Read Online Vampire Wake (Kiera Hudson Series #2) by Tim O'Rourke - Free Book Online

his one good eye boring into mine.
    “Whatcha looking at, copper?” he almost seemed to growl, his top lip rolling back in a snarl.
    Without saying anything, and with my heart in my throat, I skulked back into my room. Shutting the windows, I pulled the curtains closed. Crossing back to the dressing table, I snatched up the candle. To be holding the candle made me feel safer somehow. But what was I scared of? And why did I need to feel safe? The poor guy had probably had years of people staring at him, pointing the finger and making fun. This place was probably his sanctuary against all that, and there I was staring at him.
    There was a door leading from my room, just to the right of the window. Crossing to it, I pushed it open to reveal a large bathroom. There was a deep bath that stood on four metal legs. It looked big enough to take a swim in. There was a toilet, basin, and shower. Taking my rucksack from where I had left it on the floor, I rummaged around for my wash kit. Stripping to my underwear, I washed my face, cleaned my teeth, and got into bed. Pulling the blankets up under my chin, I suddenly felt tired. Blowing out the candle, I lay in the blackness, and listened to the sound of Marshal’s feet crunching over the gravel as he paced up and down beneath my window.

Chapter Six
    The door to my flat was pushed open. The male crept in, closing the door behind him, making himself feel secure, unable to be seen from prying eyes. Creeping across the room, he drew the curtain on the night and switched on his torch. Keeping the beam of light low, he swept it over the piles of newspapers that cluttered the room.
    Kicking out with his foot, he knocked a pile over. Bending, he thumbed through them, his hands gloved, so as not to leave any fingerprints. Turning on another pile, he did the same, spreading the newspapers across the floor.
    What are you doing? I wanted to ask him, but the words wouldn’t leave my throat. In the darkness I couldn’t see his face, although there was something about him that was vaguely familiar.
    Who are you and what do you want?
    From the shadows of my bedroom door, I watched him.
    He stood and went to one of the walls. Casting the torchlight over it, he looked at the hundreds of paper clippings. Clawing at them with his gloved fingers, he tore them from the wall. Wisps of torn black and white paper fluttered to the floor. I wanted to go to him, to stop him, but my feet felt as if someone had snuck up on me while I wasn’t looking and nailed them to the floor.
    The male turned away from the wall and came towards me. I wanted to move, but I couldn’t. With the glare of the light from his torch shining in my eyes, I couldn’t see his face. I wanted to reach out and grab the torch from his hands. I wanted to know who it was that was ransacking my flat. He came closer and my heart began to thunder in my chest.
    Get out of here! I tried to scream, but my throat felt raw and dry and nothing came out.
    He came straight towards me and my stomach somersaulted. As if I wasn’t there, he passed me and as he did, I caught the first glimpse of his face and I wanted to recoil in fear. It was a mask of hideous scars. And in that brief moment, I saw that not only was his face scarred, but it looked as if the left part of his face was missing. It was almost as if he had been attacked by some wild animal which had ripped that part of his face away. Running diagonally from above his left eye to the right side of his top lip, his face was twisted out of shape where the skin had grown over the gaping wound.
    I wanted to run from him, to get as far away as possible, but I just couldn’t move. He went to my bed and pulled back the covers. Taking hold of one of the pillows, he raised it to his face and inhaled. Once he had finished smelling it, he tossed the pillow to one side. Stooping over, he pulled open the drawers of the dresser that was next to my bed. The male rummaged through it, his movements quick yet