Dying Wish: A Novel of the Sentinel Wars

Free Dying Wish: A Novel of the Sentinel Wars by Shannon K. Butcher Page B

Book: Dying Wish: A Novel of the Sentinel Wars by Shannon K. Butcher Read Free Book Online
Authors: Shannon K. Butcher
Tags: Fiction, General, Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal
breath. “She’s beautiful.”
    “Yes,” he agreed.
    “And you miss her, even after all these years?”
    “I loved her.” And now he couldn’t even remember what that had felt like. Sorrow, joy, eagerness…all of those he could remember, but love had been lost to him for a long time.
    “I’m sorry,” she whispered as she closed the locket and handed it back to him.
    Her bare skin accidentally brushed his, and his constant pain fled for that single, brief moment. And there was a flash of something else—something he couldn’t quite recognize—as if a curtain had been parted for a split second, only to fall back into place before his eyes had time to focus. Then her touch was gone, and agony came crashing back.
    He braced himself for its return, but it was always worse than it had been before. Every time he stopped touching her, the pain was more intense, more demanding. It sliced through his skin, cutting deep. It ground at his bones and crushed his organs. His blood caught fire, scorching his veins as his entire world lit up with agony.It took every ounce of discipline and self-control not to draw his blade and lash out at the one who’d hurt him. Jackie. He could kill her so easily. It wouldn’t even take any effort at all to break her slender neck so she could never again hurt him.
    The monster in him cheered at the idea, banging at its bars. One moment of freedom. That’s all the beast needed to make the pain stop.
    He locked his knees, gritted his teeth, and tried to remember to breathe through the pain, but with lightning bouncing around inside his skull, thought was nearly impossible.
    Jackie gasped. “I keep forgetting about that,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”
    Her words were a hollow echo at the end of a long tunnel. The pain bore down on him, making everything else inconsequential. All he could think about was making it stop. Forcing
her
to make it stop.
    He reached for her blindly, knowing that only she could end this torment. His fingers found smooth fabric. Her sleeves. He quested up until he found the warmth of her neck and face.
    Instantly, the agony eased, as if he’d been doused in cool water, washing it all away. He was left feeling buoyant, light. The monster that was his constant companion quieted, no longer screaming and pounding at his insides. He felt…at peace for the first time in years, perhaps decades.
    He couldn’t let her take that away, sending him spiraling back inside the pain. If she did, he wasn’t sure he could remember not to kill her.
    Iain’s vision had not yet returned, so he couldn’t read her face. He pulled her tight against his chest, spearing his fingers through her hair to hold her in place. He could feel her rapid breathing washing out over his arm, feel her frantic heartbeat beating against his chest.
    He’d scared her.
    Something faint fluttered inside of him—some feeling he’d lost long ago. He didn’t like her fear. He liked even less that he’d been the one to cause it. He wished he could take her fear away and give her some sense of happiness and safety.
    “I won’t hurt you,” he said, hoping it was true. He couldn’t think of what else he could say to make her feel better. He couldn’t stop touching her. Not yet, not with his pain lurking, huge and terrifying.
    “Let me go,” she said, but it wasn’t a command. Her voice was weak and breathless.
    “I will. Just give me a minute. Please.” He needed time to regain control and ensure that his beast was safely caged.
    He felt her give a tentative nod. He could smell the shampoo she’d used, along with something else. He dragged the scent into himself, trying to figure out what it was, and why he found it so compelling.
    Slowly, his sight returned. At first it was only gray, but then the color returned, too, as his field of vision expanded.
    He spotted their reflection in the mirrored closet doors and froze. She was leaning into him, as if he’d pulled her off-balance. Her cheek

Similar Books

Dracula's Secret

Linda Mercury

Carlota

Scott O’Dell

BoundByLaw

Viola Grace

Straits of Hell

Taylor Anderson

Keeping Her

Kelly Lucille

Taste Me

Tamara Hogan