Read Online The Fallen One (Sons of the Dark Mother, Book One) by Lenore Wolfe - Free Book Online Page A

disappear, around that same day,” she said. “Well,
save for your grandparents.”
    Jes sniffed, wishing Kat wouldn’t
be quite so
understanding. It made her want to cry. “I don’t know what I would
have done without them,” she agreed. “But Justice—,” she looked at
her friend and stressed, “ is a
murderer .”
    “ Jes, you can’t be serious! How
can you say things like that—and about your own life
mate?”
    “ I—just can ! Because it’s the truth ! He’s a murderer !”
    “ He is an Ancient One—who hears
the ancient call!”
    “ The hell you say !”
    Jes had heard of such ones—the ones
who hunted those who murdered. She had even said as much to
Jared—but she didn’t really believe in such things—at least not
nowadays. Maybe there had been a place for them—way back in
history—but not anymore. There wasn’t an excuse for being a
vigilante!
    “ Jes!”
    Jes sighed. “Okay, okay. I take
that back.”
    Kat dimpled. “Jes, you must give
him a chance to explain. Do not assume anything. Not one thing. Please. You
must hear me on this.”
    Jes’s gaze narrowed on her friend.
She knew her friend—knew her well. “What are you
hiding?”
    Kat shrugged, raising her brows and
giving a sheepish smile.
    “ Spill it!” Jes
growled.
    Laughing, Kat shook her head. “I
cannot. I’m bound by the code of the parliament. It is my position.
I cannot violate it. You know that.”
    Frustrated, Jes chewed on her lip.
“Can you give me a clue?”
    Kat sighed. She sat there, deep in
thought for a moment, then shook her head. “I can see nothing that
would not violate my oath. But I can tell you—there is a book that
can.”
    Jes was intrigued. “What
book?”
    But, once again, Kat only shook her
head.
    She was still shaking her head to
nearly every question when Jes left.
     
    Jes didn’t sleep much that night.
She tossed and turned. She doubted she would ever be able to sleep
well again. When she did sleep, she slept fitfully, and when she
woke, it was still dark. She could feel him. She could feel him as
clearly as she could feel herself. She could hear his heartbeat.
And—she could smell the scent of him, as clearly as she could smell
anyone else: but unlike anyone else—she was aroused by his
scent.
    He was in her room
again.
    “ Are you going to show up this way
every night now?” she asked without preamble.
    “ Perhaps,” he said.
    “ Why?” There wasn’t anger in her
voice either. She was just sleepy. And she just didn’t know what to
do about the whole situation. She didn’t know what to do about how
she felt every time she was near him—asleep or not. She watched him
for a moment, peering into the dark, trying to see him
better.
    “ Don’t you know?”
    She swallowed.
    “ Yes. I can see that you do. But
you don’t like it much.” He shifted. “If it helps any—neither do
I.”
    For some reason, that angered Jes.
She should have been relieved. But relief was not what she felt.
Not at all. She hadn’t liked the sound of that. “Then why show up
here?”
    He laughed. “I see you fight
yourself.” He strode to her bed. “You’re not immune at
all.”
    She scrambled to the other side of
the bed like the cat she was, setting herself on all fours, ready
to tear the sheets up—and his face with them.
    He laughed, again.
    She didn’t like that either.
    He leaped across the bed in a
flash, so fast it was like a blur to her. One moment she was ready
to fight, the next she was gathered up tightly in his arms—where
she felt as though she’d known his touch forever.
    In desperation she blurted out.
“Our parents disappeared at the same
time .”
    That got his attention.
    He let her go, sitting up. “What
did you say? I didn’t know that you knew that!”
    She sighed—half in relief, half in
regret. “I know, but our parents disappeared at the same time—as
in— for the same reason .” She looked up at him. Something in his eyes made her gut
wretch with pain. “Our