Read Online Heart of Steel by Elizabeth Einspanier - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Elizabeth Einspanier
Ads: Link
did a number on you.
Julia looked down at herself, and for the first time she noticed her torn, bloodstained shirt. She hiked up the hem and saw the blood and claw marks across her ribs on both sides. The claw marks were shallow but painful and still seeping blood. She stripped the shirt off entirely and, standing in her bra in front of the bathroom sink, began washing the scratches with soap and water. As she worked, she heard her door slide open. She peered around the doorjamb and saw the shark-monster entering again with a bundle clutched in one webbed claw.
She froze, her heart pounding, and watched the hulking thing glance around, and then raise its head like a dog catching a scent.
How keen was a shark’s sense of smell? She remembered seeing something about it on the Discovery Channel, but couldn’t recall what the answer was.
Presently the shark-monster lowered its head back to neutral and turned to look directly at her. She was sure she was fairly well-hidden, but then again she just had to peek around the doorframe. Her blood froze and her throat tightened under its gaze, but the expected attack did not come. Instead, it lifted the bundle and held it out to her silently.
Oh, God—what was it doing? Did it expect her to go over to it and take whatever it was from its hand? Did it even know or remember that it had attacked her and Jim?
“Just—just set it down on the bed!” she squeaked in fright.
It tilted its head. How smart were sharks? She didn’t know that, any more than she knew how aggressive dire wolves were. To her shock, the shark-thing answered that question itself.
“Yes, Miss Julia,” it gurgled in a harsh basso rumble that sounded like it was talking through a throat full of thick mucus. She even saw its gill slits flex as its jaws full of chainsaw teeth laboriously pronounced the words.
— what the hell what the hell what the hell what the hell what the hell what the hell what the hell —
The shark-monster carefully set the care package down on her bed, and without another word it turned and left.
So, said the sensible voice, Now we know that the shark-monster is at least smart enough to talk.
That didn’t mean much—parrots could talk, after all—but it also meant that she was going to have to be extremely careful in her next escape attempt.
Good to know.
After pulling the torn and blood-crusted shirt back on, Julia ventured out to investigate what the
shark-thing had brought. She opened the bundle to find three rolls of bandages, a bottle of clear liquid that smelled of rubbing alcohol, a clean white shirt, and a small slip of paper folded in quarters.
She opened the slip of paper, and found a note written in tight, precise handwriting:
Dearest Julia,
In light of your recent experiences, you may be relieved to learn that I have taken measures to ensure you need never be troubled by Jim ever again, and likewise Bagheera has received punishment for the injuries he has perpetrated upon you.
Please accept these items and use them as you wish. Since you do not wish me to tend to your wounds, it is the least I can do. Please accept my humblest apologies for your recent ordeal.
Yours,
Alistair Mechanus
Julia’s stomach twisted as she reread the note. On the one hand, she was secretly, guiltily relieved that she wasn’t going to see Jim again. Even thinking about him in his current state still horrified her! On the other hand she couldn’t help thinking that him being a cyborg was her fault. After all, she’d asked Mechanus to fix Jim—hadn’t she?
Well, yes , but she hadn’t asked Mechanus to do that to him.
As for Bagheera, she supposed that was the cat monster that had pounced on her. Well, good riddance to that .
On the heels of this, she recalled the expression on the cat-monster’s face when Mechanus—holy crap he was pissed—had strode up to them with his mechanical eye blazing and the lights exploding all around him. Julia, for her part,
Julia looked down at herself, and for the first time she noticed her torn, bloodstained shirt. She hiked up the hem and saw the blood and claw marks across her ribs on both sides. The claw marks were shallow but painful and still seeping blood. She stripped the shirt off entirely and, standing in her bra in front of the bathroom sink, began washing the scratches with soap and water. As she worked, she heard her door slide open. She peered around the doorjamb and saw the shark-monster entering again with a bundle clutched in one webbed claw.
She froze, her heart pounding, and watched the hulking thing glance around, and then raise its head like a dog catching a scent.
How keen was a shark’s sense of smell? She remembered seeing something about it on the Discovery Channel, but couldn’t recall what the answer was.
Presently the shark-monster lowered its head back to neutral and turned to look directly at her. She was sure she was fairly well-hidden, but then again she just had to peek around the doorframe. Her blood froze and her throat tightened under its gaze, but the expected attack did not come. Instead, it lifted the bundle and held it out to her silently.
Oh, God—what was it doing? Did it expect her to go over to it and take whatever it was from its hand? Did it even know or remember that it had attacked her and Jim?
“Just—just set it down on the bed!” she squeaked in fright.
It tilted its head. How smart were sharks? She didn’t know that, any more than she knew how aggressive dire wolves were. To her shock, the shark-thing answered that question itself.
“Yes, Miss Julia,” it gurgled in a harsh basso rumble that sounded like it was talking through a throat full of thick mucus. She even saw its gill slits flex as its jaws full of chainsaw teeth laboriously pronounced the words.
— what the hell what the hell what the hell what the hell what the hell what the hell what the hell —
The shark-monster carefully set the care package down on her bed, and without another word it turned and left.
So, said the sensible voice, Now we know that the shark-monster is at least smart enough to talk.
That didn’t mean much—parrots could talk, after all—but it also meant that she was going to have to be extremely careful in her next escape attempt.
Good to know.
After pulling the torn and blood-crusted shirt back on, Julia ventured out to investigate what the
shark-thing had brought. She opened the bundle to find three rolls of bandages, a bottle of clear liquid that smelled of rubbing alcohol, a clean white shirt, and a small slip of paper folded in quarters.
She opened the slip of paper, and found a note written in tight, precise handwriting:
Dearest Julia,
In light of your recent experiences, you may be relieved to learn that I have taken measures to ensure you need never be troubled by Jim ever again, and likewise Bagheera has received punishment for the injuries he has perpetrated upon you.
Please accept these items and use them as you wish. Since you do not wish me to tend to your wounds, it is the least I can do. Please accept my humblest apologies for your recent ordeal.
Yours,
Alistair Mechanus
Julia’s stomach twisted as she reread the note. On the one hand, she was secretly, guiltily relieved that she wasn’t going to see Jim again. Even thinking about him in his current state still horrified her! On the other hand she couldn’t help thinking that him being a cyborg was her fault. After all, she’d asked Mechanus to fix Jim—hadn’t she?
Well, yes , but she hadn’t asked Mechanus to do that to him.
As for Bagheera, she supposed that was the cat monster that had pounced on her. Well, good riddance to that .
On the heels of this, she recalled the expression on the cat-monster’s face when Mechanus—holy crap he was pissed—had strode up to them with his mechanical eye blazing and the lights exploding all around him. Julia, for her part,
Similar Books
