"And she wouldn't lift a finger to help you." "I can survive a couple of nights," I told him with conviction.
Stefan clenched his hands.
"If I do it," he told me fiercely, "if I do this and you survive--you will forgive me for the others." "Yes," I said.
"Get Chad out of here." He was gone, then reappeared standing next to Chad.
He started to use ASL to say something--but we both heard Blackwood race down the stairs.
"To Adam or Samuel," I said urgently.
"Yes," Stefan told me.
"Stay alive." He waited until I nodded, then he disappeared with Chad.
BLACKWOOD WAS MUCH MORE UNHAPPY ABOUT STEFAN'S presence in his house than he was with Chad's escape.
He ranted and raved, and if he hit me again, I was worried I might not be able to keep my promise to Stefan.
Apparently he came to the same conclusion.
He stood looking down at me.
"There are ways to keep other vampires out of my home.
But they are taxing, and I expect that your friend Corban won't survive my thirst." He bent forward.
"Ah, now you are frightened.
Good." He inhaled like a wine taster with a particularly fine vintage.
He left.
I curled up on the floor and hugged my misery to me--along with the fairy staff.
The oakman stirred.
"Mercy, what is it that you have?" I raised one hand and waved it feebly in the air so he could see it.
It didn't hurt as much as I thought it should.
There was a little pause, and the Oakman said, reverently, "How did that come to be here?" "It's not my fault," I told him.
It took me a moment to sit up ...
and I realized that Blackwood had been much more in control of himself than he appeared because nothing was broken.
There wasn't much of me that wasn't bruised--but not broken was good.
"What do you mean?" the oakman asked.
"I tried to give it back," I explained, "but it keeps showing up.
I told it that this wasn't a good place for it, but it leaves for a while, then comes back." "By your leave," he said formally, "may I see it?" "Sure," I said, and tried to throw it to him.
I should have been able to do it.
The distance between our cages was less than ten feet, but the ...