyes
g
l
eamed
when
he
fi
na
ll
y
l
e
t
he
r
go.
“
He
ll
o,
go
r
geous.
”
H
i
s
hand
smoo
t
hed
down
he
r
back.
“
I
wan
t
t
o
come
home
t
o
a
kiss
li
ke
t
h
i
s
eve
r
y
day.
”

A
nic
e
thought
,
but
h
e
r
m
ind
wa
s
on
th
e
thug
in
h
e
r
bed
upst
a
irs
,
a
ma
n
who
m
ight
v
e
ry
w
e
ll
di
e
on
h
e
r
.
“
Ma
rtin
,
I
n
ee
d
to
—
”
He
r
w
ords
w
e
r
e
cut
off
wh
e
n
h
e
kissed
h
e
r
a
g
a
in
.
I
t
wa
s
a
nic
e
kiss,
as
kisses
w
e
nt
,
but
sh
e
squir
me
d
a
g
a
inst
hi
m,
d
e
sp
e
r
a
t
e
to
get
a
word
in
.