Ghostwalker 07 - Murder Game

she was, turning her back on everythi g n
    else in her life until there was only Kadan, trusting him to catch her.

    Kadan watched the ivory piece fall to the table as he wrapped his arms around Tansy, preventing her limp body from hitting the floor. Blood leaked from her ears, mouth, and nose. He'd expected that, but not from her eyes. She was hemorrhaging internally and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. Hell, he'd probably broken her hand trying to break the seal of the tracker. He could see it was already swelling and turning color.
    Her palm was imprinted with the blade, the details etched into her skin.

    He lifted her, cradling her high against his chest, detesting that he had been the n o e to
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    bring her back to this life. Nearly running, he took her through the house to the bedroom they shared, placing her carefully on the bed.

    "Tansy. Wake up, baby. I'm afraid to let you sleep." He didn't know how powerful the elite tracker was, or even if he could find her like this, but the voices were still trapped in her mind and that meant there was every chance the puppet master was there as well.
    "Come on, honey, open your eyes for me."

    Kadan soaked a washcloth and wiped the trickling blood from her face and ears. He had the pills for her headache as well as a glass of water. This was going to be a bad one. S e h
    was shivering continually and when he touched her mind, he found chaos instead of awareness.

    "All right, baby. It's going to be all right." He said it more to comfort himself than her.
    He sank down onto the edge of the bed and pulled her into his arms, wanting to surround her, wanting her to breathe him into her body. He rocked her gently. "Wake up for me.
    Open your eyes."

    She remained limp, although tremors rippled through her body repeatedly. He lifted her swollen hand, examining it carefully to see if any of the bones were broken. Ordinarily he could open her hand easily, but when she was in her hypnotic tracking state, her pressure points didn't react as readily as he would like. If they continued, he would have to figure out some way get rid of the object she was reading without injuring her.

    He turned her hand over and opened her fingers to examine her palm. The details of the knife were r
    p essed deep, but there was no burn, just the imprint as if she'd been holding it so hard her skin had picked up the impressions—and he didn't want them there. Kadan used the pad of his thumb to rub gentle caresses back and forth over the knife etched into her palm. The bristles were hard, but velvet soft, and he was careful to keep the sticky side from touching her skin, wanting only to soothe her.

    Something moved in her mind and she winced, but he was there first, standing guard, standing in front of her. He would have to insist she do more exercises to strengthen her barriers, especially now, with the puppet master actively hunting her. Their enemy knew who she was. And he would have the details of her life, including the names and address of her parents. Fortunately Don and Sharon Meadows were under guard, but the man might try to find them, using his military contacts.

    Tansy stirred, the heavy fringe of lashes fluttering. Her stomach lurched and her muscles tightened beneath his hand. Blood trickled from her nose again and she shuddered. "My head." She mouthed the words rather than spoke them aloud.

    "I've got your medicine right here." He held the pills to her lips and then, half sitting her up against his chest, held the water for her.

    Tansy swallowed with her eyes closed tight. "It hurts worse this time and it's growing ABC Amber LIT Converter
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    stronger. I'm in for a bad one. Will you make certain the drapes are closed and there's no light in here?"

    "Is it safe?" He didn't want the puppet master visiting her in her sleep. Was it even possible? He doubted if she knew, but it worried him.

    She was shaking and turned her face away from him, not wanting him to see her so sick and vulnerable. She was afraid to be alone with the voices in her head, afraid if he left her he'd take his shield with him, but she didn't ask him to stay.

    He leaned close to her, his lips against her ear. "You don't have to ask me to stay, Tansy.
    I'll always be