Read Online Through the Shadows by Gloria Teague - Free Book Online

believe there was something strange in her home.
    Maybe it truly was her cursed, over-active imagination. Even as a child, Tori had always enjoyed being melodramatic. Could this be an example of believing her own hype? If so, she needed to make that call to a therapist-soon!
    What Tori didn’t know, couldn’t know, was that the events that had happened were far from logical. There definitely was a presence in her house. It wasn’t a monster, and it wasn’t exactly a ghost. It was a being with form, but no substance. It was a being that was growing stronger with each day. It was a being that was angry with Tori when she degraded herself, or her capabilities. It was an entity that wanted to be physically near Tori, and was getting closer to that desire with each passing day.
     

Chapter Six
    …her hand trembled as she reached out to trace the outline of his provocative mouth. He took her hand and brought the palm to his lips, softly kissing it, and she felt his breath waltz along her wrist.
    He laid her upon the fragrant grass, then encircled her body with his strong arms. He nuzzled her neck, reaching out his tongue to trail sweet fire along her shoulder. He lowered his face, softly nipping at the warm hollow of the valley…
    The concentrated frown deepened between her eyes. Tori sighed, then snatched the phone from its cradle, still focused on the computer monitor and the sensual words waiting there.
    “Um… yes?”
    “Tori? Hi, it’s Jim.”
    Four simple, innocent words that tightened her chest, and made her lose all concentration on what Avery was about to do next. This was a voice she hadn’t heard in over a year.
    “Jim! Hello! How are you?”
    “Well… Actually, I’m doing great. Things are going so well in my life; I couldn’t stand it if it were any better.”
    Her fingers twisted the phone cord into knots, nearly tugging the phone off the desk. Her pale complexion reflected back to her from the computer screen.
    “Wow. That’s really good to hear, Jim. I’m happy for you. Has something happened to bring about this wonderful change?”
    Momentary silence met her question. Tori couldn’t understand how Jim could be so happy, yet so reticent to talk about it. She was just about to change the subject when she heard him take a deep breath.
    “Tori, I’m getting married.”
    It was now her turn to be speechless. A hundred thoughts flitted through her mind, burrowing themselves into her heart. She was angry with herself to realize a tear had slid down her cheek.
    “That’s fantastic! Congratulations. Anyone I know? When’s the wedding?”
    “No, no, you don’t know her. She just moved into the area about a year ago. She’s a nurse, working at one of the hospitals here in town.”
    “A nurse, huh? I’ll bet that’s interesting. So, you’re getting married when?”
    “Uh… well… next week.”
    “Gosh! Next week, huh? Have you been thinking of a big church wedding?”
    “No. We’re just going to Eureka Springs, Arkansas and find a chapel. We’re not worried about a big, splashy affair. We’ve been living together for a few months, so this is really just a formality. We were going to wait a while longer, but felt it best to do it now.”
    “But, why? If you’ve been together all this time, why not just wait and let her have a nice church wedding? Surely she’ll want that. What’s the hurry?”
    Another long stretch of heavy silence, at last broken with his monotone answer, as if he were striving to make his voice noncommittal, devoid of any happiness.
    “Well, Shawna’s pregnant. She’s due in about seven months. We thought it was a good idea to go ahead and make it legal and maybe have a fancy church affair sometime after the baby is born. You know, maybe on our fifth wedding anniversary, or our tenth.”
    Tori no longer tried to control the silent tears running down her face, but she did wipe at them angrily. As she stared out the window, she thought how ironic it was that the