Read Online Waking Dreams (A Soul's Mark Novella) by Ashley Stoyanoff - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ashley Stoyanoff
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I’ve been hiding in a cave.”
Hiding in a cave! a voice in his mind hissed. That did him in, and he lost the
little bit of control he had left. His fangs snapped down, tearing through his
gums in a blink.
Megan whimpered, and brought both of her
hands to her mouth. Her eyes shimmered with terrified tears. “Oh my God, you
… you … have fangs.” Her voice was muffled, her hands blocking the sound. She
tried to move again, sliding backwards towards the thin part of the branch and
further away from him. It began to sag and crack, and then it snapped.
Eric reached out a hand to grab her, but he
wasn’t fast enough. Megan screamed, a bloodcurdling scream, and her arms
flapped wildly about her. “I’m coming to find you,” he yelled, as she fell. He
focused on sending her back, mentally pushing the image of her away, and just
before her body hit the ground, she vanished from sight.
CHAPTER 12
That didn’t turn out so well, Eric thought miserably, as he looked at the broken tree branch
lying below him. Scaring her hadn’t really been part of the plan, and it
definitely wasn’t something she needed right now.
Eric let out a deep sigh. In the back of
his mind, he could hear Megan calling him, begging him to come back to her, and
for a moment, he thought about doing just that. She whispered apologies.
Urging him to believe that she was not scared, even calling him her hero. His
heart twisted and thumped erratically. A flash of her neck flitted across his
vision. Her soft ivory skin tinted pink as the blood moved underneath the odd
marking inked upon her skin. It resembled a figure eight, with a solid line
passing through the center of the bottom loop. The outline of it burned brightly,
illuminating and glowing in his mind, as if his brain was forcing him to see
it. The glow beat in time with her heartbeat, pulsing out towards him. She
called to him again. Just his name floating around his head, and then all of a
sudden, she was gone. Her scent, her smile, the mark … all of it faded into a
small and distant memory.
He shifted his weight on the branch,
looking behind him, and as he did, he cringed. Maybe he should have been more
specific with his questions. All he could see were rolling mountains
stretching out as far as his eyes would reach.
Eric sat there staring, feeling utterly
defeated, for a long moment. He was pretty sure that even at top speed it
would take him close to a day to reach the bottom of the first mountain. His
throat was on fire, he was starving—again—and Megan was in the mountains being
hunted because of him. For the first time since the day he had found out what
he had become, Eric wished Mitchell had never saved him, and he had died in the
field, alone.
****
Starvation was a bitter companion. Since
becoming a vampire, Eric had never gone this long without blood, and as the
hours passed, his mind began to play tricks on him. With every turn he made,
he witnessed Megan’s death, each time a more brutal death than the last.
Everything he saw was washed in a permanent
crimson haze, and his fangs would not retreat no matter what he tried. But
still he pressed forwards.
After his initial desperate defeat, Eric
had noticed something. It was small, and he almost missed it, but it was
there. A soft pull around his heart, like a wire tightening and humming,
pulling him blindly towards the mountains, and the closer he got, and the more
frightened Megan became, the stronger it was.
For the first night in weeks, the seemingly
endless snow had finally stopped falling. The inky black sky was alive with a
blanket of stars, and the moon shone brightly, casting a silver glow upon the
snowy ground.
Eric was closing in on the first mountain,
the base of it finally coming into sight. He pushed himself a bit harder,
trying to run faster. He kept Megan’s smile at the forefront of his mind,
pushing away all other
Hiding in a cave! a voice in his mind hissed. That did him in, and he lost the
little bit of control he had left. His fangs snapped down, tearing through his
gums in a blink.
Megan whimpered, and brought both of her
hands to her mouth. Her eyes shimmered with terrified tears. “Oh my God, you
… you … have fangs.” Her voice was muffled, her hands blocking the sound. She
tried to move again, sliding backwards towards the thin part of the branch and
further away from him. It began to sag and crack, and then it snapped.
Eric reached out a hand to grab her, but he
wasn’t fast enough. Megan screamed, a bloodcurdling scream, and her arms
flapped wildly about her. “I’m coming to find you,” he yelled, as she fell. He
focused on sending her back, mentally pushing the image of her away, and just
before her body hit the ground, she vanished from sight.
CHAPTER 12
That didn’t turn out so well, Eric thought miserably, as he looked at the broken tree branch
lying below him. Scaring her hadn’t really been part of the plan, and it
definitely wasn’t something she needed right now.
Eric let out a deep sigh. In the back of
his mind, he could hear Megan calling him, begging him to come back to her, and
for a moment, he thought about doing just that. She whispered apologies.
Urging him to believe that she was not scared, even calling him her hero. His
heart twisted and thumped erratically. A flash of her neck flitted across his
vision. Her soft ivory skin tinted pink as the blood moved underneath the odd
marking inked upon her skin. It resembled a figure eight, with a solid line
passing through the center of the bottom loop. The outline of it burned brightly,
illuminating and glowing in his mind, as if his brain was forcing him to see
it. The glow beat in time with her heartbeat, pulsing out towards him. She
called to him again. Just his name floating around his head, and then all of a
sudden, she was gone. Her scent, her smile, the mark … all of it faded into a
small and distant memory.
He shifted his weight on the branch,
looking behind him, and as he did, he cringed. Maybe he should have been more
specific with his questions. All he could see were rolling mountains
stretching out as far as his eyes would reach.
Eric sat there staring, feeling utterly
defeated, for a long moment. He was pretty sure that even at top speed it
would take him close to a day to reach the bottom of the first mountain. His
throat was on fire, he was starving—again—and Megan was in the mountains being
hunted because of him. For the first time since the day he had found out what
he had become, Eric wished Mitchell had never saved him, and he had died in the
field, alone.
****
Starvation was a bitter companion. Since
becoming a vampire, Eric had never gone this long without blood, and as the
hours passed, his mind began to play tricks on him. With every turn he made,
he witnessed Megan’s death, each time a more brutal death than the last.
Everything he saw was washed in a permanent
crimson haze, and his fangs would not retreat no matter what he tried. But
still he pressed forwards.
After his initial desperate defeat, Eric
had noticed something. It was small, and he almost missed it, but it was
there. A soft pull around his heart, like a wire tightening and humming,
pulling him blindly towards the mountains, and the closer he got, and the more
frightened Megan became, the stronger it was.
For the first night in weeks, the seemingly
endless snow had finally stopped falling. The inky black sky was alive with a
blanket of stars, and the moon shone brightly, casting a silver glow upon the
snowy ground.
Eric was closing in on the first mountain,
the base of it finally coming into sight. He pushed himself a bit harder,
trying to run faster. He kept Megan’s smile at the forefront of his mind,
pushing away all other
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