Read Online A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford - Free Book Online Page A

foot, not sure whether he should leave, whether she wanted him to hear her saying these things. On the floor, Az hitched a shallow breath.
    The trembling stopped. And then a strange guttural chittering came from Az.
    Jarrod launched forward and yanked on Eden’s shoulder. “Back up.” He tightened his grip. “Eden, back up now.”
    She kept her hand in Az’s. “I’m not leaving him,” Eden said. Jarrod stayed next to her, ready to make a move if Az tried anything.
    “Can you hear me?” she whispered. Az stayed silent and still. She let go of his wrist, touched his cheek. He tensed and leaned into her palm. She turned to Jarrod. “I think he’s—”
    “So many sins.” Az’s voice, eerie and mechanical, startled both of them.
    “Az?” Jarrod’s head cocked to the side.
    His eyes snapped open. They weren’t covered in the black oily sheen Jarrod had expected. Instead, the colored centers of his eyes were gone. They had turned completely white. Eden dropped his hand, scrambling away.
    Jarrod sucked in a sharp breath. “That can’t be good.”
    “Petulant.” His smile wasn’t natural. It invaded his face, ripping its way onto his lips. He turned his head, and the dead white eyes seemed to train on Eden. “She’s a mortal flaw, a wicked taint upon your glory.” The smile stretched wider. “The penance is served. Choose. Rise.” He nodded twice and shuddered. “Azazel, you are wanted,” he screeched. Then the frightened words belonged to Az again. “I’ll never go back.” He ground clenched teeth. He slammed a hand against the ground, his fingers tightening into claws even as his face relaxed.
    Az sucked in a sudden lungful of air as if resurfacing, then fell to the floor.
    Jarrod put himself between Eden and Az before she could move. “Open your eyes,” he commanded.
    Az raised his head, his face pale, eyes their normal blue. They found Eden. She crawled forward as Jarrod moved aside.
    “Are you okay?” she asked, reaching for his hand. He latched on like it was a lifeline.
    “You sure you’re cool now?” Jarrod asked. “What the hell just happened? Your eyes were completely white.”
    Az sat up. “But that doesn’t make any sense,” he murmured. He looked up at Jarrod. “Not unless the Bound were…” He trailed off. “Sorry, I’m not thinking straight. My head’s killing me.”
    Eden shifted closer to him, almost on his lap, as if he’d disappear at any second.
    “You remember what you were saying?” Jarrod asked, not willing to let him get them off topic. Something was going on. “That was Upstairs stuff coming out of your mouth, man.”
    Az shook his head. “I don’t know what it was. We saw Michael. He was looking for Gabe.”
    “Who the hell is Michael?” Jarrod asked. “And Eden said you were bad earlier? What happened?”
    Az moved gingerly at first, got his legs underneath him and stood. “I’m fine now. Can we let it go?”
    Jarrod opened his mouth, but it was Eden who spoke.
    “No.” She reached out and let him help her up. “These are things we need to know, Az. Who’s Michael?”
    “He’s…” He shrugged his shoulders as if unable to explain. “He’s Gabe’s. They used to be together. For so long. But then Michael led the charges against me, got me kicked out of Upstairs. He wanted Gabriel to turn his back on me, to shun me. Gabe refused. Michael told me I would only drag Gabe down with me.” Az’s brow pinched. “I guess I did,” he mumbled.
    An awkward silence filled the room. Then Eden broke it.
    “The things he was saying at the tree, though, he was trying to get you to Fall, wasn’t he?” She looked to Jarrod as if for backup before she went on. “And here, it sounded like you were possessed. Can the Bound do that?”
    “No,” Az said instantly.
    “You sure about that?” Jarrod asked. “‘Azazel, you are wanted’ sounds pretty clear-cut.”
    “Right, so at the tree he wanted me to Fall and here he wanted me Bound again?” Az