Read Online Echoes by Michelle Rowen - Free Book Online

vanished.
    “Don’t worry about this, dear. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”
    Ethan’s gaze didn’t move away from his mom. “
Now
it is.”
    “He’s gone, Ethan. Let it go.”
    He nodded. “I will. Eventually.”
    This earned him a smile. “My protector.”
    “You can count on it.”
    Apparently, I wasn’t the only one being saved lately by Ethan Cole. However, I had a gut feeling that Upyri weren’t the ones responsible for that bruise.
    “Now—” Mrs. Cole said. “Are you really ready to go, Olivia, or are you going to stay for a bit longer?”
    “I—I’m going.” I slid my fingers through my hair to pull out a few tangles, and then stood up from the bed. The distraction hadn’t done much to get rid of my embarrassment. “This...well, it’s never happened before.”
    An edge of amusement returned to her gaze. “Of course not.”
    “Goodnight, Olivia,” Ethan said.
    “Goodnight.” I bit my bottom lip, giving him one last look, before following Mrs. Cole out of the room. She closed the door behind us.
    “Olivia Hawthorn, right?” she said as she led me down the stairs.
    I grimaced at being fully identified and studied the wood banister. “That’s right.”
    “I know your father. We see each other in the neighborhood sometimes. Nice man.”
    “He has his moments.” I cleared my throat nervously. “Look, Mrs. Cole, I’m so sorry for sneaking in.”
    “Don’t give it another thought. I didn’t even realize my son had a girlfriend. I think it’s wonderful. There’s no reason you need to sneak around behind my back. I don’t mind at all.”
    “Well...uh, good.”
    She opened the front door for me. “And the next time I see your father I’ll be sure
not
to mention that you were here tonight.”
    I managed a grin. “That would probably be for the best.”
    I left, then ran the short way home before slipping quietly into the house and going up the stairs to my bedroom.
    Ethan kept surprising me with every new piece of information I learned about him. I just hoped beyond hope that Ethan’s friend could help fill in the blanks a little more tomorrow after school.
    And I also hoped to learn more about Ethan himself, a boy who protected women in danger when they needed his help. A boy with secrets that he held very close to his chest. A boy who’d been in my life for years and I couldn’t believe I’d never fully noticed him before.
    I’d noticed him now—to say the least. And now I planned to learn every last one of his secrets.

 

Chapter 5
    I didn’t think I’d be able to get to sleep, but I was wrong. I was exhausted and I fell into unconsciousness moments after my head hit the pillow. No dreams. There should have been more nightmares tonight, but there was nothing at all—at least, not that I could remember. When I woke the next morning, my alarm had already been buzzing for a while.
    My mother knocked on my door a moment later.
    “You awake, Liv?”
    “Yes.”
    “Just checking. I’m making pancakes if you want any before school.”
    I made some kind of sleepy grunt to acknowledge her offer.
    I had to admit that she was trying very hard to pretend like nothing had changed between us. That she’d just gone on a year-long vacation and returned to her loving home like everything should be the same as it had been before. I wanted to be the kind of person who could put the past behind me and not have it constantly hovering over my head like a thick black raincloud. But it did. I couldn’t help it.
    Although, admittedly, I wasn’t trying very hard.
    I had other things on my mind. Bad things I could barely believe or explain. But along with the bad things, there were good things too.
    Ethan, for one. That was good. Really good.
    Him and me—we were in this together now, whatever
this
was. It gave me a strange sense of comfort knowing that. And knowing I had a reason to talk to him again.
    I got ready for school, staring at my reflection in the bathroom mirror as I put on