hands, and then scrambled out of the litter. In six or seven leaps she was ⌒思⌒兔⌒網⌒文⌒檔⌒共⌒享⌒與⌒在⌒線⌒閱⌒讀⌒

beside the man with the whip.

He was a vampire, his fangs elongated at the sight of the blood

before him, but never stopping his frenzied lashing. He was too strong

for Elena to handle, but…

With one more step Elena was straddling the woman, both her

arms flung out in the universal gesture of protection and defiance. Rope

dangled from one wrist.

The slave owner was not impressed. He was already launching the

next whiplash, and it struck Elena across the cheek and simultaneously

opened a great gap in her thin summer top, slicing through her camisole

and scoring the flesh underneath. As she gasped, the tail of the whip cut

through her jeans as if denim were butter.

Tears formed involuntarily in Elena’s eyes, but she ignored them.

She had managed not to make a sound other than that initial gasp. And

she still stood exactly where she had first landed in protection. Elena

could feel the wind whip at her tattered blouse, while her untouched veil

waved behind her, as if to protect the poor slave who had collapsed

against the ruined cart.

Elena was still desperately trying to bring out any kind of Wings.

She wante