Lost by Dean Murray Page B

eerily
calm. Having Celeste kick his feet off of the table like that should
have sent the sports magazine on his lap tumbling to the ground. It
hadn't because he hadn't been asleep.
    Something had
woken him up before she walked into the room and he'd anticipated her
actions, up to and including the fact that she was going to manhandle
him. Ash was calm because he still had a measure of control over the
situation.
    The magazine
hadn't gone crashing to the floor, but more importantly the silenced
pistol underneath it hadn't ever left Ash's hand. It was now pressed
up against the nurse's chest, silencer and all.
    "If it
helps, I'm sorry about the way things went down. There are some
things I'd probably do differently if I had it all to do over again,
but this is the last time you put your hands on me, sis . The
next time you put yourself in a position where you could kill me, I
won't hesitate to pull the trigger."
    I felt like I'd
been hit by a baseball bat. I should have seen it before she even
made it inside of the room. The resemblance was incredible. They both
had the same straight blond hair and similar features.
    On Ash they
looked good, but his sister was nothing less than gorgeous. She had
the delicate cheeks and chin of an angel, and a body that, even under
stolen hospital scrubs, I could tell was perfect.
    Somewhere along
the way she'd acquired the toned, hard build of a dedicated athlete
without losing the femininity I'd always found so attractive in Jess,
but it was her eyes that most captivated me. They were an incredible
shade of gray that had depths to it that I'd never seen anywhere
else. Right now they were filled with heat, not all of which was
directed away from me, but it was still all I could do to pull my
gaze away from hers when she glanced back to confirm that I was still
outside of striking range.
    "You
wouldn't dare shoot me, Ashley."
    Ash looked like
he wanted to flinch when she used his full name, but his hand stayed
rock-solid.
    "I think
that you'd be surprised at what I'd be willing to do, Celeste. I've
studied under some people over the last few years who were every bit
as hard and unforgiving as you or Mom. Isaac and I just finished
killing four of the Coun'hij enforcers Onyx had out looking for us.
One of them got their claws into Kristin, but the rest of us all
walked away under our own power. That should give you an idea of just
how dangerous I've become since we last saw each other."
    Celeste looked
back at me appraisingly. "He doesn't look that impressive. This
Kristin chick must be hell on wheels."
    "Isaac
would surprise you, but Kristin is a normal human. She's pretty good
with a gun, but she didn't uncork some puissant ability and magically
eliminate two or three of the opposition hybrids if that is what
you're thinking."
    For the first
time since she'd entered the room, Ash's sister looked uncertain of
herself. It had been obvious that Ash hadn't been lying when he said
that we'd just finished mopping up a hit squad that would have been
capable of taking down some small packs.
    "I'm not
bluffing, Celeste. If you don't put me down in the next ten seconds
I'll shoot you and deal with the consequences of having one more dead
body on my hands."
    "You're a
better liar than you used to be. You'd never get a shot off before I
transformed and cut your throat. Even if you did, it would take more
than one shot to stop me."
    "Maybe,
but I can guarantee you won't be beating Isaac with a bullet lodged
up against your heart. Two seconds."
    It was like
watching two trucks filled with explosives slide towards each other
across a sheet of ice. Everything was happening in slow motion. It
felt like I should have been able to do something to stop the wreck
from happening, but I couldn't.
    Celeste thought
she was still dealing with the same scared teenager who had left home
more than a decade before. Even worse, she probably had the same
stubborn streak that caused Ash to consistently throw himself into
fights