Free Storm (Blood Haze: Book Two) A Paranormal Romance by Tara Shuler

more to this,” I said. “It
    couldn’t have been me. I’m not special.”
    “You’re more special than you know,” Max
    whispered, holding my chin and staring deep into
    my eyes.
    When he looked at me that way, it made me
    weak. Kai was my world. He was so gentle and
    so beautiful. I loved him as much as I could ever
    imagine loving anyone. Yet, somehow when Max
    looked at me with those dark eyes – those coffee
    colored eyes, nearly black and brooding – all of
    my resolve melted away.
    I felt his lips, warm and moist, close over
    mine. My eyes were closed, but I didn’t
    remember closing them. He took my face in his
    hands, and my hands closed over his wrists. His
    kiss was gentler than it had ever been.
    “Wait…” I whispered.
    He pulled away and looked at me. “What is
    it?”
    “Kai,” I said softly.
    Max’s face hardened. I saw the muscles in his
    jaw tense and relax several times.
    “Kai,” Max repeated with scorn.
    Max’s hands dropped to his lap, and he leaned
    back against his seat. He closed his eyes, and I
    saw his hands clench and unclench.
    “Max…” I whispered, touching his arm.
    He jerked away. “Don’t,” he said, shaking his
    head, his eyes still closed.
    I sighed, and leaned back in my own seat. How
    could I screw my life up so badly? I had not one,
    but two incredible guys in love with me, and
    somehow I managed to alienate both of them.
    How could this happen?
    Beyond that, what had happened in that
    clearing? I remembered everything turning red
    and hazy, and I remembered the shocking clarity I
    could perceive through that haze.
    Then I suddenly remembered another moment
    when I’d seen that same haze. It was only a brief
    flash, but it was real. The night I met Kai and his
    mother had hit him and burned his hand on the
    stove... I’d seen it. It was gone in a flash – so
    quickly I’d barely realized it had happened – but I
    remembered it now.
    That night I’d felt much the same as I had felt
    in the clearing. I had watched in horror as Kai’s
    mother hurt him, and I felt so much rage that I
    wanted to hurt her . In the clearing, it was Max
    being hurt, and I wanted to hurt his attacker. It
    was me.
    “Max,” I gasped. “It was me!”
    “What was you?” Max asked, confused.
    “In the clearing!” I shouted. “It was me!”
    I noticed several passengers turning to stare at
    me, and I lowered my voice. “I remember it,
    Max. It was me. When it happened, I saw a red
    haze in front of my eyes. It was like blood. That
    must have been what you saw in my eyes.”
    “Wow,” Max breathed.
    “I saw it once before,” I said. “The haze. It
    happened a few months ago, but it only lasted a
    second.”
    “This
    has
    happened before ?” he asked
    incredulously.
    “The haze, yes,” I admitted. “But not the…
    other stuff.”
    “What do you remember from the clearing?”
    he wanted to know.
    “I remember seeing the haze,” I said. “I
    remember it seemed like time slowed down so
    much it almost stopped, and I ran over to Alexi
    and touched him on the forehead. I don’t even
    know why I did it, I just felt this overwhelming
    compulsion to do it. I saw him relax his grip on
    the dagger, and it started to fall so slowly it was
    almost imperceptible. Then I grabbed your hand
    and ran as fast as I could. When we were on the
    other side of the clearing, I felt an overwhelming
    weakness. I heard this weird low-pitched
    whooshing sound, and everything sped up again.
    I turned and saw Alexi fall to the ground, and
    then everything went black.”
    Max nodded. “That’s sort of what I remember,
    except it all happened in a flash. I saw you touch
    him, then we were on the other side of the
    clearing and you fainted. I picked you up and ran
    back to the parking lot with you.”
    “Is Alexi… dead?” I asked.
    “I don’t know,” Max admitted. “I didn’t wait
    around to find out.”
    “How did he find you?” I asked.
    “He called me and said he had you at