Blood From a Stone (39 page)

Sa
m
son
pu
ll
ed her
c
l
ose, h
i
s
heart
t
hudd
i
ng
i
n h
i
s ches
t
.
H
i
s
li
ps
m
oved
t
o hers
and he
crad
l
ed her
h
e
ad
i
n h
i
s hands
as
he
w
orked
h
i
s
w
ay
do
w
n
t
he
s
i
de
of
her
ne
c
k.
H
e knew
t
h
i
s
ti
m
e
he
w
asn
’
t
t
ak
i
ng
“
no”
f
or
an ans
w
er
as
he
had so
m
any
ti
m
es
be
f
ore.
H
e knew
w
hat
he needed
t
o say.

“P
erhaps you underes
ti
m
a
t
e
m
e.
P
erhaps I
w
ou
l
d do any
t
h
i
ng
t
hat
you
asked
of
m
e.”
T
he
w
ords
sp
ill
ed
f
rom
h
i
s
li
ps
li
ke honey.
“A
ny
t
h
i
ng. I
l
ove you
D
an
i
a.”

H
e
w
orked
h
i
s
w
ay
back
up
t
o
her
cheek and brea
t
hed
t
he
w
ords
aga
i
nst
her
ear
l
obe.
H
e
put
h
i
s
f
orehead
t
o
hers
as h
i
s
b
l
ue
eyes
bored
i
n
t
o
her
o
w
n be
f
ore
h
i
s
li
ps
f
o
und hers aga
i
n
and
t
hen
t
ra
il
ed
back
do
w
n
t
he
l
eng
t
h
of her so
f
t
t
hroat and
he
cou
l
d
f
eel
her
pu
l
se
pound
i
ng
t
here
as
he
t
as
t
ed her sk
i
n.
She
w
as
h
i
s
at
l
ast
and he knew
it
.

She
w
an
t
ed
t
o
push
h
i
m
a
w
ay,
but
h
i
s
li
ps
f
e
l
t so d
e
li
c
i
ous
t
hat
she
cou
l
d
not
fi
nd her
vo
i
ce
any
m
ore
t
han she cou
l
d
fi
ght
back
as
he
scooped
her
up
and
carr
i
ed
her
t
he
l
ong
w
ay
back
up
t
he h
il
l
t
o h
i
s house and
t
o h
i
s
c
ha
m
ber, h
i
s
f
ace bur
i
ed
i
n
t
he so
f
t
s
w
eet
s
m
e
l
l
of
her
ha
i
r
and bosom
as
he ca
r
r
i
ed her.

A
nd as he savored every curve of
her s
w
eet
body, s
h
e he
l
d
on
t
o
t
hose
w
ords
t
hat
bore
such prec
i
ous
pro
m
i
se…
t
hat he
w
as
w
illi
ng
t
o beco
m
e one of
her peop
l
e.
B
ut
she a
l
so knew
t
he
chance
she
t
ook
i
n
ask
i
ng
such
a
t
h
i
ng
of
h
i
m
,
as
her peop
l
e
w
ere
l
ucky
t
hat
t
hey
w
ere
even a
ll
o
w
ed
t
o prac
ti
ce
t
he o
l
d
w
ays,
m
uch
l
ess push
t
hem
on so
m
eone e
l
se.

F
or,
littl
e
d
i
d
Sa
m
son
or
anyone
e
l
se
know how
m
uch
m
ore
t
he
D
ru
i
d
i
c
w
ay
i
nvo
l
ved
t
han s
i
m
p
l
e
w
orsh
i
p of
t
he
sun and seasons. 
N
or
d
i
d
t
hey
co
m
prehend
t
he po
w
er
of
t
he b
l
ood of
t
he
T
ua
t
ha
de
D
’
nann,
t
he
t
rue
m
y
t
h
i
c ru
l
ers of
I
re
l
and,
w
h
i
ch  ran 
t
hrough  her 
m
o
t
her
’
s  ve
i
ns. 
A
nd  she  knew
she
w
ou
l
d sure
l
y
be branded a
w
it
ch
w
ere
t
hey
t
o ever f
i
nd ou
t
.

A
ft
er
t
hey
had
shared
t
he
i
r
s
w
eet
hour
of
pass
i
on, and her
head
w
as
res
ti
ng
on
h
i
s
ches
t
, she
sa
i
d,
“
So
t
hen, you d
i
d
m
ean
w
hat
you
sa
i
d?” She
sat
up
and
l
ooked
h
i
m
i
n
t
he
eye.
“
Sa
m
son
by
do
i
ng
w
hat
w
e
’
ve
j
ust
done….I
have
g
i
ven
up
every
t
h
i
ng
f
or
you un
l
ess
w
e
m
arry
and you
t
ake
t
he r
it
es. I
l
ove
you,
and
you
sa
i
d
t
hat
you
w
ou
l
d
do
an
y
t
h
i
ng.
D
i
d you no
t
?”
H
e hes
it
a
t
ed be
f
ore he spoke.