Page 263 of Sins of the Heart
face, her throat, her bloodstained chest. Then his gaze
lifted to hers once more.
“I guess one more won’t matter,” he said.
“One more what?”
“Bruise.”
His hand closed tight around her throat. His fingers
pressed deep. And everything went black.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I will not let you take away this heart of mine
Which belongs to the living who move about
—Egyptian Book of the Dead, Chapter 29
A SOUND DREW HER FROM THE DARKNESS. Crinkling.
Like plastic wrap being pulled off a candy. Roxy
reached for that sound, tried to grab hold of it, an
anchor. It disappeared, and she was left in the dark, surrounded by thick fog.
At some point the fog receded. She lay on her back,
drenched in sweat, covered by something soft and
warm. The air smelled a bit like smoke, a bit like citrus
potpourri and a bit like lemon cleaner. Lemon. She’d
always loved that smell.
Well, maybe not always, but for years. Years and
years.
She liked lemon lollipops. The thought made her
smile.
She faded, drifted, and let the fog and dreams take her.
“Drink.”
There was something resting against her lips, something hard. A cup. It tapped against her teeth as she
opened her mouth and drank. Blood. Warm, salty,
metallic.
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