Free Eternal Starling (Emblem of Eternity Trilogy) by Angela Corbett Page A

flowers. Across the street, I could see ducks swimming around a small pond, feathers shimmering in the moonlight. I thought we were alone until I noticed a man walking around the perimeter of the pond. From our vantage point on the bench, I could see the man, but we were hidden from him by the trees. He was tall, maybe as tall as Alex, with wavy blonde hair. As he stepped under a park light, I saw that he had a strange red mark that resembled a spider web circling his arm. The web seemed to wrap up his bicep and down his forearm almost like the pattern of a candy cane. I snickered, thinking the guy would seriously regret that tattoo when Spiderman wasn’t popular anymore.
    Alex noticed my laugh and followed my gaze. He glimpsed the man briefly, a mix of anger and panic crossing his face as he gripped my hand. Alex’s eyes darted around the park. He immediately grabbed my arm and we were moving. I stumbled, unprepared for the sudden location change, and dropped my ice cream.
    “Hey! What are you doing?” I asked. He had ruined the serene moment and made me drop my dessert.
    “Shhh!” The noise he made was harsh. “Follow me and don’t say a word,” he whispered, shooting me a stern look. Alex pulled me behind him and we were almost sprinting. I looked back and couldn’t believe how far we’d already run. The pond was out of sight. We wound our way through a grove of trees on the outskirts of the park where the leaves obscured our presence. We stopped for a moment while Alex’s eyes flashed back and forth.
    We were only there seconds when Alex grabbed my arm again, directing me down a darkened alleyway. It seemed the street would have been a safer choice. Whatever Alex thought he saw, it would be better to be in a place we could get help if we needed it instead of winding through broken alleys of cracked asphalt, the moon providing the only available light.
    But, in record time, we reached Alex’s Audi. He grasped the handle and almost pushed me into the passenger seat. Within seconds, he was next to me, turning the key in the ignition.
    “What’s going on?” I asked, out of breath and a bit panicked. “What happened back there?”
    Alex stayed silent.
    “Alex, tell me why you dragged me three blocks and are now doing eighty miles an hour down a road you should be going forty on. Jeez! And you say I drive like a bat out of hell.”
    His usual cocky smile and relaxed demeanor had been replaced with tight lips and a serious expression. “I saw something,” he said, “that’s all.”
    “Saw what?”
    He took a breath. “There was a man walking by the pond. I thought I recognized him.”
    “So you reacted like a maniac?” I asked. “Most people say hello when they see someone they know; they don’t run away.” I couldn’t understand what would prompt a response like that.
    Alex’s temples pulsed. He was holding the steering wheel with such force that I was sure the shape of his fingers would be embedded into the wheel when he released his grip. This was definitely a side of Alex I hadn’t seen before. This side was enraged. Once we were out of Gunnison and driving through the canyon, Alex calmed down and said, “Some acquaintances are not the kind you ever want to see again.”
    Now that he was talking, I was going to get some answers. “Who was he? Why did you run? I felt like you were the Secret Service or something!”
    Minutes ticked by without a response. I was starting to wonder if he would answer me at all when he said, “He’s not a good person. I didn’t want him to see me, or you—and I especially didn’t want him to see me with you.”
    I thought about it for a second. “Well, maybe he’s changed,” I suggested.
    Alex’s face was strained and his voice hard when he spoke. “He. Has. Not.”
    “How do you know?” I asked. “When was the last time you saw him?”
    “I just know. I need you to trust me on this.” There was a warning in his tone that made me shiver and the