Read Online Forged: The World of Nightwalkers by Jacquelyn Frank - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jacquelyn Frank
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as horrifying as the idea was of being locked up once again, the idea of her coming to a brutal end was even worse.
“Yeah, sure,” she said, her tone more than a little dry. “I’d believe that … if I weren’t in the medical field. And while I’ve heard of people slowly turning to stone over time as parts of themselves calcified, I’ve never heard of them turning back to flesh again.” She dusted a hand over the foot of the comforter on the bed, straightening the corner almost absently as she spoke. Then she suddenly turned dark, serious eyes on him. They were a pretty sort of red and brown, rather like the color of bourbon, he thought inanely in that brief moment. “Please don’t treat me like I’m stupid.”
Ahnvil toyed with the fork that had come with his tray, but as hungry as he was and as good as the food smelled, he wanted to make himself clear with her.
“I’m sorry. Just trust me when I say the less truth you know abou’ me the better it is for you. I doona want you in any danger. That’s part of why ’tis important to make sure no one can see into this house and not even the smallest shaft of sunlight can penetrate.”
She stood a moment, absorbing what he had said, and then gave a little nod. “Eat. I’ll take care of it. I’m not interested in your secrets, only in seeing you make it through this injury in one piece.”
She moved away and went to the sliding glass doors that normally went out onto a deck with breathtaking views of the valley below. She picked up the jacket she had discarded earlier and shrugged into it hastily. Then she toed out of her slippers and stuck her feet back into her boots. The snow that had gotten into them during her previous excursion out in the weather had melted and was cold and wet against her feet, soaking right into her socks. Once she was laced up and buttoned up, she unlocked the deck doors.
“Wait, what are you doing?” he demanded of her. She looked back at him, her features drawn and serious.
“I’m doing what I said I would. And I would appreciate it if you would do the same,” she said, nodding toward the tray.
“But …”
She didn’t give him room to argue. She stepped out into the storm. It was like stepping out from heaven straight into hell. The safe, quiet warmth of the indoors was swept away with a brutal howl of wind and the bitterly cold scouring sensation of ice stinging into every last exposed pore on her face, neck, and hands. Normally she would have bundled up far better than this, but it was only going to take a minute to close the heavy outside storm shutters over the doors. She’d managed to do all of the windows, but had not had the opportunity to get the doors since she’d been summarily distracted. But it wasn’t as easy as she had hoped for. The shutters were heavy even under the best of conditions, but in the brutal conditions of the storm and with the already heavily accumulated snow lying up against the doors it was almost impossible. She was going to need a shovel, she realized. She would have to shovel out all the gathered snow around the door and shutters before she would be able to close them, protecting the glass and keeping the light off her sun-shy guest. She let go of the shutter she’d been struggling with and turned to head back inside for warmer clothes and a more thorough game plan. She ran face-first into a branded chest and wall of naked abdominal muscles. He grabbed hold of her with one arm, using himself as a windbreak, protecting her from the worst of the harsh winds, and with the other hand he grabbed the left shutter.
He simultaneously thrust her back inside the house and yanked the shutter closed in one powerful movement. But he clearly paid a price for it. He grunted andleaned to one side. She shrugged off the grip he still had on her arm, figuring by his expression that had he been up to snuff he would never have allowed her to do so. She came back outside and grabbed the other
“Yeah, sure,” she said, her tone more than a little dry. “I’d believe that … if I weren’t in the medical field. And while I’ve heard of people slowly turning to stone over time as parts of themselves calcified, I’ve never heard of them turning back to flesh again.” She dusted a hand over the foot of the comforter on the bed, straightening the corner almost absently as she spoke. Then she suddenly turned dark, serious eyes on him. They were a pretty sort of red and brown, rather like the color of bourbon, he thought inanely in that brief moment. “Please don’t treat me like I’m stupid.”
Ahnvil toyed with the fork that had come with his tray, but as hungry as he was and as good as the food smelled, he wanted to make himself clear with her.
“I’m sorry. Just trust me when I say the less truth you know abou’ me the better it is for you. I doona want you in any danger. That’s part of why ’tis important to make sure no one can see into this house and not even the smallest shaft of sunlight can penetrate.”
She stood a moment, absorbing what he had said, and then gave a little nod. “Eat. I’ll take care of it. I’m not interested in your secrets, only in seeing you make it through this injury in one piece.”
She moved away and went to the sliding glass doors that normally went out onto a deck with breathtaking views of the valley below. She picked up the jacket she had discarded earlier and shrugged into it hastily. Then she toed out of her slippers and stuck her feet back into her boots. The snow that had gotten into them during her previous excursion out in the weather had melted and was cold and wet against her feet, soaking right into her socks. Once she was laced up and buttoned up, she unlocked the deck doors.
“Wait, what are you doing?” he demanded of her. She looked back at him, her features drawn and serious.
“I’m doing what I said I would. And I would appreciate it if you would do the same,” she said, nodding toward the tray.
“But …”
She didn’t give him room to argue. She stepped out into the storm. It was like stepping out from heaven straight into hell. The safe, quiet warmth of the indoors was swept away with a brutal howl of wind and the bitterly cold scouring sensation of ice stinging into every last exposed pore on her face, neck, and hands. Normally she would have bundled up far better than this, but it was only going to take a minute to close the heavy outside storm shutters over the doors. She’d managed to do all of the windows, but had not had the opportunity to get the doors since she’d been summarily distracted. But it wasn’t as easy as she had hoped for. The shutters were heavy even under the best of conditions, but in the brutal conditions of the storm and with the already heavily accumulated snow lying up against the doors it was almost impossible. She was going to need a shovel, she realized. She would have to shovel out all the gathered snow around the door and shutters before she would be able to close them, protecting the glass and keeping the light off her sun-shy guest. She let go of the shutter she’d been struggling with and turned to head back inside for warmer clothes and a more thorough game plan. She ran face-first into a branded chest and wall of naked abdominal muscles. He grabbed hold of her with one arm, using himself as a windbreak, protecting her from the worst of the harsh winds, and with the other hand he grabbed the left shutter.
He simultaneously thrust her back inside the house and yanked the shutter closed in one powerful movement. But he clearly paid a price for it. He grunted andleaned to one side. She shrugged off the grip he still had on her arm, figuring by his expression that had he been up to snuff he would never have allowed her to do so. She came back outside and grabbed the other
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