And To Cherish Read Online Free Page B

sure I was there. Right then. So I could see...
her
. With him. Why shouldn’t I question your judgment? It looks pretty faulty from my end.”
    Cherish almost dropped the phone at Nigel’s answer. Shock was still a debilitating thing.
Damn this reanimation
.
    “Ah. I see you’ve reached the blame portion of your guilt process. Deal making should be right behind it.”
    “Deal making? I’ll give you a deal. It’s like you orchestrated this! I mean, gee whiz, Sir. Why did you have to make sure I knew? Why didn’t you send me over there sooner? Before they met? I’d give anything to go back in time and meet her first.”
    “I was mistaken. It appears deal-making and blame will be concurrent events in your case. You wish to explain now?”
    “Explain what?”
    “You didn’t give Lizbeth access to the Abyss Link when I required it. There is a consequence for that. One I will not hesitate to place in action should it be warranted. I would suggest you enlighten me as to your reasons. Now.”
    Cherish sucked in a breath. It was an automatic defensive reaction against imminent punishment, even if it was directed at another. That was another unwanted sensation from her past.
    “Lizbeth is only half-turned, Sir. There is still the chance she will go back...to humanity. And who knows? If that happens, the Hunter Clan might reach her. They’re not entirely stupid. They’d love to get their hands on knowledge of the Abyss Link.”
    Long moments passed while Cherish’s heart rate stabilized. It was still rapid. Hard. Fearful. Other sounds intruded. The fog-warped noise of a city that never slept. The hushed tones of traffic. A siren in the distance. Her own breathing.
    And then Akron spoke, releasing the tension that had knotted her belly. Oh. How well she recollected that sensation, too. Reanimation was a disaster, as far as Cherish was concerned. There had to be a way to stop it.
    “Very well. I accept your reasoning, Nigel. But it appears you’re fated to be at the desk. Until Invaris returns. Or Lizbeth accepts immortality.”
    “I hope you remember at some point that you’re the one that grounded me from it tonight, Sir.”
    Akron gave another sigh. It didn’t sound as angered as before. “Well, until you learn that accessing a certain lady’s social network page is not going to be beneficial to you, I had to step in.”
    “But she’s so—”
    “Nigel. We need to return to the subject at hand. And it isn’t you.”
    “Oh. Right. I’m accessing the Abyss Link. What am I looking for?”
    “St. Louis., Missouri. We’ve got Cherish on the line.”
    “Cherish? Oh. Yeah. The orphan with a huge chip on her shoulder. Hates everybody. But I can completely relate to that at the moment.”
    “Nigel. Hate is one of those tricky emotions. It’s malleable. Changeable. It’s often shielding something. Makes a great barrier. And, as you know, barriers are built to protect precious things. Like soft hearts.”
    “I certainly hope you aren’t referring to me,” Cherish inserted.
    “Of course not, Cherish. Forgive me. We are out of time. We will call you back.”
    The connection ended. Cherish put the now-useless phone in her pants pocket for discarding later, and fished out another one. The night was getting colder. The metal bit into her fingers, making her trembling more severe. She detested everything about this mating thing.
    The connection didn’t even ring before Akron was speaking. “Cherish? You there?”
    “Yes.”
    “Good. We’ve checked every incident report in St. Louis. Nothing too out-of-the ordinary happening. I’m going to assume the hits were accomplished, and knowing you, they were quick, clean, and efficient. No need for a 4-D team. True?”
    “Yes.”
    “Very well. Since I am unable to figure out why you called us, you will need to explain. Please. You have my full attention.”
    “I need to know if there is a way to stop the...um. The...uh.”
Why was this so hard?
    “Yes?”
    “I