Read Online Hades by Alexandra Adornetto - Free Book Online

he did
    when I’d left him, in jeans and a fitted black T-shirt. I saw
    Xavier’s posture shift subtly into a more defensive stance.
    His ocean blue eyes darkened as understanding dawned.
    “Beth,” he said slowly. “I want you to get off that bike.”
    “Wes?” I tapped him lightly on the shoulder, suddenly
    aware that he hadn’t spoken a single word for the entire
    duration of my conversation with Xavier. The bike was stil
    vibrating beneath me and yet the person in front of me
    remained motionless, his gaze fixed ahead.
    Xavier strained to take a step forward, but something
    prevented him and he remained rooted to the spot. He tried
    to keep his voice level, but I couldn’t miss the undercurrent
    of urgency.
    “Beth, did you hear me? Get off now !”
    I planted both feet on the ground in order to appease
    Xavier, but when I tried to shift my arms from around
    Wesley’s waist, he suddenly revved the engine and the bike
    shot backward. I had to clutch him even tighter to avoid
    fal ing off.
    Until that moment I stil thought the whole thing was an
    elaborate hoax on Wesley’s part that Xavier failed to find
    amusing. Then I saw Xavier run a hand helplessly through
    his hair and watched his forehead crease in anguish. I saw
    a look in his eyes I hadn’t seen since that fateful afternoon
    in the cemetery when he’d been incapacitated and I’d been
    captured before his very eyes. He wore that same look now
    —the one that told me he was desperately searching for an
    escape, even though he knew we were cornered. It was as
    if he were facing off against a poisonous snake that might
    strike at any moment and the slightest wrong move could
    be fatal. Wes spun the bike in random circles, enjoying the
    anxiety he was causing. Xavier yel ed out and tried to run
    forward but an unseen force held him back. He gritted his
    teeth and hurled himself against the invisible barrier
    blocking his way, but it was no use. The bike careered
    tauntingly in al directions.
    “What’s going on?” I cried as the bike final y stopped and
    settled into the dust. “Xav, what’s happening?”
    We were closer to Xavier now and in his eyes I could see
    deep pain, but also anger and intense frustration at his
    inability to help me. Now I knew I was in real danger. Maybe
    we both were.
    “Beth … that’s not Wes.” The words chil ed me to the
    core and fil ed me with defeat. I tried letting go of Wesley. I
    was ready to throw myself off the bike, but I couldn’t move
    my arms. They seemed to be pinned by an invisible force.
    “Stop! Let me off!” I pleaded.
    “Too late,” Wesley replied, only it wasn’t Wes anymore.
    His voice was now slick and smooth, a polished English
    accent clearly detectable. That voice had haunted my
    dreams for so long, I would have recognized it anywhere.
    The body I had my arms wrapped around began to shift
    beneath my fingers. The broad, muscled chest and wel -
    defined arms shrank to become leaner and colder to the
    touch. Wesley’s broad hands became slender and turned
    bone white. The backward basebal cap flew off to reveal
    lustrous black locks that danced in the wind. For the first
    time he twisted his face around to confront me. The sight of
    him so close made me sick to my stomach. Jake’s face
    hadn’t changed a bit. Black shoulderlength hair contrasted
    sharply with the pal or of his face. I recognized the narrow
    nose that drooped slightly at the tip and the cheekbones
    carved out of rock that had made Mol y once compare him
    to a Calvin Klein model. His pale lips parted to reveal smal
    and dazzlingly white teeth. Only the eyes were different.
    They seemed to pulse with a dark energy, and as I looked
    into them I saw that they were neither green nor black as I
    remembered but a dul shade of burgundy. Just like the
    color of dried blood.
    “NO!” Xavier shouted, his face contorted with despair.
    His voice was swal owed by the wind on the empty
    highway. “GET AWAY FROM HER!”
    What