Read Online Falling Into Place by Brandy L Rivers - Free Book Online

realizes I’m not good
enough.”
    “What makes you think you aren’t?
    “You know why. You witnessed it. He would
hate me if he ever found out.”
    “No, Liz. You’re wrong about that. First,
you acted in self-defense. Second, what that monster did was wrong.
You fought for your life.”
    “I would have died there. I couldn’t have
escaped on my own.”
    Tremaine closed the distanced and turned her
around. When she finally looked up at him, he promised her, “You
wouldn’t have. You would have found a way. I’m glad you didn’t have
to. You gave my life meaning.”
    “You gave me a life worth living.” She
wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. He held her. Liz had
become a strong young woman, and he hated to see her torn up over
something she had overcome.
    “You can trust Robert. He won’t judge you,
no matter what.”
    “How can you be so sure?”
    Tremaine chuckled. “You own his heart.”
    “He owns mine,” she whispered.
    “Good, just don’t forget the talk we had
about giving into desires. You, young lady, are not old enough for
more than a kiss.”
    She shoved him back, a real smile on her
face. “Don’t worry about that. I’m more interested in proving this
girl can keep up with the boys.”
    “That’s my Liz,” he squeezed her shoulders
before stepping back. “Trust your heart, and give him a chance. He
makes you happy.”

Chapter 7
     
     
    James walked through the ruins of Sinclair’s
estate. There wasn’t much left but charred wood and ash. Nothing
had grown over the ruins, even after four long years.
    In the blackest part of the wreckage, he
could feel Liz’s magic. He breathed deep, pulling it into himself.
He felt the breeze stir.
    “Your gift is illusion,” Maynard said. “Why
don’t you attempt a recounting spell?”
    “Isn’t that a little above our ability?”
Jarvis asked.
    Maynard glared at the near clone of himself.
“James can, even if you can’t.”
    Jarvis glanced away, kicking a broken beam.
He yelped in pain.
    Maynard had a point though. He could likely
pull the past from the remains and see what had led to the
fire.
    James walked to what appeared to be a melted
bed frame. He stared on the mess before him, spreading his hands as
he wove the spell, focusing on the day before the house was found
burnt to a husk.
    A transparent scene formed around them. An
extravagant room, a magnificent bed with silk sheets and fine rope
bindings fastened to the posts. His pulse quickened as he took a
look around. There was a rack lined with riding crops, whips,
floggers and other instruments James did not recognize.
    Maynard laughed low, his hands rubbing
together. “Keep going. Let’s see what my old friend was up to when
this place went up in smoke.”
    He let the time flow until his uncle dragged
an unconscious Elizandra into the room. She was too thin, but still
lovely, even as she was thrown onto the bed.
    Sinclair tore her rags from her body before
tying her to the bed with her arms and legs outstretched. James
watched the scene unfold, wishing he’d been the one take her
innocence.
    Then she woke up screaming, and all hell
broke loose. He learned one important fact though. Liz was the one
to kill Sinclair, and Tremaine was the one to free her, taking her
from there in nothing but his coat.
    James stumbled back as Sinclair’s phantom
corpse landed at his feet, his flesh bubbling and melting as the
fire spread. He closed his eyes, turning away and the scene
faded.
    Next he heard Jarvis retching in the grass
outside the room. Maynard gasped. “Elizandra was one of Sinclair’s
slaves?”
    James walked up to Maynard and covered his
face. He reached in and took the memory of the scene as he fell
into the ash, unconscious.
    He turned to Jarvis, the boy who always bent
to his will. James knew he didn’t have the guts to defy him. “This
stays between you and I, or I can take it from you as well.”
    “I’ll not speak a word,” Jarvis
sputtered.
    No, James