Read Online Absolution by Jennifer Laurens - Free Book Online Page B

were nothing more than ghosts, or in his case, goblins.
    In a blink, Brady was straddling Britt. His hands roved her body and his tongue grazed his lips. Fascinated, my eyes darted from the road to Brady.
    What was he feeling if not Britt’s flesh? I was astounded. Speechless. Shocked.
    The creatures jumped up and down, rallying in silence.
    Britt coughed and gasped, then jerked upright, eyes wide. Had she felt Brady?
    “Ohh, baby,” Brady oozed, his hands continuing to explore Britt, in spite of her oblivion. When Britt’s gaze met mine, the creatures’ movements slowed. The three parked themselves in eerie stillness on Britt’s head and shoulders, their hollow eyes staring at her as if waiting for her next move.
    Only their talons shifted.
    I swallowed.
    Brady’s strained countenance remained intensely focused on Britt, sending my body into a wave of uncontrollable shivers. “Come on,” Brady growled when she didn’t respond to him. His eyes grew wide and he lifted his hands, looked at them in wonder.
    Britt lunged for the steering wheel. She grabbed hold, causing the car to swerve. My heart stammered.
    “What the hell?” Brady screamed, shaking his hands, as if they were asleep and the action would awaken them. “What. The. Hell!”
    “Britt stop.” I shoved her back.
    She rammed her fist in my cheek. The car jerked when my face took the impact of the blow. I straightened the wheel and jammed my elbow into her head. The black spirits danced and leapt. Britt fell back against the seat in an unconscious heap. Breath raced in and out of my chest.
    Light filled the car and Matthias appeared. He wasn’t sitting, he was simply there, between the front seat and the back, his presence powerful and unyielding to anything physical or otherwise in his way. The black spirits on Britt’s back stood upright, their soulless eyes rounding, their fleshless forms shimmering, then turning matte when their attention locked on Matthias.
    They leapt and jumped, mouths opening and closing in soundless protest.
    Matthias raised his hand in their direction and they vanished.
    He set his penetrating gaze on Brady and horror filled Brady’s astonished face. I sucked in a breath. Brady dissolved.
    “Your friend is out of sorts.”
    “He’s not my friend.”
    “I’m speaking of the young lady.”
    I glanced over my shoulder at Matthias, now sitting in the backseat.
    “I’m glad you’re here,” I said. “Sheesh. She’s nuts,” I mumbled, touching my sore jaw. “Between her and Brady, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do.”
    “That Brady’s a smarmy fellow, isn’t he?”
    “Smarmy, sleazy—you name it. I hope he’s not going to be showing up all the time now.” I crammed my hand into my hair. My gaze latched with Matthias’ through the rearview mirror. My heart sunk. “Is he?”
    “I told you, the fight for souls is relentless.”
    My cell phone vibrated, and I fished it out of my pocket. Weston.
    “You okay?” His voice was strung with worry. “What happened? I saw her attack you. What a freaking psycho. We should have left her in the parking lot. Looked like she was trying to kill you.”
    “She probably was.” I glanced at Britt out cold in the seat next to me.
    “You should have let me drive.”
    “And take a chance she’d try to hurt you? Forget it. See you at her house.”
    “I don’t like this, Zoe.”
    My eyes met Matthias’ through the rearview mirror.
    “She’s unconscious now. I’ll be okay.”
    Weston sighed audibly. I snapped the phone shut, returning my attention to Matthias in the backseat. “Would she have killed me?” I asked.
    The sparkle in his eyes disappeared. “Her mind is not her own.”
    “Yeah… I know.”
    “And already you’ve forgiven her. That’s my bearcat.”
    “Forgiving’s easy when you’re around,” I smirked.
    “You would have forgiven her even if I wasn’t here,” his smooth voice dripped truth into me. I didn’t like the way Britt chose to live,