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her cheeks. Overcome with emotion, she wasn t sure which of Erotica s relatives reached
out to her. One moment she stood sobbing with relief, the next, she was practically
crushed betweenSensualous and Cupid as the three of them shared their joy.
Chapter Eight
Several hours later, Mara sat in a chair by Erotica s hospital bed, stroking his flank and
speaking softly to him asDemi cuddled in her pocket, in his natural form, that of a small,
breathing leather-like creature. Erotica lay on a long, low bed in a room with large
windows. The view beyond was of a darkening afternoon. The structures visible through
the window reached far into the mauve sky. She sighed, wondering if she d ever get a
chance to explore Prime with Erotica andDemi .
He stirred against her hand.
 She turned her gaze towards him.  How are you feeling?
I am all right, Mara. In a few days I will be on my feet.
She kissed his face.  Oh, sugar, I was so afraid for you.
I am so sorry, Mara.
 For what?None of what happened was your fault.
I brought you here and then couldn t tell you what you would be up against. I was bound
by Prime custom to have you accept me on blind faith alone.
 And I did. I do.
I am grateful toAeolus for that, but had I knownNotize s intensions, I would have
forsaken customs and revealed all to you.
 It doesn t matter now, sugar. It s over and& 
And I will never forget you.
 Never forget me? She didn t like the sound of that. She stopped stroking his flank and
sat up, staring down at him.  That sounds suspiciously like a Dear Mara letter. What are
you trying to tell me?
Cupid will take you back to Earth.
 The hell he will. When I go back, it ll be with you.
I am not going back to Earth.
Oh, Sugar! She sighed and raked a hand through her hair.  I know you re in no condition
to go back now, but eventually we have to go back. I have a life there I m not prepared to
just abandon. And she had not yet seen enough of Prime to know if she wanted to live
there even part time.
I understand and I will forever value and love you, Mara. And I hope you will remember
me with kind thoughts.
 Okay. This is getting crazy. You re talking like we re not going to see each other
again.
We are not. Cupid will take you back to Earth and I will remain here& for good.
  Okay. Hold on one little damn minute, Erotica! I am not leaving without you! I m
perfectly willing to split my time between here and Earth. Okay, she wasn t sure that
was true, but she was feeling desperate.  It will probably be crazy, but we can work
something out.
We cannot. Mara, I have lost my abilities.
 So you can no longer command the winds and call down lightning on bad guys. So
what? It doesn t matter to me! I love you, Erotica.
You do not understand, Mara. I have lost my ability to shift.
 You& have? You mean you& ?
I will have to remain as you see me now. I will never again be the Erotica you fell in
love with.
She gasped, feeling as if all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. Holy Hanna! She
bolted to her feet and paced the floor. Oh, sugar! How in the name of God could they live
together on Earth with him in his present state? They couldn t. She closed her eyes
briefly. Everything she had worked so hard to achieve would now have to be weighed
against her feelings for him.
She recalled the empty hollow feeling when she thought she had lost him. She knew
almost nothing about his world. What she had seen of it did not bode well for a female
with a mind of her own. If she stayed with him there on Prime, life would probably be
very difficult and frustrating. If she returned to Earth without him, life would be
meaningless and empty& devoid of purpose and love. How could she ever love another
man while he lived?
She resumed her seat, her decision made. She stroked a hand over his flank.  I fell in
love with this form of you too, sugar. We can t be together on Earth, but we can be
together here. I ll stay here with you.
No! You must go!
She shook her head.  Forget it! I m staying here with you andDemi . I love you both.
Without you, there s nothing on Earth worthwhile.
There will be nothing worthwhile for you here with me, either, Mara Manning! I am no
longer able to&
 To what?
To couple with you.My injuries were so grave that& I will no longer be able to& you
must go! Cupid will see you safely home.
  You& can t make love anymore?
No. I can t even feel desire& or love for you anymore& I no longer want you.
She bit down so hard on her lip, blood trickled down her chin.  That is not true. I know it
isn t.
It is. I am not like your Earthmen, Mara. I have no wish to hurt you, but I no
longer& want you here. Please. Go home and be happy. Forget me. If you wish and will
promise to take great care of him,Demi is prepared to return to Earth with you.
She felt a stirring against her andDemi s fair head popped out of her pocket. He looked
at Erotica for a long time before turning his sad gaze towards her.  I will accompany you
to Earth where I will value and protect you, my Mara, he told her.
 Oh,Demi ! She stroked a finger down his hair.  I do love you, but 
Though small in stature, on Earth,Demi will have an even greater command of the winds
than he does here on Prime. He will guard and protect you with his life if necessary.
Deminodded and she stroked a finger down his cheek through a flood of tears.  Thank [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]