Demon Day Penelope Fletcher (which ebook reader TXT) 📖

and stretched my influencebeyond myself, I had touched on other receptive minds by accident,not realizing that I was drawn to them by the buzz. When I closedmy eyes, I could sense live things and that was probably why mysense of direction was so good.

With Breandan beside me, it was a tadoverwhelming. The bond was a pulsing that had settled over my skin,content for the time being since I had skin-to-skin contact withBreandan. Couple that with my sense of his aura and just him beingthere … next to me … it was a troublesome thing in itself … he wasdistracting.

Pursing my lips, I stopped; rockedback on one heel and smiled when he turned to question the holdup.

I let my gaze drift over his face.He’d not pulled his glamour on, not now I was used to seeing him inhis true form. I myself had not glamoured myself human sinceBreandan had been injured. His hair was short and I wondered whatit would be like long, as dark as his eyebrows, perhaps. Then therewas his strong jaw and firm lips. And always his eyes, captivatingsilver-blue irises. They shone like stars under his heavy brow,which cast a shadow that stopped at the tip of his bold nose. Hisskin –lustrous cream to my dusky hue – was covered with black inktattoos. I still caught myself being shocked when I glanced at himor took my time to study their meaning. His arms and chest werecovered in swirling intricate designs and incantations, some inlanguages I had never seen before. Creatures and flowers weresprawled across his chest and ancient patterns seemed to shimmerand shift the longer I stared. I had never seen the like. Wouldthey truly protect him from witchcraft and darkermagics?

My eyes slipped down, taking all ofhim in. It was so easy to get hung up on his face or the presenceof him that I forgot to appreciate his body. He was solid, andradiated heat, and life. His legs were long and strong. His posturefaultless, but instead of looking stoic and uncomfortable, helooked infallible and mighty.

Belonging to him felt easier by themoment.

I flushed and bit my lip, ignoring hisquirked eyebrow and knowing gaze. His thumb rubbed small circles onmy wrist as he waited. He never seemed to mind when I ogled him,which was often a lengthy and meticulous practice I thoroughlyenjoyed.

I cleared my throat and asked, “Whereare we going?”

“Oh, there is a lakenearby. I want to share it with you.”

This caught my attention. “A lake?I’ve seen the river and a few ponds, but I’ve never seen a lake …or the sea.” However, I had seen pictures.

“One day I will take you.You would love the open water. It is soothing and smells like salt.The waves crash into the beach and makes soft foam about your toes.The water is cold, but refreshing. Cleansing.”

“You’d really take mewouldn’t you?” I marveled at how so simple a promise could make mefeel so warm inside. “I mean, you’re not just saying that to benice.”

He did not answer, but I was filledwith warmth and affection, an impression of positivity. My earsstrained to hear the ‘yes’ I expected after the feeling. Howstrange. I shook the feeling off and blinked when I took inBreandan’s expectant gaze.

It was the way he stood, waiting,watching, and almost on the verge of asking me to react.

“Did you just say yes?” Iasked slowly. My eyes widened as I thought on the odd reactions orfeelings I had been having. “Have you been telling me things likethat for a while?”

He swept me up into a crushing hug andswung me around, beaming a huge smile that had me feeling dizzy.“Only since the first time I knew you belonged to me. At last youcan feel it.” He set me down still smiling broadly. “Our bondgrows.”

He seemed so completely happy therewas no way for me to get prissy about this or think up a reason tobe upset.

“You can send me messagesthrough the bond?”

“Faint ones. Never will webe able to say more than a few words, maybe if we are deep inmeditation. We will be able to sense each other’s moods andfeelings, be able to send each other impressions of what we desireor need.”

My fairy-boy was not one for gushingsentences so listening to him rhapsodize over this new aspect toour connection had me as excited as he was.

“Can I try?”

“Oh yes.” He nodded sosharply it bordered on enthusiastic. “Try.”

Shrugging out my shoulders, I grippedhis hand tighter and focused on the idea for a kiss. Sending him athought was like trying to hiccup and speak at the same time. Mytummy was clenched so tight and my face so squished I couldn’t seeanymore.

There was a faint pressure on my lips.My face relaxed and my eyes widened. I flung my arms around hisneck and pressed myself into him.

“It worked,” I crowed,delighted.

He frowned then chuckled; facestrained as he tried to hide his disappointment. “No.”

Crestfallen, I released him and rubbedmy nose, unhappy that I could not tap into the bond for somethingso simple when Breandan could send me waves of love and an answerto a question clear enough for me to understand it.

“Give it time,” he soothedand stroked a fingertip down the bridge of my nose, across my lips.My heart fluttered. “You may find you can only use it in time ofgreat need, not that I will never be so far that you need to relyon the bond.” He paused but then shook off whatever dark thoughthad cast a brief shadow across his face. “Alright?”

Mollified, I let him tug me on, butkept trying to send him messages until my head hurt from trying topush thoughts through nothing but bloody air.

I saw a flicker of light ahead andnoticed the air changed. A musty tang saturated the atmosphere,rotting wood, and leaves. A wispy mist crept along the ground androse higher the further we moved until minuscule water dropletsspeckled my face and cooled my cheeks. The grass got lower, movingfrom our waists to our knees until it was a flat and chunky carpetof blunted blades the colour of ash. The grass became lumps ofrock, pastel colored