Siren Awakened - C.R. Jane Page 0,31

quickly.”

I wanted to find out secrets about him, weaknesses, but instead, I was left with my heart clenching at his hardship.

The silent pause stretched between us, until he said, “Want to watch a movie?”

“Sure,” I replied. “Something funny please.”

He laughed and got up to collect the remote from near the television. “Let me see what I can find for us.”

Before long, we were both huddled close, his arm around my back and me leaning against his side, the lights out, and the start of the only movie available called JoJo Rabbit. Name sounded funny. We both cuddled like we were at the theater.

It was a strange sensation to feel torn between desperately wanting to give myself over to Alaric and reminding myself constantly that he had been playing me. And more than anything, I wished we could just be together without any complications or deceit. But I worried I was making a bad, bad decision.

Chapter 8

Selena

My eyes fluttered open to silence and an empty hallway. Panic squeezed my insides as I frantically looked around to find myself slumped against the wall while everyone else was locked up in their cell. It had to be the middle of the night by the stillness. I moved to get up when something sharp stabbed my palm. I flinched and looked down to a long black feather with a point at the end, pricking my hand. I tossed it aside.

The primal terror of feeling utterly lost crashed into me. I scrambled to my feet, catching sight of the prison cell I stood next to, the door sitting slightly ajar. Inside, the floor was covered in more black feathers. I scratched my neck, and my hand came back with another feather. My eyes widened as I desperately patted myself, only to find more of the little things all over me like I’d just plucked a chicken.

What was going on with me?

I scanned the rest of the room for what I’d done, finally spotting a taxidermic raven on the floor, completely plucked, its stiff body lying inches away from the back shelves.

I gasped and lifted my gaze to the bunk beds where the two witches from the mess hall were fast asleep. Ice filled my veins.

Slowly recoiling, I held my breath, too afraid to make a sound to wake them and find out what I’d done. What the fuck had I done? I thought they’d gone mad when they’d accused me of stealing their stuff. Except they were right. Oh God, I was losing my mind.

Fright gripped me. When I was far enough away from their room, I turned and ran toward my prison cell. The overhead lights cast a muted glow, my light footfalls hitting the floor. There was no one in sight.

The door to my room was open, and shock rattled through me. Had someone opened the doors on purpose, but why the witches? Shaking, I darted inside and dragged the door shut behind me. I had enough crap going on with me that I didn’t need someone playing pranks on me. Or was this all me?

Last thing I remembered was Alaric walking me back to my room after I’d bawled my eyes out at the movie he picked. Who would put such a funny name on a story revolving around Hitler? By the time I started crying, I was too far invested to stop watching it. But I was left with a shredded heart. Alaric held me as I cried, which only added to my confused emotions, where I knew I had to push him away, but he felt so good at the same time.

And then after dinner, I had gone to sleep like most nights. Shaking, I hugged myself and searched the room for anything out of the ordinary. It all looked normal. So instead, I got undressed, plucked every damn feather I could find and flushed them down the toilet. Then I pulled on new clothes. A quick look in the small, warped mirror near the sink, and I plucked out three more feathers. I leaned close and stared into my eyes to see if anything appeared out of sorts. Aside from some redness from exhaustion, they seemed normal.

I hurried into my bed and ducked under the blankets, curling in on myself. What was wrong with me? I’d broken into someone’s cell to pluck their dead raven?

My teeth chattered from the terror of what I’d just experienced. I clutched the blanket to my chin. The witches had been right. They had

readonlinefreenovel.com Copyright 2016 - 2024