|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Turning up the collar on her coat, she took his arm. "Come on. Walk a lady home?" |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The walk back to the motel was hell for Cyrus. Old Town was honeycombed with narrow, lightless alleys and recessed doorways. To preserve the illusion of an Old West town, most of the lighting came from electric candles atop old-time lampposts or torches. On the walk over, this mood lighting had seemed romantic, but now it only served to make the shadows more pronounced. At any moment, he expected some maniac with a sword to come charging out of the dark and take a swing at him. He wished he could changeKyna could pretend she was walking her dogbut there were enough people out and about to make that dicey. Instead, he reached out with his senses and almost jumped out of his skin every time a piece of paper blew across the sidewalk. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kyna was satisfied to walk along with her head resting on his arm. She kept silent, knowing well that his behavior was caused by his concern for her. When they got back to the room, he checked inside, and after he had double-locked the door and put on the chain, they undressed in silence and went to bed. Kyna looped Cyrus's arm over her waist, molded her body against him and closed her eyes. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"I love you," he whispered. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It was an unusual dream, which in Cyrus's case was somewhat redundant. It was unusual because he knew it was a dreama sensation that was disconcerting and that filled him with a sense of dread. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Another odd thing: He wasn't a wolf. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The mountain was the samesame peak, same rubble, same spooky forest, but he was just a man: two arms, two legs, one rather confused head. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As he walked down the now familiar path, he heard someone calling his name. Rounding a stand of fallen trees, he saw that it was Paula and that she was nude, which struck him as odd until he looked down and saw that he was naked too. |
|
|
|
|
|