Read Online Second Sight by Maria Rachel Hooley - Free Book Online Page B

jumps up from the couch and tries to touch the back
of my head. “Did you hit your head again?”
    I slap his hand away and glare. “Don’t. I
know what you are. Lying isn’t going to change what I know. I see
the aura. Lev had it, too. You’re an angel. It doesn’t matter if
you want me to know; I do. So just admit it, all right? At least do
that for me. I’m tired of all the lies and the secrecy, and I’m
tired of being treated like a child—some stupid little kid who
needs protecting from everything. I’m not that fragile. Trust
me.”
    Pale-faced, he drops his hands and takes a
step back. “I don’t know—“
    “ Yes, you do!” I stride
toward him and snake my hand through the air where the aura is.
Although I can’t touch the wings, I know they’re there.
    Scott and Griffin exchange glances, and Scott
suddenly looks like a bachelor trying to care for a newborn
baby—totally inept and way out of his league.
    “ I know what you are. You
might even be a sojourner.” I step back and glare at him. “I could
always test that theory.” I swallow hard and wait. “But maybe
you’re not my sojourner. That was Lev. Probably still is. But I wonder if
I’ve got his attention yet?”
    “ What the hell is a
sojourner?” Griffin demands also rising.
    “ What is going on, Lizzie.”
Scott suddenly seems nervous as he stares at me, each breath just a
little faster than the one before. His fingers twitch, and he rolls
them into and out of a fist just to keep them busy.
    “ What’s a sojourner?”
Griffin demands again, louder, standing next to Scott, unsure what
to do.
    “ An angel who escorts souls
from this world to the next,” I reply, pulling out the letter
opener. I make a big show of touching the point. “Nice
edge.”
    “ Give me that.” Scott steps
toward me, but I dance away. Griffin can’t seem to move at all; his
mouth is twisted into a horrified grimace.
    “ No. Not unless you tell me
the truth. You are an angel, aren’t you?”
    He reaches for the letter opener, but I shift
the point so that it jabs my wrist. That completely stops him. I’m
not really planning on doing anything, but that doesn’t mean I
won’t try to get the truth. Besides, I don’t think he’s got it in
him to call my bluff. He has no idea how much I hate pain.
    “ Lizzie, put it down.”
Scott’s voice is soft, almost painful.
    “ Tell me. Just give me some
answers, and I’ll think about it.”
    “ Lizzie,” Griffin warns,
almost hyperventilating. Now he should know better. “Please do what
he says.” He shakes his head and steps toward me, forcing me to
apply a little pressure. The damned thing is sharper than I
thought. I prod through the skin, and a small bubble of blood
appears. Immediately both of them back up, their eyes never
wavering from my wrist.
    “ You’re right,” Scott
finally says. “I am an angel. Now will you give me the
opener?”
    “ In time.” My breathing is
ragged, and I should be elated, but I’m afraid. “Are you
Lev?”
    He flinches. “What do you think? Do I look
like Lev?”
    “ Where is he?” Only my
voice betrays the building fear.
    “ He’s not on earth anymore.
He had no choice.” His voice is calm, detached, even.
    I shake my head, and tears burn down my face.
The words stun me so much I stagger backwards. “I don’t believe
you. He’s here. I just have to find him.” My hand wavers, and in
that split second, Scott rushes me, the aura clear and bright.
There is no time to escape from the hands that pull the opener free
and the arms that wrap around me. The opener clatters to the
floor.
    I start screaming, struggling against the
confines of his arms and the wall of his chest, but his strength is
unbreakable. Griffin grabs the letter opener, sinks down onto the
couch, and thrusts his free hand into his hair. He starts rocking
back and forth, his eyes wide in shock. He won’t look at me, and I
know he’s afraid. He should be.
    “ Calm down, Lizzie. You
just