Balthazar by Claudia Gray

Author:Claudia Gray [Gray, Claudia]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Vampires, Young Adult, Romance
Goodreads: 10120780
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: 2012-03-06T00:00:00+00:00

She was still thinking about Clementine’s advice the next Saturday, when she and Balthazar went riding again.

“The sky looks like snow.” Balthazar stared out toward the horizon, where the clouds were a low, even, pale gray. “Good thing we’re riding today. It’ll be a week or two before we could take the horses out again.”

“You’ve gotten to like this as much as I do.” Skye could tell by the lift of his chin, the way a smile played on his face, just beneath the surface.

He patted Peppermint’s neck. “You’re right. Riding out here—it’s reminded me of so many things. Moments I’d let myself get too far away from.”

“You mean, memories of your life?” That short time was all the life he’d had … only one year more than her. Everything else, all the centuries in between—whatever they were, they weren’t living.

“That’s part of what I mean,” Balthazar said. Then he hesitated, as he if he knew he shouldn’t say any more.

Skye thought of everything else he might mean—what else he might have gotten too far away from in all those years alone, and the pleasure they took in riding together—and suddenly it was hard not to shyly look away.

But she didn’t. She kept her eyes on Balthazar’s face, and she could see the struggle inside him, though she couldn’t tell whether he was fighting to speak or to stay silent. The cold wind picked up, whipping past so briskly that her cheeks stung and her ears felt numb. Skye would have remained there all day, though, if it meant that Balthazar might finally take a stand for her—

—until Eb suddenly reared back, dumping her off her saddle.

“Skye!” Balthazar reined in his horse, which was also shifting unevenly, then swiftly dismounted. “Are you okay?”

“Fine.” She adjusted her helmet, more embarrassed than anything else. Though she’d landed hard on her butt, that was a pretty standard risk when riding horses. “Eb, what got into you? That’s not like you.”

Balthazar’s hand cupped her elbow as he helped her up. “Take it easy,” he said, looking down at her. Suddenly that one small touch didn’t seem as simple, or as innocent. And that warm concern in his eyes—like she mattered more than anything—

“Your horse knows when you’re in danger.”

Skye and Balthazar turned together to see a figure approaching from the thick underbrush near them: Lorenzo. His eyes were unfocused, almost glazed. The rustling behind them told her he wasn’t alone.

“Redgrave said—” She felt stupid relying on anything Redgrave had ever said, and yet—“He said you wouldn’t come after me.”

“I’m tired of what Redgrave says.” Lorenzo took another step toward them, his eyes only on Skye. “Make me feel alive again.”

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