Read Online Time Everlastin' Book 5 by Mickee Madden - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mickee Madden
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forward, wound his arms about Cuttstone's chest and
pushed off the balls of his bare feet. Both tumbled into the Light,
becoming swallowed up in the ethereal passage.
"Lachlan!" Beth
wailed.
Stephen Miles stopped his
approach to the portal, just long enough to convey a visual message
of sorrow to the stunned onlookers. Then, he, too, vanished inside
the Light.
In the span of a heartbeat,
the aperture closed.
In shocked denial, Beth
stood frozen, unaware of the others, unaware of anything but the
horrendous grief swelling behind her breast. Next she knew, a
tearful Laura applied a cold, wet cloth to her brow, snapping her
out of her stupor. She was in the parlor, sitting on the settee,
Laura kneeling in front of her. Alby sat curled between her and
Blue, pressed to Beth's side, sobbing, his face buried in his small
hands. Everyone in the household was present, all eyes on her,
their sorrow tangible, oppressive.
"No," she said, tears
spilling down her cheeks. "He'll come back."
"He'll find a way," said
Laura, her own face wet with tears, her voice not as reassuring as
she hoped.
"Damn me, I should have done
somethin'!" Roan sputtered and raked the fingers of one hand
through his disheveled hair. "It all happened so bloody
fast."
A few feet away, Jondee held
Ciarda, Beth and Lachlan's daughter. His wings retracted, he looked
like a young teenager, his handsome features shadowed with
puzzlement.
Laura's mother, Lauren,
cradled their sleeping son, Broc, against her bosom, her face taut
and wan, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
The cold October air outside
was degrees warmer than in the room. Beth shivered uncontrollably,
her teeth chattering.
"I didna know wha' to do,"
Deliah said in a small, quavering voice. Her hands moved
unconsciously over her protruding belly. "Shamefully, I be afeared
for ma younglin'. I couldna think—"
"No one is to blame," Beth
murmured, cutting her off. "Lachlan did what he felt he must. He—"
Her voice broke. "We have to believe—"
A preternatural sound of
rendering burst upon the house. The twins woke, wailing. Alby, Kahl
and Kevin clamped their hands over their ears. The adults remained
transfixed, terror-induced anticipation robbing them of their
ability to move. Countless, spectral voices chorused, the shrill
cacophony piercing the eardrums of the living.
Then...heart-stopping
silence.
Moments passed. The twins
quieted. The boys lowered their hands. The adults released pented
breaths.
"Fegs!" intruded a familiar
voice from the hall. "I willna do tha' again!"
Lachlan staggered into the
parlor, looking like a man who hadn't slept for months, his hair
standing on end from static electricity. Laura unsteadily rose to
her feet and moved aside, her mouth agape, her eyes wide and
blinking in disbelief. Lachlan grinned sheepishly at everyone he
passed, and came to a shuffling stop across from Beth.
"His Mightyship tossed me
ou'," he said with a comical lift of his broad
shoulders.
"God?" Beth whispered, too
stunned yet to move.
"Och, aye. He gave me the
boot, right enough." Lachlan thoughtfully scratched behind an ear.
"Och, lass, He gave me the distinct impression He wasna wantin' to
see me again so soon."
Beth felt Alby shift away
from her side. A glance revealed he was beaming up at Lachlan,
freeing her to rocket to her feet and throw her arms around
Lachlan's neck.
"I thought...I
thought...."
"I know, Beth-lass," he said
against her hair. He wound his arms about her, molding her against
him, and sighed contentedly. "The ghosties are gone, love. They'll
no' be back."
"Those v-voices w-we heard,"
she stammered.
"I dinna know," Lachlan
said.
"How did Cuttstone get
through?" Laura asked.
"I dinna know tha', either.
Fortunately, he wasna fully transformed. Orwise, I wouldna been
able to push him through."
"But you entered the Light
and returned," Laura argued.
"Aye." Lachlan's eyebrows
lifted. "But Cuttstone isna me, is he?" he added with a devilish
grin.
Beth loosened
pushed off the balls of his bare feet. Both tumbled into the Light,
becoming swallowed up in the ethereal passage.
"Lachlan!" Beth
wailed.
Stephen Miles stopped his
approach to the portal, just long enough to convey a visual message
of sorrow to the stunned onlookers. Then, he, too, vanished inside
the Light.
In the span of a heartbeat,
the aperture closed.
In shocked denial, Beth
stood frozen, unaware of the others, unaware of anything but the
horrendous grief swelling behind her breast. Next she knew, a
tearful Laura applied a cold, wet cloth to her brow, snapping her
out of her stupor. She was in the parlor, sitting on the settee,
Laura kneeling in front of her. Alby sat curled between her and
Blue, pressed to Beth's side, sobbing, his face buried in his small
hands. Everyone in the household was present, all eyes on her,
their sorrow tangible, oppressive.
"No," she said, tears
spilling down her cheeks. "He'll come back."
"He'll find a way," said
Laura, her own face wet with tears, her voice not as reassuring as
she hoped.
"Damn me, I should have done
somethin'!" Roan sputtered and raked the fingers of one hand
through his disheveled hair. "It all happened so bloody
fast."
A few feet away, Jondee held
Ciarda, Beth and Lachlan's daughter. His wings retracted, he looked
like a young teenager, his handsome features shadowed with
puzzlement.
Laura's mother, Lauren,
cradled their sleeping son, Broc, against her bosom, her face taut
and wan, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
The cold October air outside
was degrees warmer than in the room. Beth shivered uncontrollably,
her teeth chattering.
"I didna know wha' to do,"
Deliah said in a small, quavering voice. Her hands moved
unconsciously over her protruding belly. "Shamefully, I be afeared
for ma younglin'. I couldna think—"
"No one is to blame," Beth
murmured, cutting her off. "Lachlan did what he felt he must. He—"
Her voice broke. "We have to believe—"
A preternatural sound of
rendering burst upon the house. The twins woke, wailing. Alby, Kahl
and Kevin clamped their hands over their ears. The adults remained
transfixed, terror-induced anticipation robbing them of their
ability to move. Countless, spectral voices chorused, the shrill
cacophony piercing the eardrums of the living.
Then...heart-stopping
silence.
Moments passed. The twins
quieted. The boys lowered their hands. The adults released pented
breaths.
"Fegs!" intruded a familiar
voice from the hall. "I willna do tha' again!"
Lachlan staggered into the
parlor, looking like a man who hadn't slept for months, his hair
standing on end from static electricity. Laura unsteadily rose to
her feet and moved aside, her mouth agape, her eyes wide and
blinking in disbelief. Lachlan grinned sheepishly at everyone he
passed, and came to a shuffling stop across from Beth.
"His Mightyship tossed me
ou'," he said with a comical lift of his broad
shoulders.
"God?" Beth whispered, too
stunned yet to move.
"Och, aye. He gave me the
boot, right enough." Lachlan thoughtfully scratched behind an ear.
"Och, lass, He gave me the distinct impression He wasna wantin' to
see me again so soon."
Beth felt Alby shift away
from her side. A glance revealed he was beaming up at Lachlan,
freeing her to rocket to her feet and throw her arms around
Lachlan's neck.
"I thought...I
thought...."
"I know, Beth-lass," he said
against her hair. He wound his arms about her, molding her against
him, and sighed contentedly. "The ghosties are gone, love. They'll
no' be back."
"Those v-voices w-we heard,"
she stammered.
"I dinna know," Lachlan
said.
"How did Cuttstone get
through?" Laura asked.
"I dinna know tha', either.
Fortunately, he wasna fully transformed. Orwise, I wouldna been
able to push him through."
"But you entered the Light
and returned," Laura argued.
"Aye." Lachlan's eyebrows
lifted. "But Cuttstone isna me, is he?" he added with a devilish
grin.
Beth loosened
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