'Til the End of Time Read Online Free Page B

had been a long time. She had forgotten how frightening this moment before the final commitment could be. Her hands nervously clutched the braided cord she had taken from the silk drapes at the window, as she moved to a position behind the door when it began slowly to swing open.
    Her heart was beating terribly hard. Could he hear it? Oh, Lord, what a crazy thing to wonder at a time like this. The weirdest thoughts always occurred to her when she—
    He was in the room, a small, dark shadow only a few feet away, his eyes on the lump beneath the silken coverlet of the bed. Only one man. Evidently Naldona had thought a single individual sufficient to murder a helpless, sleeping woman, she thought grimly.
    Something was gleaming in his hand. A knife. She had always hated the idea of a knife wound, the thin, cold blade piercing her flesh. He was hesitating. There was always a final hesitation before commitment, and evidently her assassin hadn’t experienced it before he opened the door. She waited. His reaction would be slower once his mind was settled on his objective. He took a step forward. Now!
    The braided cord slipped around his throat as she leaped forward. She used all her strength to tighten the cord, and heard a low gurgle as the man’s breathing was stopped. His arms flailing wildly, his hands tore futilely at the cord. Oh, Lord, the hand holding the knife was rising to his throat. One slice of the cord and he’d be free! Herknee quickly buried itself in the middle of his spine as she jerked him backward. She had to end it swiftly. She held the cord taut with one hand and reached for the vase she had set on the edge of the chest by the door. The vase crashed down on the dark head. Shards of pottery flew in all directions, and the man gave a low groan. His knees buckled as he lost consciousness. She released the cord while he fell to the floor.
    Alessandra stepped back, her breath coming in little gasps. It was over. She felt her muscles go limp with relief and sudden weakness. She hadn’t realized just how frightened she’d been, until it—
    “Very good.”
    She whirled to face the man lounging casually in the doorway.
    “Easy.” Karpathan held up his hands. “I’m no threat, at the moment.” She saw the flash of his teeth in the shadowy darkness of his face. “Actually, after witnessing how efficiently you downed our friend, here, I’m not so sure you couldn’t have handled me equally well.”
    “What are you doing here?” Adrenaline was surging through her veins from the shock he had given her, but she forced herself to appear calm. “You seem to wander over the palace at will. You’d think Naldona had handed you a master key.”
    “Knowledge is always a key. Haven’t you found that to be true?” His gaze flickered to the lump beneath the covers. “I take it that’s a decoy beneath the covers, and not Bruner?”
    She nodded curtly.
    “I didn’t think you’d risk having anything happen to him. Did he complain when you ousted him from your bed?” He turned on a small lamp.Smiling faintly, he took a step forward and knelt beside the unconscious man. He lifted the man’s eyelid. “I assure you I would have done considerably more than complain. I would have made it totally impossible. How long has it been since you’ve had a lover under sixty?”
    Bewildered, she stared at him. The leashed violence beneath his words caught her off guard. He seemed more concerned with her sexual habits than with the condition of the unconscious man he was examining with such cool detachment.
    “That’s none of your business, is it?”
    “Isn’t it?” He released the man’s eyelid. “You’re quite a lethal lady. I wasn’t sure you hadn’t eliminated him permanently.”
    “I’m not as cold-blooded as you. I was only defending myself.” She watched Sander take the braided cord and swiftly tied the man’s hands behind his back. “But this should allay any apprehension you might have had about my