Uncle Jeb would never let them hurt me Uncle Jeb...
Uncle Jeb would never let them hurt me
Uncle Jeb doesn't know you're here,I reminded her
Tell him!
I focused on the old man's faceThe thick white beard kept me from seeing the set of his
mouth, but his eyes did not seem to burn like the others'From the corner of my eye, I could see
a few of the men shift their gaze from me to himThey were waiting for him to answer the
question that had alerted me to their presenceUncle Jeb stared at me, ignoring them
I can't tell him, MelanieAnd if they think I'm lying to them, they'll think
I'm a SeekerThey must have experience enough to know that only a Seeker would come out
here with a lie, a story designed for prada bag metal infiltration
Melanie recognized the truth of my thought at onceThe very wordSeeker made her recoil with
hatred, and she knew these strangers would have the same reaction
It doesn't matter anywayI'm a soul–that's enough for them
The one with the machete–the biggest man there, black-haired with oddly fair skin and vivid
blue eyes–made a sound of disgust and spit on the groundHe took a step forward, slowly
raising the long blade
Better fast than slowBetter that it was this brutal hand and not mine that killed usBetter that
I didn't die a creature of violence, accountable for Melanie's blood as well as my own Jeb's words were unhurried, almost casual, but the big man cambon chanel stoppedHe
grimaced and turned to face Melanie's uncle
“Why? You said you made sure
I recognized the voice–he was the same one who'd asked Jeb why he'd given me water
“Well, yes, she surely isBut it's a little complicated
“How?” A different man asked the questionHe stood next to the big, dark-haired Kyle, and
they looked so much alike that they had to be brothers
“See, this here is my niece, too
“Not anymore she's not,” Kyle said flatlyHe spit again and took another deliberate step in my
direction, knife readyI could see from the way his shoulders leaned into the action that words
would not stop him again
There were two sharp metallic clicks, and someone dior monogram messenger bag gaspedMy eyes flew open again
“I said hold it, Kyle Uncle Jeb's voice was still relaxed, but the long rifle was gripped tightly
in his hands now, and the barrels were pointed at Kyle's backKyle was frozen just steps from
me; his machete hung motionless in the air above his shoulder
“Jeb,” the brother said, horrified, “what are you doing?”
“Step away from the girl, Kyle
Kyle turned his back to us, whirling on Jeb in fury“It's not agirl, Jeb!”
Jeb shrugged; the gun stayed steady in his hands, pointed at Kyle“There are things to be
discussed
“The doctor might be able to learn something from it,” a female voice offered gruffly
I cringed at the words, hearing in mulberry style bags them my worst fearsWhen Jeb had called me his niece just
now, I'd foolishly let a spark of hope flame to life–perhaps there would be pityI'd been stupid
to think that, even for a secondDeath would be the only pity I could hope for from these
creatures
I looked at the woman who'd spoken, surprised to see that she was as old as Jeb, maybe older
Her hair was dark gray rather than white, which is why I hadn't noticed her age beforeHer face
was a mass of wrinkles, all of them turning down into angry linesBut there was something
familiar about the features behind the lines
Melanie made the connection between this ancient face and another, smoother face in louis vuitton replica china her
me