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her in lurching waves. Then Ren let go of the bite and pulled her close, just as Isabelle thought she might pass
out.
Seconds later, she felt a wet kiss on her ear and smelled her blood and sex on Ren s breath.
 You bit me, Isabelle managed to gasp. Was it revenge for her earlier bite?
 I love you, Ren murmured in Isabelle s ear.  Now we re bonded. You are mine.
 You bit me, Isabelle said again, still disbelieving.
 And you bit me. Ask yourself why.
 I don t know why.
 Soon you ll understand. And then you ll stay forever.
Ren gathered Isabelle in her arms and carried her to bed.
 Beep beep, Mouse called, and ruthlessly revved the throttle of her junior quad bike.
 What have you got there? Isabelle emerged from the cabin. She stood on the top porch step and looked
suitably impressed at Mouse astride her DayGlo pink quad.
 This is mine, Mouse said.  Ren got me it for Christmas. But the horn s broke. Joey s gonna fix it for me
now.
 It s fantastic.
 Come on. There s one for you, too. Joey says you can borrow his so I can show you around. Follow me.
Mouse did a nifty U-turn and scooted back down to the barn. Intrigued, Isabelle followed on foot. This was a
welcome turn of events in what could have been a boring day. The morning air was chill but promised a
brighter afternoon. She had awoken energized, her shoulder bruised but otherwise painless from Ren s bite. A
quick shower and a glance in the bathroom mirror showed her face was a healthy color and her eyes were
brighter. She buzzed. She was alive. Ren loved her, and she was reeling from it.
Joey was waiting for her beside a much larger beast. His quad was the adult version, and looked bulkier and
more threatening with its black paintwork and glowing wolf eyes on the front fenders. Isabelle approached,
unsure if this was a good idea after all.
 It s easy, he said as soon as she was settled on the seat.  Look. Clutch. Brake. And this little lever here lets
you change gears, and if you need to reverse use this lever here.
 Okay.
 Oh, and the lights don t work, but you won t need them.
It seemed simple enough. She circled the yard a few times, becoming more and more confident while Joey
worked on the wiring for Mouse s horn.
 Are we ready to go now? Mouse had been champing at the bit to get under way. Now that Isabelle looked
semi-competent, she was anxious for their adventure to begin.
 It depends where you re taking me, Mouse, Isabelle answered.  Nowhere dangerous& or too steep.
Considering they were perched on the slope of a valley, maybe that was a silly request.  Or where we reverse
a lot.
 I m gonna show you the biggest tree in the whole world!
 Wow. That I d love to see.
 It is not the biggest tree in the whole world, Joey said. Isabelle dropped him a wink and he brightened that
they shared a joke.
 It s only about a mile and a half away. It s not like an expedition, he said.
 It is so, Mouse piped up, outraged at being contradicted.  It s an expedition to the biggest tree in the whole
forest, so there.
 If it s half as big as your butt, then it ain t far off. Joey gurgled with laughter at his joke. Mouse stuck her
tongue out at him and turned her attention on Isabelle.
 You ready? Follow me. And she took off with a long, loud beep, not waiting to see if Isabelle was ready or
not.
 Hey! Wait up. Jenna came out of the cookhouse waving frantically. Isabelle waited as she approached with
a small satchel.  I made you a picnic of sorts, considering it s far from picnicking weather. I packed a few
cans of soda, some beef sandwiches, and a flask of hot soup.
 What a great idea. Thank you, Jenna. Isabelle shrugged the straps over her shoulders.
 Make sure she eats something. She gets too excited and forgets. Jenna nodded in the direction Mouse had
taken. A loud series of beeps said Mouse had realized Isabelle was not right behind her as ordered.
 I ll do my best. With a huge smile, Isabelle released the brake and took off slowly after Mouse. Her smile
remained for a long time. These little instances of kindness and inclusion made her feel more and more
welcome.
Mouse was waiting for her around the next bend. She sat revving her quad at a branch in the trail. When she
saw Isabelle catching up, she took off again along a different track from the one Isabelle and Ren had taken to
the river. This track went east and kept high, while the other went down to the river and the hatchery lodge.
On the higher track the views were spectacular, and Isabelle would have dearly loved to find a place to
dismount and enjoy them. Mouse was unconcerned with the panorama and pressed on at a daredevil pace
Isabelle found hard to keep up with.
After about a mile a clearing appeared. It was big enough for a large vehicle to swing around in, and from the
look of the cut-up ground, it was in frequent use. Isabelle scrambled to locate her horn and beeped a few times
to catch Mouse s attention before tucking her quad in off the track. She dismounted and stretched, taking in
the wonderful view down into the heart of the valley.
 What s wrong? Mouse pulled up beside her.
 I m old, and the trail s bumpy.
 You got numb bum. Mouse glared at the offending body part.
 Let s have a soda break. Isabelle reached into the knapsack. Perhaps a cold drink would cool Mouse s
heels.  It s not like we re having a race.
Mouse s eyes lit up.  Can we? Later? Joey always races me and I always win. And it s not because he lets me
or anything, it s because he sucks.
 As long as you give me a head start.
 Deal. Mouse leapt from her bike and popped the soda can.
 It s beautiful up here. Isabelle sighed. Mouse responded with loud slurping and a small burp.
  Scuse me. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]