Read Online Abandoned (Book Two of the Castle Coven Series): A Witch and Warlock Romance Novel by Hazel Hunter - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Hazel Hunter
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to sniff the night air.
The body that it inhabited was that of a bear, a large and shaggy grizzly that had recently been delivered of a pair of pink naked cubs. The cubs were dead. Though the bear’s heart still beat, the warm memories of those cubs, of milk, of the darkness of the den, were only shadows haunting the domed skull.
There was a fresh scent on the air, and the thing cataloged the information that the bear brain gave it. There was fire and metal. There was the smell of meat being cooked. There was the smell of a man’s body. There was something else that the bear had no name and no use for, but the thing knew it quite well indeed.
It was hate.
The bear’s face could not grin, but the thing made it do so anyway.
Perhaps there would be better quarry than the bear today. Perhaps not all the prey would be so clever to hide in tall nests.
Dropping down to four rotting paws, the thing lumbered into the night, each step cursing the ground as it went.
CHAPTER SEVEN
IT WASN’T A natural darkness. Hailey knew that right away. If it were natural, her eyes would eventually have adjusted, eventually sought out the barest bits of light in order to see. As it was, her sight never adjusted. She had to wander through the endless night with her hands in front of her.
There was something in the darkness with her. She knew it was there. Sometimes she could hear it breathing, and sometimes, she swore she heard it burning. It was somewhere behind her, then somewhere in front of her, and she knew that it was searching for her.
She could feel that old panic rise up in the back of her throat. She had been afraid before. She had been taken by a Templar that wanted nothing more than her pain and her destruction. Her hand went to her side. She knew what it was like to be afraid, but this felt like more than that. This felt like a world-ending terror. This felt like the last moments of a prey animal’s life.
She couldn’t even turn to face the thing that was hunting her. It had no name, and it had no face. There was just that sense of fury and rage. Hailey knew she had to get away from it. She was running now, terrified she would trip. She did stumble, but every time she managed to catch herself. But every time she slowed, she could feel the thing chasing her get closer.
Suddenly, her grasping hand found a door handle. When she turned it, Hailey fell forward through the open door. She slammed the door just in time to halt the slavering, burning thing behind her. Now she could breathe. For several long minutes, she knelt at the doorway, grateful to have its thickness between her and the thing pursuing her.
When she had caught her breath, she could look around at her surroundings. She realized that she was in a stone room. Behind her was the flickering of a torch. She turned around, letting her eyes adjust to the light, and then she gasped.
The room was barely larger than a cell, and directly behind her was a man chained to the wall. He was naked, and from the bruises and welts that covered his body, it was obvious that he had been badly beaten. He was an enormous man with a thatch of midnight black hair. When he lifted his face to look at her, he had the bluest eyes she had ever seen.
“Oh Kieran,” she whispered, and she fell down by his side.
To her grief, he turned his head from her. When she tentatively laid her hand against his cheek, he flinched.
“Kieran, look at me please?” Finally, moving so slowly and crookedly that she was afraid that something was broken, he turned. She cradled his face. “What are you doing here, love?”
“You…forgot me.”
Hailey sat up straight, the covers falling down around her. She couldn’t tell how long she had slept. She couldn’t tell where she was, but the words from her dream followed her into the waking world. Like a ghostly hitchhiker, they clung to her, rolling around in her head until she thought she was going to scream.
You forgot me.
You forgot me.
You
The body that it inhabited was that of a bear, a large and shaggy grizzly that had recently been delivered of a pair of pink naked cubs. The cubs were dead. Though the bear’s heart still beat, the warm memories of those cubs, of milk, of the darkness of the den, were only shadows haunting the domed skull.
There was a fresh scent on the air, and the thing cataloged the information that the bear brain gave it. There was fire and metal. There was the smell of meat being cooked. There was the smell of a man’s body. There was something else that the bear had no name and no use for, but the thing knew it quite well indeed.
It was hate.
The bear’s face could not grin, but the thing made it do so anyway.
Perhaps there would be better quarry than the bear today. Perhaps not all the prey would be so clever to hide in tall nests.
Dropping down to four rotting paws, the thing lumbered into the night, each step cursing the ground as it went.
CHAPTER SEVEN
IT WASN’T A natural darkness. Hailey knew that right away. If it were natural, her eyes would eventually have adjusted, eventually sought out the barest bits of light in order to see. As it was, her sight never adjusted. She had to wander through the endless night with her hands in front of her.
There was something in the darkness with her. She knew it was there. Sometimes she could hear it breathing, and sometimes, she swore she heard it burning. It was somewhere behind her, then somewhere in front of her, and she knew that it was searching for her.
She could feel that old panic rise up in the back of her throat. She had been afraid before. She had been taken by a Templar that wanted nothing more than her pain and her destruction. Her hand went to her side. She knew what it was like to be afraid, but this felt like more than that. This felt like a world-ending terror. This felt like the last moments of a prey animal’s life.
She couldn’t even turn to face the thing that was hunting her. It had no name, and it had no face. There was just that sense of fury and rage. Hailey knew she had to get away from it. She was running now, terrified she would trip. She did stumble, but every time she managed to catch herself. But every time she slowed, she could feel the thing chasing her get closer.
Suddenly, her grasping hand found a door handle. When she turned it, Hailey fell forward through the open door. She slammed the door just in time to halt the slavering, burning thing behind her. Now she could breathe. For several long minutes, she knelt at the doorway, grateful to have its thickness between her and the thing pursuing her.
When she had caught her breath, she could look around at her surroundings. She realized that she was in a stone room. Behind her was the flickering of a torch. She turned around, letting her eyes adjust to the light, and then she gasped.
The room was barely larger than a cell, and directly behind her was a man chained to the wall. He was naked, and from the bruises and welts that covered his body, it was obvious that he had been badly beaten. He was an enormous man with a thatch of midnight black hair. When he lifted his face to look at her, he had the bluest eyes she had ever seen.
“Oh Kieran,” she whispered, and she fell down by his side.
To her grief, he turned his head from her. When she tentatively laid her hand against his cheek, he flinched.
“Kieran, look at me please?” Finally, moving so slowly and crookedly that she was afraid that something was broken, he turned. She cradled his face. “What are you doing here, love?”
“You…forgot me.”
Hailey sat up straight, the covers falling down around her. She couldn’t tell how long she had slept. She couldn’t tell where she was, but the words from her dream followed her into the waking world. Like a ghostly hitchhiker, they clung to her, rolling around in her head until she thought she was going to scream.
You forgot me.
You forgot me.
You
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