Read Online Sign of the Throne: Book One in the Solas Beir Trilogy by Melissa Eskue Ousley - Free Book Online

straight, dark hair behind her ear.
    David suddenly noticed his mother had cut her hair since he’d left. Apparently she was still getting used to wearing it in a shorter style. Before, her signature bob had grazed her shoulders, and she never played with it. The new style was youthful and flattered her face, and he realized he’d neglected to compliment her on it. He had been too preoccupied to notice.
    He returned her smile. “No, I still like it. Maybe even more than I used to.” He speared a bite of chicken and popped it into his mouth as proof.
    “I’m sorry they didn’t have any chopsticks for you,” Margaret said, placing her hand on top of his. “I suppose it’s not the same with a fork.”
    “It’s still delicious,” David said, grinning.
    Margaret nodded and resumed her conversation with David’s father.
    David tried to pay attention, but found his thoughts wandering. His mind kept going back to the same thing: the cabana girl.
    He couldn’t stop thinking about her standing in front of the inn, the way the sunlight had looked in her hair, the way her eyes had locked on his. Well, he thought she’d been staring at him—but then again, he’d thought the same thing when he saw her by the pool, and that was the problem—maybe the connection he had felt was all one-sided. It seemed like she had been about to say something, but then she’d gone back inside without a word. He worried that she had overheard Michal’s comment. He should have said something in the girl’s defense, but his mind had gone blank. And what would he have said? He didn’t even know her name.
    He had stopped by the pool the next day, thinking maybe he’d say something, introduce himself at least. But she wasn’t there. She probably only worked there on certain days, but he wasn’t sure how to find out. He was tempted to ask the staff at the front desk, but he didn’t want to look creepy. And he sure wasn’t going to ask Michal or her friends. Maybe he’d bump into the girl again , and he’d know what to say.
     
     
     
     
    “Abby.”
    Abby’s eyes flew open and she gripped the bat. She looked frantically around the room, trying to make her mind focus. Ciaran. Siobhan. Rowan. She reached out for Ciaran to make sure he was all right as she scanned the room for the other two children. Siobhan and Rowan were still in their cribs. The kids were all sleeping peacefully, and there was no sign of the shadow thing.
    “Abby,” the voice repeated.
    Fighting her disorientation, Abby was able to recognize the voice and make sense of what was happening. The bedroom door was open and there were two figures approaching her. “Cassandra?” she asked.
    “Yes, Abby. It’s us,” Cassandra said. “What’s going on?”
    “What time is it?” Abby asked.
    “A little after ten thirty,” Riordan replied. “You were asleep. What’s with the bat and all the lights on in the house? Did something happen?”
    Abby shivered, reliving the moment the creature had jumped at her. How could she have fallen asleep after that?
    “Here, come downstairs and we’ll talk,” Cassandra suggested, dimming the lights in the room. “I’ll make hot chocolate.”
    “No, no we can’t…you don’t understand…we can’t leave the kids alone. Not in the dark,” Abby insisted. She stared at the spot in the hallway where the creature had disappeared. Her grip on the bat tightened, turning her knuckles white.
    Riordan frowned, eyeing the baseball bat. “Why not?”
    “Riordan, sweetheart, could you please bring up some hot chocolate? I’ll stay here with Abby. Then we’ll sort this out,” Cassandra suggested, turning the lights back on and walking over to where Abby was sitting against the twins’ dresser.
    Abby saw Riordan shoot Cassandra a worried look, but Cassandra nodded reassuringly, and he left the room.
    Kneeling next to Abby, Cassandra pried the bat from her hands. There was an extra blanket on top of the dresser; Cassandra took it