B0079G5GMK EBOK Read Free Page B

welcome here, and the other males are weeks ahead of him in courting Clarissa. I'm not so sure that Clarissa will even choose him.”
    Ciall looked at me grimly. “I am.”
    “You can't worry about that in advance, so please, at least try to focus on protecting Clarissa for now,” I sat next to him and stroked his hair gently.
    Ciall swiped my hand away, impatiently. “I can't. I'm sorry, but I just can't.”
    “There is s ome kind of weird power in Adam that radiates from him, and there is no way that Clarissa can be immune to that. She has no chance. Even I find it difficult to resist his powers, though I'm a male. He's a born leader and Clarissa knows that,” Ciall grunted quietly.
    “At least try, will you?” I asked and smiled.
    Ciall didn't answer. He stared at the floor and wh en I touched his thoughts, I became worried.
    “You know, you cannot attack Adam?”
    “Why not?” He said in a murderous tone.
    I looked at him with horror.
    Ciall smiled lamely and touched my hand. “I know that, but I can't just sit and watch Adam destroy everything that she is.”
    “Well, you have to. None of us knows that Adam will destroy Clarissa. Do you really think for a second that I would let him come near my child if I thought he would destroy her?” I stared at him angrily.
    “Maybe he's even stronger than you are,” Ciall snapped, trying deliberately to hurt me.
    “I can't believe my ears! You really think I have no powers against Adam? I wouldn't want him anywhere near Clarissa! Do you think that I don't feel his magnetic powers? That it's easy for me to be around him? That in my mind, I don't have to fight against his powers?” I snapped and stood up. “It's a storm inside my head, believe me!”
    I looked strictly in to his eyes and he tried to avoid mine. I couldn't let him.  Finally he looked straight at my burning eyes of anger.
    “I, however, don't think we can just exile him. If you don't remember, that is exactly what we did, and yet he managed to escape and return here. Our best weapon against him is fairness. If we treat him fair and equal as the othe rs, even the eldest can't claim we didn't give him a chance to fight for Clarissa.”
    “Still,” Ciall began.
    “No, Ciall. I'm sorry, but this is how we have to deal with it,” I said, and everything in me told him I wouldn't accept any complaints from him.
     
    Ciall was quiet. I knew he understood my decision. He just couldn't approve it. I also knew that after he thought about it, he would understand that this was the only decision I could've made.  The fear of losing Clarissa was all he could think of now and he couldn't think clearly, so I decided to distract his mind.
    “By the way, do you know what Mathanan has on his mind? Tiamhaidh said something about a dinner?”
    “He's just testing some new recipes. There the world has lost a magnificent cook,” Ciall mumbled and jumped off the bed, irritated.
                 
    Suddenly I was alone and I raked my hair, frustrated. There were a few needles from the woods in my hair and I looked at them with wonder. Even though this day had started miserably, for a l ong time I had had a moment where I could shift my shape and that made me feel wonderful. Even Ciall's tantrum couldn't spoil my day and I smiled wildly to myself. Could there be anything that felt better than shifting?
     
    Dinner was great. David was in a good mood and he believed as well that fifteen strong shape shifter males were too much for Adam. Clarissa didn't know how to handle the news, but at least from n ow on she could sleep at night in peace. Joshua tried not to sulk, but I noticed how irritated he was. He had been the strongest candidate for Clarissa and Adam's return would rock the boat totally.
    Joshua had taken Clarissa bowling today and the other males had joined them. Joshua believed that he was a sure winner, so he didn't mind the others going out with him and Clarissa. Igor and Alexei obviously had