Read Online The Lost by Caridad Piñeiro - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Caridad Piñeiro
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at the bottles, it was evident that they were full and he wondered why.
Had she just refilled them, or was she the kind to tough out the pain? Even though his one encounter with her had been brief, he could answer his own question.
Bobbie was the kind to rough it no matter the discomfort she was in. She wouldn’t like to be medicated to the point of numbness. She would want to live even if it meant enduring hurt. That was plainly obvious from the life and color present in the apartment.
Which begged the question of what kind of life he was living in his cold sterile environs. Maybe that was why she intrigued him so. The emptiness inside him had recognized she could fill the void with her vitality.
He dropped back to the floor and scurried down the hall, bypassing the bathroom and doing a quick run through a bedroom, which seemed relatively unused although it contained some free weights and an exercise bike.
As he entered the second, larger bedroom, it was clear this was where Bobbie slept. He could smell her in the air, and as in the other room, there were family photos on the neatly organized surface of a dresser. On a nightstand beside the bed sat a paperback novel, a romance, herealized from the binding, and it made him smile to think that beneath the skin of the warrior lurked a closet romantic.
He raced back out of the room, but hesitated by the bathroom this time. The door was ajar. He could easily slip inside to catch a glimpse of her, to replace the fantasies he’d had that afternoon with reality, but honor kept him on the other side of the door.
He was already violating her privacy with his little foray into her personal space. He would not push it any farther.
As he hurried back toward the main living area of the condo, another photograph on the wall unit suddenly grabbed his attention, along with two framed medals. The photo and medals were on a second shelf instead of in the more visible position along the top.
He peered at the medals and discovered that Bobbie had been awarded not only a Purple Heart, but also a Silver Star for valor during battle. A memory popped up from the data he had skimmed earlier, making him recall the article that had mentioned how Bobbie had saved the lives of several of her fellow soldiers. It totally fit what he knew of her so far.
He wondered if one of the men she had saved was the one wearing the uniform in the photo beside the medals. A smiling and obviously happy Bobbie sat in the lap of a handsome Latino man. He had his hand around her waist possessively and a gleam in his eye that spoke volumes. A surprising jolt of jealousy surged through Adam, creating a sudden quiver in his center. He tried to tamp it down, but fighting back the sentiment brought only more problems as something gave in his body. It was followed by a pop of bone shifting in a joint.
He had been so involved with his little expedition that he had not been conscious of the power he had been consuming to maintain the animal form. Only now did he realize that he had taxed his powers beyond his limits. Jealousy had put the final nail in the coffin, making him lose command of the situation.
Strangling a moan as the pain of the transformation raced throughout his body, he moved closer to the front door so he could make his escape. He sought out his own life force and urged it along his nerve endings so that he would have some kind of influence over the change. The fur receded swiftly and his body elongated. Pain ripped along muscles that loosened back to their normal length. Bones rotated and popped into place as they assumed their regular positions. As he shook off the animal vitality he had consumed, his body filled out.
Seconds later, with a final shudder and shove of energy to his extremities, he restored his true form and that of every item that had been on him before he had morphed.
Light-headed, his body bathed in sweat, he leaned against the wall and sucked in a few deep breaths to steady
Had she just refilled them, or was she the kind to tough out the pain? Even though his one encounter with her had been brief, he could answer his own question.
Bobbie was the kind to rough it no matter the discomfort she was in. She wouldn’t like to be medicated to the point of numbness. She would want to live even if it meant enduring hurt. That was plainly obvious from the life and color present in the apartment.
Which begged the question of what kind of life he was living in his cold sterile environs. Maybe that was why she intrigued him so. The emptiness inside him had recognized she could fill the void with her vitality.
He dropped back to the floor and scurried down the hall, bypassing the bathroom and doing a quick run through a bedroom, which seemed relatively unused although it contained some free weights and an exercise bike.
As he entered the second, larger bedroom, it was clear this was where Bobbie slept. He could smell her in the air, and as in the other room, there were family photos on the neatly organized surface of a dresser. On a nightstand beside the bed sat a paperback novel, a romance, herealized from the binding, and it made him smile to think that beneath the skin of the warrior lurked a closet romantic.
He raced back out of the room, but hesitated by the bathroom this time. The door was ajar. He could easily slip inside to catch a glimpse of her, to replace the fantasies he’d had that afternoon with reality, but honor kept him on the other side of the door.
He was already violating her privacy with his little foray into her personal space. He would not push it any farther.
As he hurried back toward the main living area of the condo, another photograph on the wall unit suddenly grabbed his attention, along with two framed medals. The photo and medals were on a second shelf instead of in the more visible position along the top.
He peered at the medals and discovered that Bobbie had been awarded not only a Purple Heart, but also a Silver Star for valor during battle. A memory popped up from the data he had skimmed earlier, making him recall the article that had mentioned how Bobbie had saved the lives of several of her fellow soldiers. It totally fit what he knew of her so far.
He wondered if one of the men she had saved was the one wearing the uniform in the photo beside the medals. A smiling and obviously happy Bobbie sat in the lap of a handsome Latino man. He had his hand around her waist possessively and a gleam in his eye that spoke volumes. A surprising jolt of jealousy surged through Adam, creating a sudden quiver in his center. He tried to tamp it down, but fighting back the sentiment brought only more problems as something gave in his body. It was followed by a pop of bone shifting in a joint.
He had been so involved with his little expedition that he had not been conscious of the power he had been consuming to maintain the animal form. Only now did he realize that he had taxed his powers beyond his limits. Jealousy had put the final nail in the coffin, making him lose command of the situation.
Strangling a moan as the pain of the transformation raced throughout his body, he moved closer to the front door so he could make his escape. He sought out his own life force and urged it along his nerve endings so that he would have some kind of influence over the change. The fur receded swiftly and his body elongated. Pain ripped along muscles that loosened back to their normal length. Bones rotated and popped into place as they assumed their regular positions. As he shook off the animal vitality he had consumed, his body filled out.
Seconds later, with a final shudder and shove of energy to his extremities, he restored his true form and that of every item that had been on him before he had morphed.
Light-headed, his body bathed in sweat, he leaned against the wall and sucked in a few deep breaths to steady
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