Read Online The Brotherhood of the Snake (Return of the Ancients Book 2) by Carmen Caine, Madison Adler - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Carmen Caine, Madison Adler
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not, Sydney! This is meant to be, never forget that!”
"I'm not brave enough for this." The words caught in my throat. “I’m scared!”
Leaning down, he lightly kissed my forehead. "You are remarkably courageous, little pixie. You’re strong enough, I assure you.” His kiss was brotherly, comforting, and it helped, but only a little.
I reached up and gripping his fingers tightly, stared out the kitchen window behind him.
It was dark outside.
The feeble glow of the streetlight seemed overwhelmed by the surrounding shadows, sinister shadows that I could almost see moving, creeping closer to the house.
I shivered and confessed in a hoarse whisper, “I’ve always been kind of scared of the dark, and now it’s worse because now there really is something awful lurking in the shadows.”
He spun me around to face him. Planting his handsome face inches from mine, he winked and said, "Don't be afraid of the shadows, Sydney, they only mean there's light nearby."
I wanted to believe him, but I could only think of them right now as Mesmer hiding places.
Dimly, I heard Ajax barking and a thumping sound as he bounded onto the porch and with a numb expression, I watched Rafael open the door to let him inside.
The Doberman’s ears were flat and his almond-shaped doggie eyes were wide. He stamped his front paw several times in a clearly aggressive, agitated way.
I knew it didn’t bode well. He hadn’t acted like this after encountering the first Mesmer.
Rafael’s brows lifted and his lips tightened. He placed a long finger on Ajax’s head, and the Doberman disappeared in a small poof of mist.
"What is it?" I asked in a shaky voice as Rafael returned. "Are they gone? Why did they come back? Did they escape? Where did Ajax go?"
I knew I was asking too many questions, but I was nervous and couldn't stop myself.
"You’re quite safe, Sydney, they're gone," he promised, moving to the cupboard. He hesitated a moment, eyeing the iron handle, and then picked up a wooden spoon from the counter and used it to pry the door open.
The gesture reminded me that he wasn't human. He was a Fae and that meant he'd never be able to touch iron.
Oddly, it snapped me out of my rising hysteria.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to think.
Rafael knew a lot more about Mesmers than I did. If he said I was safe, then I probably was. And though it was hard for me to trust anyone, I figured I could trust Rafael. After all, he’d helped me more than once already.
And letting myself panic really didn’t accomplish anything but instead increased the likelihood that I’d make some stupid decision.
Yes, I was scared, but I wasn’t accomplishing anything by wallowing in that fact. And as I didn’t like to wallow in anything, I refocused my thoughts on the task of getting drinks and asked, "Looking for the glasses?"
I moved to the correct cupboard, took out a few, and set them on the counter. We worked in silence, filling the cups with ice, the clink of the cubes sounding unnaturally loud in the silent kitchen.
After a moment, Rafael's lips lift in a genuine smile.
Following his gaze, I spied a black nose sniffing the perimeter of the kitchen counter like a periscope.
It was a relief to smile myself.
Pulling out the Paunchy Poodle Pills from my sweatshirt pocket, I extended my hand. "Sorry, Tigger, but you're stuck with these."
The red-brindled bloodhound padded into the kitchen to inspect the packet of pills. It only took him one sniff before his ears drooped in dismay and his eyes adopted an even more mournful expression than usual.
But he wasn't one to give up so easily on anything.
Shuffling to the refrigerator, he settled in front of it to stare at us, his eyes telling us to get him a hotdog.
Rafael laughed.
It was a low pleasant rumble that I found calming. My smile widened a little, but my improving mood was shattered the instant the front door crashed open and Jareth boldly strode inside with Al at his heels.
Chapter
"I'm not brave enough for this." The words caught in my throat. “I’m scared!”
Leaning down, he lightly kissed my forehead. "You are remarkably courageous, little pixie. You’re strong enough, I assure you.” His kiss was brotherly, comforting, and it helped, but only a little.
I reached up and gripping his fingers tightly, stared out the kitchen window behind him.
It was dark outside.
The feeble glow of the streetlight seemed overwhelmed by the surrounding shadows, sinister shadows that I could almost see moving, creeping closer to the house.
I shivered and confessed in a hoarse whisper, “I’ve always been kind of scared of the dark, and now it’s worse because now there really is something awful lurking in the shadows.”
He spun me around to face him. Planting his handsome face inches from mine, he winked and said, "Don't be afraid of the shadows, Sydney, they only mean there's light nearby."
I wanted to believe him, but I could only think of them right now as Mesmer hiding places.
Dimly, I heard Ajax barking and a thumping sound as he bounded onto the porch and with a numb expression, I watched Rafael open the door to let him inside.
The Doberman’s ears were flat and his almond-shaped doggie eyes were wide. He stamped his front paw several times in a clearly aggressive, agitated way.
I knew it didn’t bode well. He hadn’t acted like this after encountering the first Mesmer.
Rafael’s brows lifted and his lips tightened. He placed a long finger on Ajax’s head, and the Doberman disappeared in a small poof of mist.
"What is it?" I asked in a shaky voice as Rafael returned. "Are they gone? Why did they come back? Did they escape? Where did Ajax go?"
I knew I was asking too many questions, but I was nervous and couldn't stop myself.
"You’re quite safe, Sydney, they're gone," he promised, moving to the cupboard. He hesitated a moment, eyeing the iron handle, and then picked up a wooden spoon from the counter and used it to pry the door open.
The gesture reminded me that he wasn't human. He was a Fae and that meant he'd never be able to touch iron.
Oddly, it snapped me out of my rising hysteria.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to think.
Rafael knew a lot more about Mesmers than I did. If he said I was safe, then I probably was. And though it was hard for me to trust anyone, I figured I could trust Rafael. After all, he’d helped me more than once already.
And letting myself panic really didn’t accomplish anything but instead increased the likelihood that I’d make some stupid decision.
Yes, I was scared, but I wasn’t accomplishing anything by wallowing in that fact. And as I didn’t like to wallow in anything, I refocused my thoughts on the task of getting drinks and asked, "Looking for the glasses?"
I moved to the correct cupboard, took out a few, and set them on the counter. We worked in silence, filling the cups with ice, the clink of the cubes sounding unnaturally loud in the silent kitchen.
After a moment, Rafael's lips lift in a genuine smile.
Following his gaze, I spied a black nose sniffing the perimeter of the kitchen counter like a periscope.
It was a relief to smile myself.
Pulling out the Paunchy Poodle Pills from my sweatshirt pocket, I extended my hand. "Sorry, Tigger, but you're stuck with these."
The red-brindled bloodhound padded into the kitchen to inspect the packet of pills. It only took him one sniff before his ears drooped in dismay and his eyes adopted an even more mournful expression than usual.
But he wasn't one to give up so easily on anything.
Shuffling to the refrigerator, he settled in front of it to stare at us, his eyes telling us to get him a hotdog.
Rafael laughed.
It was a low pleasant rumble that I found calming. My smile widened a little, but my improving mood was shattered the instant the front door crashed open and Jareth boldly strode inside with Al at his heels.
Chapter
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