Read Online Fall From Grace (Slater #1) by Sammy King - Free Book Online Page B

emotions. Laura needed to know the story of her attempted abduction and she needed to know what Thomas had been doing the whole time he was away.  Laura questioned whether he had thought of her, had he tried to come and see her? But at that moment she just wanted to stay embraced in her father’s arms, silently holding him, relishing in the feeling of finally having a father who loved her and cared for her so close. After a while she heard movement in the doorway and looked up to see Aunts face etched in worry.
    “Thomas you can’t stay here” she spoke softly.
    Panic and bile began to rise in Laura’s throat.  She had only got her father back in her life, she couldn’t bear the thought that he would leave her so soon.  Thomas looked down at his daughter; she met his eyes, her green eyes welling up to match the water in his own. Thomas reached over and smoothed Laura’s hair and nodded.
    “I have to leave again child. If they find me they will still have me hanged” he said quietly to her.
    Laura tangled tightly her fingers into Thomas’ beard and heard him hiss in pain, but she needed to hold onto him, she couldn’t let him go.  Her eyes were wide in panic; they darted between her father and Aunt.  Thomas tried to untangle her fingers where they clung painfully.
    “Please child” he said, pain edged through his voice.
    “No” Laura screeched, her voice breaking, with fistfuls of Thomas’ beard she dragged her hands down to her waist. Thomas hissed loudly, as chunks of his beard released painfully from his face. “No” she screamed again, shaking her head.
    Laura reached up to her face and began to claw at her cheeks. She felt the skin tear under her nails.  Thomas’ eyes widened as he lunged towards her, grabbing at her wrists trying to get her to stop gouging chunks of her face away.  Laura felt the dribbles of blood that ran from her cheeks and dripped down onto her chest.  She didn’t recognise the roaring that came from her lips, it sounded like a distant wild cat in the woods, but yet she knew the sound was emitted from her own mouth.  The pain in her cheeks brought her release and when the saltiness of her tears mixed with the wounds it eased the built up emotional turmoil that twisted her stomach and heart into knots.  Finally she stopped fighting Thomas and allowed him to pull her into his chest.  Her growling slowed to sobs which began to ease into shudders, until she was nothing more than a silent trembling body.  Slowly Laura could feel the darkness pulling at the corner of her eyes, edging her closer to complete blackness.  She no longer fought it and soon her whole mind was engulfed and she lost consciousness.
    It was movement that awoke her, she couldn’t tell where the sound came from, a scratching; she could sense the movement as she slowly opened her eyes.  The room was dark, the full moon shone through the small grimy window of her room.  It was cold and she shivered involuntarily.  The scratching continued, Laura cocked her head to one side, trying to tune her ears into where the sound came from.  It sounded like it was directly under her small wooden framed bed.  When her eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the room, Laura moved silently to the edge of her bed, rolling the large girth of her pregnant belly so that she could bring her knees up underneath her.  Slowly she leant forward, careful not to let too much of her body to hang off the edge off the bed.  As her eyes cleared the edge, she startled when two round green and yellow eyes stared back at her.  Laura felt a scream forming in her throat, but slammed her hand over her mouth to stop it from escaping her lips.  She eased her feet onto the cold earthy floor and clamoured down beside the bed, bringing her face level with the eyes that stared back at her.
    Laura knew somewhere in the back of her mind, that she should be afraid, but curiosity took over and she felt a new found boldness.  She and the eyes