Read Online The Wolf in His Arms (The Runes Trilogy) by Adrian Lilly - Free Book Online Page A

wiped his eyes clumsily and pulled back. “I feel so stupid
for crying.”
    “Don’t.”
    “It’s
just—hard—being in my grandmother’s house. Hard, seeing my mother so sad, so
broken.”
    “It
takes time. I know.”
    Alec
placed his hand to Jared’s cheek tenderly. “I know you do.” Alec looked into
Jared’s eyes. Over the last few months, despite everything that they shared,
Jared had said little about the night his own family died, and about his
survival and coping afterward. Though he was curious about Jared’s family, Alec
didn’t pry, thinking Jared would tell him more in time. Alec knew his own
trauma; he didn’t intend to make Jared relive his.
    “I love
you,” Alec said, placing his lips to Jared’s.
    Jared
returned the kiss, pulling Alec tighter. “I love you, too.” He could feel that
rush of excitement that came each time he held Alec close, the internal
shivering of his nerves just from touching Alec’s flesh.
    Alec
pulled back from the kiss. “We better work on this,” he said, nodding to the
stone and mobile. Alec cut his eyes down. “But those pants sure do show me how
much you liked that kiss.”
    “Funny,”
Jared said, adjusting the fabric of his pants. “Let’s decipher this.” He sat
back at the table with Alec beside him, and they began the arduous task of
translating the runes.

 
A Quiet Moment, Stolen
    Lucy
sat on the floor in a cross-legged, quarter Lotus position in the quiet
mediation room at her gym. Mediating early in the day on the night of a full
moon had become a ritual. She had no sense whether the meditation had any
effect on the change, but it certainly helped quell her anxiety leading up to
it. The peace was fleeting, but the willpower demanded to achieve a state of
peace left her drained.   She simply
didn’t have the energy to wallow in worry, pacing like a caged animal, as she
considered herself prior to the change.
    Meditating
in the throes of the change was impossible. The rage of the transformation, the
burning of her skin as it began, knocked her over. The last she ever remembered
was screaming as she felt her body turning against her.
    Lucy
took a deep, measured breath—pushing the poisonous thoughts out of her mind. The
gentle bubbling of the water feature and her breathing were the only sounds as
she relaxed her mind and body. She focused on breathing deep, trying to force
out the dread that filled her. She could feel her mind releasing its grip as
her body relaxed, muscle by muscle. The dark thoughts receded with each breath
and a tremulous calm descended on her.
    She
heard the door to the meditation room open with a quiet whoosh and thought, Damn . She realized anyone coming in
would also seek quietude, but she hated sharing the room on the night of a full
moon. She peeked an eye open.
    Mitch
sat across from her, already seated, eyes closed. Just seeing him annoyed her.
Lucy told herself that she was being ridiculous, that he was allowed to
meditate as much as she was. But she couldn’t help but feel that he came in
just to steal this quiet moment from her. His absolute silence bothered her
even more. He’s supposed to be quiet! She told herself. But, in her mind, it felt like he was sneering.
    Lucy
opened her eyes and, despite herself, huffed as she stood.
    “Don’t
let me interrupt you,” Mitch said, his eyes still closed.
    “You
didn’t,” Lucy said. It annoyed her even more that he assumed he was chasing her
off. She felt the heat flushing her cheeks and knew, although she couldn’t
control it, that the full moon was playing a role in her anger.
    “It
just seems that as soon as I enter a room, you try to leave.”
    “Then
why do you come in?”
    “So, I
am chasing you off?”
    “No!”
Lucy barked.
    Mitch’s
eyes popped open and his body went rigid. He was silent.
    “Look,
I just have a lot on my mind, Mitch. And, before you ask, you’re not the type
of person I confide in.”
    “Type
of person? What type of person am