Blood Secrets - By Jeannie Holmes Page 0,36
from her clothing. “Varik!”
Her call echoed in the forest.
“Where are you?” She drew a deep breath, preparing another call.
A shadow peeled from the base of a nearby tree and stepped forward.
Alex watched as a young boy—she would guess his age to be no more than four or five—moved into the clearing with her. Black hair framed an angelic face dominated by large warm brown eyes that stared at her with open curiosity.
“Hello,” he said with a hint of an English accent.
“Hi,” Alex responded, uncertain.
“Are you lost?”
“Sort of. I’m looking for a friend.”
“I know.”
She frowned. “How do you know that?”
“I heard you call his name.” He smiled. “My name is Edward. What’s your name?”
“Alex.”
He giggled. “That’s a boy’s name.”
Alex looked at him more closely, noticing the way his clothing clung to his tiny body as if it was soaked through. Other things began to stand out. The ashen color of his skin. Dark circles under his eyes. Water dripping from his hair onto his collar. But it was the hair, the eyes, and the smile that sent her mind reeling. She’d seen them all before, on someone else. “Edward, who—”
The leaves rustled overhead, and the boy stepped back. “I have to go now.”
“No, wait!” Alex followed, but he melded with the shadows once more and disappeared. “Damn it!”
Wind picked up, ruffled her hair, and carried the familiar smell of sandalwood and cinnamon. The breeze settled and a scent of leather wrapped around her, prickling her skin.
Phantom arms encircled her.
She pushed against the unseen force enveloping her. The smell of sandalwood and cinnamon strengthened her. Warmth filled her and she drew on the connection to fight the entity that had her in its grips. She thrust it away from her, leaving the stench of old blood in its wake, and she gagged.
The shadow darted into the trees.
She chased after it, calling to Varik as she ran. His scent grew stronger the farther she ran into the forest.
“Alex!” Varik’s call rang out from somewhere to her right. “Where are you?”
The wraith she chased shrieked in fury and shot heavenward.
She stopped her pursuit. “Over here!”
Varik appeared before her, dashing through the trees. He rushed forward and swept her into his arms. He lifted her from her feet, kissed her hard, and spun her around. Even after he broke the kiss, he continued to crush her to him. “I heard that scream and thought I’d lost you.”
“No, I’m fine. It was the shadow-thing, and you can put me down now. I’d like to breathe again.”
He traded his embrace for a firm grip on her hand. “Where the hell are we?” he asked, looking around at the trees.
Alex’s gaze swept the area. “The Shadowlands. It’s sort of a—”
“Metaphysical no-man’s-land.”
She stared at him. “Yeah. How do you know that?”
He tapped his temple. “Blood-bond.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Plus, you talk in your sleep.”
“I do not!”
“You also have very noisy and vivid dreams.”
“Excuse me?”
He grinned. “I especially liked the one featuring you, me, and the chocolate fountain. Seemed a little messy but I’m willing to give it a shot.”
Her face warmed. “We agreed to stay out of each other’s heads, damn it!”
His arms slipped around her waist, pulling her close. “I’m keeping my end of the bargain. It’s not my fault your brain leaks.”
Alex grunted in disgust and pushed him away. “Whatever. None of this matters right now. We have to get you out of here before that shadow-thing comes back.”
“Me? You mean us.”
She ignored his correction and pointed to a distant patch of sunlight. “There’s a break in the trees over there. Hopefully we can reach it before either the shadow-thing or a sweeper finds us.”
“What the fuck is a sweeper?”
“Big tornado that moves through the Shadowlands. It finds unauthorized consciousnesses and kicks them out. You and I qualify as unauthorized.”
“What do you have to do to be authorized?”
“You have to be dead.”
“That sucks.”
“Yeah, so let’s go before one shows up.”
As she strode forward, Varik dug in his heels, his hold on her hand keeping her from leaving. “Hang on. How do you know so much about this place?”
“We don’t have time to play twenty questions.”
“I know this isn’t your first time in the Shadowlands. How many times have you been here?”
She chewed on her lip and avoided making eye contact.
He ducked his head into her line of sight, forcing her to look at him. “Alex?”
“I don’t know. I lost count.”
“This is how you’ve been spending your suspension? Wandering the Shadowlands?”
“I wasn’t wandering. I had a purpose.”
“And that purpose