Free Tomorrow Will Be Too Late by Ellen Wolf Page A

the rays of sun that usually brightened her townhouse ’s west side windows reached her, playing peekaboo with the shadows. She could feel their warm fingers on her skin, slowly melting the icy ring that his presence had brought into her home. And with it, the panic set in because she knew, deep down and with unwavering certainty that this nightmare wasn’t over.
    It was just starting , and she was right in the midst of it, the deceptive calm around her making her think of the eye of the storm. The silence wouldn’t last forever, the roaring of the unleashed powers soon pulling her in only to spit her out , battered and bruised. And she wasn’t sure she could survive it.

Three
    Justin looked around the church leisurely, allowing his gaze to travel slowly over the dim interior. His eyes grazed the solemn faces of the saints around the altar, the light falling through the stained-glass windows bathing them with a rainbow of colors. It was a small, old-fashioned church, a far cry from the cathedral - like status Thomas’ s family would have preferred.
    He liked it here, he thought , almost surprised with the path his thoughts were taking. It was peaceful and festive, his mind calming enough to allow him to cast aside the stresses of the last few weeks.
    The main reason for his stress stood just a few feet away , deep in a conversation with Alice and some other women he didn’t know. It didn’t matter, anyway, since he wouldn’t remember any of their names. It was difficult to concentrate on anything else in presence of this slim, dark - haired girl with the pale face and a mouth that promised sweetness he had already explored and could attest to, however unwillingly.
    It was still hard to believe she was here, he thought as he watched the colorful lights illuminate her solemn face, the blue, red and green rays making her look almost ethereal. He thought of paintings from the Middle Ages, where slim damsels in long, flowing robes looked just as somber and delicate as she did. Only she wasn’t really dressed for the part, he had to admit, his mouth twitching. She was dressed very casually , the blue shirt and jeans making her look utterly pure and vulnerable. But she wasn’t that either, was she? He had but to close his eyes to bring back the image of a sultry beauty with enough sex appeal to set the whole town on fire. She definitely set him on fire, he remembered cynically, once again the familiar sensation of anger coming back to him as it had many times before. Was it the fact that she humiliated him so completely , or was it the bitter sense of disappointment that he had failed ? The one and only one time when he had thrown caution to the wind and followed his heart had proven to be the lowest hour of his life.
    ‘ Y ou ’ re one sneaky guy.’ Thomas was suddenly at his side, looking rather frazzled , with sweat glistening on his forehead. He might try to joke and seem lighthearted, but it was obvious that his nerves were eating him up. No amount of friendly bickering could cover it , Justin thought wryly, the panicky expression in his friend’s eyes something he had to get use d to. Thomas had been the most laid - back person he could think of up to this point. His new , frantic behavior had to do with the slim, elegant woman with a dark bob haircut and resolute eyes who was discussing something with the priest.
    ‘Am I really?’ H e grin ned at him, his face relaxed. ‘ And why would that be?’
    ‘ Well , look at Kate,’ his friend offered, visibly pleased with his match - making abilities. ‘ You two seem to be getting along just fine. And here I was wondering what would it take to warm you up after all this lofty talk of writing women off.’
    ‘We seem to have a lot in common , ’ he agreed lazily, his gaze going to Kate. Suddenly, as if she felt his eyes on her, she glanced back, the space between them sizzling with electricity. There could be no one else in the church, he thought dazedly, the