To Honor: Vampire Assassin League #22 Read Online Free PDF Page B

answered.
    “Okay. Answer them one-at-a-time, then.”
    He nodded. “I will answer the portion about our destination first. You have your choice, actually. I—.”
    He stopped as she yawned, hiding the gesture behind her hand. She looked very small. Enticingly young. Eternally darling. Takeshi’s heart shifted within his chest. Warmth enveloped him. And things became even more troublesome behind his trouser fly. He lifted his knees and slid forward.
    “Forgive me. I haven’t had much sleep.”
    “No apologies needed.”
    “You were specifying a choice?”
    “Ah. Yes. You have a choice of destinations. I have not given my pilot directions as of yet.”
    “You mean...we’re just circling?”
    Her brows rose again. The resulting buzz through his head made his voice sound even stranger.
    “No. Please. Nothing so wasteful. We are on the way to my mountaintop fortress in the Himalayas. It is on the border of Nepal. We can divert to my castle in Burma, if you wish. Oh. Apologies. That country is now Myanmar. Or we can go to Katmassen Castle in my homeland. I also own a fortress in the Balkans.”
    “You own all of that?”
    “There is another choice as well. I have a villa near Vicenza. In Italy.”
    “Oddly enough, none of that sounds like New York City to me. Or anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. My choices sound...pretty limited.”
    Takeshi nodded. She was setting a trap. He wasn’t taking the bait.
    “And so...you’re going to tell me who you are now?”
    “It is a very long story,” he finally offered.
    “Well. We appear to have some time.”
    “You may not believe me.”
    “Surely that’s for me to decide.”
    “There are some things beyond the capability of understanding...for the human mind.”
    “Wow. I want you to know that if I wasn’t exhausted, in your direct control, and going heaven-knows-where, I’d be reacting unfavorably to that statement, And trust me – it wouldn’t be very pleasant, Mister Asourah.”
    Things had gotten worse somehow. Now, she was emphasizing his formal name? Takeshi searched for something tangible to tell her. Anything.
    “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
    “You’re going to quote Confucius to me now? You have got to be joking.”
    “You know Confucius?”
    “Look. I already got a good dose of what you think of females in general, Mister Asourah. It was in that oblique reference to my lack of mental capabilities.”
    “What?” Takeshi replied.
    “That little ‘human mind understanding’ comment. I’ll tell you what. Do you have a place I could camp out for the duration of this flight? Someplace...private?”
    “Of course. There is a suite. In the tail section.”
    He pointed to the darkened area behind him. She stood up. Takeshi followed suit. She was breathing hard. So was he. She narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him. She might as well be shooting green-tinted daggers. And then she turned abruptly, dismissing him as she walked through the door he’d shown her.
    Everything had gone wrong. He didn’t know how. He knew why. He was completely at sea with her. He should have just kept her mesmerized.

CHAPTER FIVE
    Christine woke to the tinkling sound of splashing water and an aroma she couldn’t quite place. She stretched, nuzzling her cheek against a pillow that had the cool sensation of silk. Real silk. Hmm . She was having an incredible dream. She really wanted to stay in it. Especially with the soothing sound of water. She envisioned a stream of water flowing along a rock wall creating the splashing sound. Or maybe the splashing sound came as the water reached a base of stones, interspersed with flower petals.
    And then it occurred to her. She’d probably left the shower running.
    No.
    Wait.
    The shower aboard the jet was unbelievable. The showerhead had been enormous. The water pressure created an amazing massage effect. The sides had been covered with little painted tiles. The door was frosted glass. It had