Read Online Shadow Bloodlines (Shadow Bloodlines #1) by A. R. Cooper - Free Book Online Page B

She still looked pale.
    “Here.” I handed her a chocolate bar.
    She thanked me, tore open the package, and took a bite.
    “How about I drive for a while?” With her nod, I climbed into the driver’s seat. I tossed the bags of clothes toward Amar. “Help yourself, its XXL so I figured if you cut slits in the back for your wings, maybe it would fit.”
    Jacqueline slid in the passenger seat. Not wanting to waste any more time, I merged into traffic.
    On the freeway, I hit the gas and we accelerated past a slow pickup truck.
    Nerves danced along my skin. I’d forgotten about my cell, so I dug it out of my pocket and checked. Forty-three messages. What the hell?
    After Jacqueline hooked up my phone through the car’s built-in audio/phone call system, she punched in my mom’s number. I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear as the phone rang through the car’s speakers.
    “Hello?” My mom’s voice filled the car.
    “Hey, Mom, it’s me.” My shoulders relaxed.
    “Bethany Alexandra Bender! What are you involved in? There have been men in suits here for hours. You get yourself here right now!”
    “I-I’m just with…” I glanced over at Jacqui and her eyes widened. My hand flew over my mouth. This couldn’t be my mom. She never used my full name, no matter how mad she got at me, and she knew I was spending the weekend with Jacqueline. But if men did show up…I hoped I was wrong. Please let me be wrong. “Sorry, it’s Dad’s weekend, remember? Should I tell him to drop…”
    “How about I meet you both? For dinner? Just tell me where and I’ll be there.”
    “Sure, Mom.” I swallowed. “We’ll head to Little Cucina. Love you.” I fingered the frayed black dress I wore with one hand as I drove with the other.
    “Love you too.” And she hung up.
    Tears streamed down my face and I scrubbed them away. I couldn’t see the road, so I pulled off into a bank parking lot.
    I switched off the car and turned sideways, lifting my knees and hugged them to my chest. Glittering through my tears, headlights zoomed past. Amar squeezed my shoulder from the backseat.
    “I’m sorry, Beth.” Jacqui hugged me. “Guess they got your mom? We need to go to the police.”
    “I-it’s her voice.” I sniffed. “But she knows my dad isn’t around. I guess they don’t. We can’t go home.” And I’d sent the bastards to the other side of town.
    “We can’t go to the police.” Amar ran a hand through his black hair. “They are the authorities, yes? The Blood Shadows would just infiltrate them until they captured us. We can’t just sit here. Maybe I can drive us…”
    “Not a good idea.” Jacqui disentangled herself from me.
    I rubbed my face and turned away from Amar. How uncool is it to be snotty face with a handsome guy in the car? Even if he does have wings.
    Rather than comment on my appearance, he rubbed my back and sent shivers down my body and into my fingers and toes. It was comforting, but I still thought about my mom. Did it hurt what they did? Or was it quick? Then my gut knotted and I waved off his hands.
    “D-do you know what happens when they take a human and do whatever it is that they do to them?” I knew I wasn’t making much sense, but I hoped he could understand my gibberish anyway. I hugged my knees to my chest as I stared at the traffic driving past.
    “I won’t lie… it’s painful. But a human wouldn’t last too long under the procedure. A shifter, well we’d be in agony for days before our spirit died.” His feathers ruffled. “I’m sorry.”
    I nodded and sniffed. I was alone now. My mom replaced by psycho shifter-killers and my dad… who knows where he was. God, my mom! I tucked my face into my knees and cried.
    Rather than offering condolences, Amar handed me a box of tissue he must have found in the back. Neither he nor Jacqueline said anything for a long time. I knew it was dangerous, just sitting here, so close to where we’d just used cards for gas and money. But I