Read Online Through the Veil by Shiloh Walker - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Shiloh Walker
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seen while he made sure she was unharmed—the long, thin wound on her arm. It was bleeding sluggishly, and he knew from experience it probably burned like crazy. Treu metal did that. It was like something in the metal caused a reaction when it cut into a living being. It was particularly useful against Raviners and Jorniaks. That was why it was a favorite among the resistance.
Lee had given him the blade years ago. He’d used it to mark that soft flesh . . . Grimly, Kalen acknowledged the guilt and then he shoved it deep. He’d done it. He regretted it. But he wouldn’t take it back.
He wouldn’t avoid her over it either. Slowly, he turned and faced her. She looked—different. But the same. Almost like she was more substantial. Her skin had always been pale—now, in the light of day, he saw that she had a porcelain complexion and there was a light blush of color on her cheeks. Her eyes were a vivid, almost surreal shade of blue. The skies had once been that same shade of blue. Her hair was loose, and it fell more than halfway down her back in a tumbling riot of curls and spirals. It was the palest shade of blond imaginable, shot through with darker streaks.
God in heaven, she was beautiful. There was a life inside her, something that made his skin buzz being this close to her.
“What am I doing here?” she asked. He saw a muscle jerk in her cheek, and he realized she was clenching her jaw together. It didn’t help much. Her soft mouth trembled as she spoke, and he realized belatedly that she was absolutely terrified.
Lee hadn’t ever been this scared in her life. The man in front of her was partly responsible. As familiar as he seemed, there was also something alien about him. A look in his eyes that shook her to her very core. A faint smile curled his lips and she figured he was trying to reassure her. “Don’t be so afraid, Lee.”
She blinked at him. Yeah. Right. Don’t be afraid. Afraid didn’t even begin to cover what she was feeling. “What in the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know,” he responded, shaking his head. The long black silk of his hair flowed around his shoulders with his movement, and his face was as unyielding as stone.
“I know your face,” she whispered, shaking her head, feeling the knot in her throat rise and threaten to choke her. “Why do I know you?”
As he shrugged, she felt her eyes drawn to the thick pad of muscle that covered his shoulder. He wore dull black clothing that resembled leather, but she suspected it served a more serious purpose than just standard clothing. The sleeveless shirt ended at his waist, a trim narrow waist, and her eyes traveled on down the long muscled length of his legs, also covered with the weird pseudoleather. Licking her lips, she stared back into his eyes.
“I think I’ve had enough of this,” she muttered, more to herself than anything. Shoving to her feet, she looked around and wondered why in the hell she hadn’t made that call to the shrink. “Get me back home and I’ll make the call. I swear.”
“You can’t go back so easily now,” he murmured, his eyes scanning around them as he moved closer. “The doorway that let you in has closed. I don’t understand how you crossed over as it is.”
As he started across the uneven ground, she stepped back, but a sharp rock cut into the tender flesh of her instep and she flinched.
“So I’m stuck here?” she demanded, terror seizing her as she thought of never seeing home again.
A tiny smile finally appeared on his granite-hard face. “Well, most people would be. I doubt you are. You’ll find a way. But it will take some time,” he said. “But while you’re here . . . I’ve a promise to keep.”
“A promise?” she whispered.
The smile widened and his eyes gleamed with devilish intent. It should have warned her, but before she could even think of moving away, hard, scarred hands were cupping and lifting her face, as his mouth lowered and took hers. Lee gasped as
Lee had given him the blade years ago. He’d used it to mark that soft flesh . . . Grimly, Kalen acknowledged the guilt and then he shoved it deep. He’d done it. He regretted it. But he wouldn’t take it back.
He wouldn’t avoid her over it either. Slowly, he turned and faced her. She looked—different. But the same. Almost like she was more substantial. Her skin had always been pale—now, in the light of day, he saw that she had a porcelain complexion and there was a light blush of color on her cheeks. Her eyes were a vivid, almost surreal shade of blue. The skies had once been that same shade of blue. Her hair was loose, and it fell more than halfway down her back in a tumbling riot of curls and spirals. It was the palest shade of blond imaginable, shot through with darker streaks.
God in heaven, she was beautiful. There was a life inside her, something that made his skin buzz being this close to her.
“What am I doing here?” she asked. He saw a muscle jerk in her cheek, and he realized she was clenching her jaw together. It didn’t help much. Her soft mouth trembled as she spoke, and he realized belatedly that she was absolutely terrified.
Lee hadn’t ever been this scared in her life. The man in front of her was partly responsible. As familiar as he seemed, there was also something alien about him. A look in his eyes that shook her to her very core. A faint smile curled his lips and she figured he was trying to reassure her. “Don’t be so afraid, Lee.”
She blinked at him. Yeah. Right. Don’t be afraid. Afraid didn’t even begin to cover what she was feeling. “What in the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know,” he responded, shaking his head. The long black silk of his hair flowed around his shoulders with his movement, and his face was as unyielding as stone.
“I know your face,” she whispered, shaking her head, feeling the knot in her throat rise and threaten to choke her. “Why do I know you?”
As he shrugged, she felt her eyes drawn to the thick pad of muscle that covered his shoulder. He wore dull black clothing that resembled leather, but she suspected it served a more serious purpose than just standard clothing. The sleeveless shirt ended at his waist, a trim narrow waist, and her eyes traveled on down the long muscled length of his legs, also covered with the weird pseudoleather. Licking her lips, she stared back into his eyes.
“I think I’ve had enough of this,” she muttered, more to herself than anything. Shoving to her feet, she looked around and wondered why in the hell she hadn’t made that call to the shrink. “Get me back home and I’ll make the call. I swear.”
“You can’t go back so easily now,” he murmured, his eyes scanning around them as he moved closer. “The doorway that let you in has closed. I don’t understand how you crossed over as it is.”
As he started across the uneven ground, she stepped back, but a sharp rock cut into the tender flesh of her instep and she flinched.
“So I’m stuck here?” she demanded, terror seizing her as she thought of never seeing home again.
A tiny smile finally appeared on his granite-hard face. “Well, most people would be. I doubt you are. You’ll find a way. But it will take some time,” he said. “But while you’re here . . . I’ve a promise to keep.”
“A promise?” she whispered.
The smile widened and his eyes gleamed with devilish intent. It should have warned her, but before she could even think of moving away, hard, scarred hands were cupping and lifting her face, as his mouth lowered and took hers. Lee gasped as
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