Read Online Crimson (The Silver Series Book 3) by Cheree Alsop - Free Book Online Page A

werewolf’s healing
ability. I stepped out of the shower feeling better than I had in
days until I glanced at my reflection in the mirror.
    Dark red eyes stared back at me from a face
that looked older and more haggard than the one I remembered. My
hair, which had originally been black like my father’s, had a sheen
of deep red among the black in the bathroom light. I touched my
face and stared at my irises. What had they done to me? It felt
like I stared at a stranger who looked like a beastly version of my
old self, but there was no separation between the two; my features
melded smoothly into that of the stranger. The anger and betrayal I
felt stared out of my eyes and I had to look away.
    I pulled on the clothes Mrs. Carso had set
out, a pair of loose-fitting jeans and a white tee shirt along with
some comfortable socks and new underwear. I glared at the mirror,
then turned off the light. It was easier to look at myself in the
darkness. The grays and blacks of werewolf vision softened the
stark contrast of my eyes. The irony wasn’t lost on me. I ran a
hand across my eyes, then left the bathroom.
    That evening Jaze and the others took me to
the mall because they correctly assumed I was feeling pent-up at
the house. Grace didn’t mind because she said Mrs. Carso was going
to teach her how to crochet, something she desperately needed
because all of the other pastimes she said she used to love,
reading, running, and cooking, would require a great deal of
patience to learn to do again without sight. I appreciated Mrs.
Carso’s understanding and willingness to give her an outlet.
    We walked through several stores and grabbed
some tacos at the food court, something that Jet, the quiet,
black-haired Alpha, seemed to enjoy with unusual passion. I liked
his calm demeanor with the barely concealed edge of steel. He was
dangerous, alert, and always seemed to be on the lookout for some
sort of an attack. When he caught me watching him while we walked,
he glanced at my extra taco.
    “ You want it?” I
asked.
    He accepted it almost reverently and
unwrapped it, then folded up the wrapper and put it in his pocket.
Taye slipped her arm through his fondly and they followed Jaze and
Nikki down the hall. Brock hurried past them and fumbled with a
candy machine against the wall. I missed Grace’s company and the
way I felt like I fit in when I was with her. I trailed slowly
behind, feeling more like a fifth wheel and even less like I
belonged as I caught the stares of several passersby. One boy even
tugged on his mother’s sleeve and pointed at me.
    “ Uh, Jaze?”
    He turned and I tipped my head toward the
boy’s mother who now hurried her son past while avoiding my
gaze.
    Jaze’s face lit up with understanding and he
fought back a smile. “We need to get you some sunglasses. I can’t
believe I forgot.”
    Brock’s brows rose as he popped a few
jellybeans into his mouth. “Your eyes seem almost normal to me now.
A few days ago they probably would have freaked me out.”
    I fought back a wry grin. “Thanks.”
    Jaze laughed. “What he means is you can get
used to them, but we probably should get you some shades so you’re
not apprehended for suspected drug use or something.”
    “ It’s the white part that
turns red when you use drugs, not the irises,” I said, then kicked
myself mentally for the comment.
    Jaze lifted an eyebrow, but didn’t say
anything.
    I refused to let him spend a fortune on a
pair of designer glasses, so we left the mall and walked to a
nearby gas station where we found a knock-off that was
serviceable.
    “ Maybe we should all get
some,” Nikki said, slipping on a bright pink pair with red tiger
stripes.
    “ Definitely,” Jaze agreed.
He put on a pair with huge yellow lenses that made him look like
some kind of bug. “It might be a good idea to invest in some
nonprescription contacts to hide the color,” he said as an
afterthought.
    “ That’s not a bad idea,” I
agreed, trying to take him