Free The Torn, Book One of the Holding Kate Series by LaDonna Cole

could see over the pockets of mist and noted the sky wasn’t blue, but a bright pink. I assumed it was the sun rising through the mist, but something about the sky made me feel nostalgic, then I remembered the pink fluffy clouds that Corey and I had lived in for an eternity. I reached for his hand and it was there reaching for mine.
    I stared into the beautiful sky for a few moments squeezing Corey’s hand tightly, and then turned to look at him. He was watching me intently, his blue eyes sincere and comforting. I had lived in those eyes, once upon a time.
    “Was it real?” I whispered, lost in the fathomless depths of his gaze.
    “It was.”
    “How do you know?”
    He leaned over to me and stroked the skin on my face, down my jawline, he touched my lips and sketched a line down my neck to my collar bone. I closed my eyes lost in the memory of his skin on mine. He put his lips to my ear and whispered.
    “Because I know every line and lash on your face, every curl of hair on your head, every curve and pulse of your neck. I know nothing more intimately than I know you.”
    “Corey.” I breathed his name and realized I knew him in specific detail too. It had been real. I didn’t quite understand how that was possible, but it was the truth.

A thrill of delight shuddered through me to have his lips so close and I leaned into him. He jerked away and I fell into the vacant space a few inches before catching myself. I snapped my eyes open.
    “Kate, do you feel that?” Corey stretched out on the ledge and hung his head over.
    “What are you doing?” I grabbed onto his shirt, my bruised pride pushed away by my fear of him toppling over the edge. “Don’t fall.”
    “Hey! Come on!” He jumped up and scurried down the side opposite of the one we had ascended. I stood and brushed my pants off as I followed him to the landing below.
    “A cave!” He swept his arm up.
    I turned around and saw the ledge we had dangled our feet over was actually the top of the opening to a hole in the side of the hill.
    “Shelter? Check!” I grinned marking the air with my finger.
    “Let’s explore, shall we?” He held out his elbow to escort me into the opening.
    I snorted. “You don’t quiet have the whole ‘barbaric caveman’ thing down, do you?”
    “Oh, yeah?” He grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder.
    “Corey Chastain! Put me down!”
    He adjusted my weight with a bounce and stalked into the wide opening of the cave. “Me caveman! You Jane!”
    I laughed and squealed and playfully beat at his back. The noise echoed around a large chamber. He flipped me over like a rag doll and set me down on my feet. Then he beat his chest like King Kong, bent his knees, and waddled around making monkey grunts. I doubled over and laughed so hard that tears sprinkled from my eyes.
    He turned a figure eight, then leapt at me tackling me to the sandy cave floor. “Jane like big strong caveman?” He grunted at me and rolled over onto his back pulling me onto his chest.
    “Yeah, Jane like.” I smiled down at him, my hair hung like a curtain around his face.
    “Good, oogh...oogh!” He lifted his chin with each grunt and ran his hands along my back in a very familiar pattern.
    Oh my! Memories of forever assaulted me. How many thousands of years had we been in this very position? Then, there were no restraints. No Trip. No jump to worry about. Just Corey and Kate and a thousand years of loving kisses.
    My heart throttled in my throat as I gazed into his loving eyes. Corey.
    He tensed and cocked his head. He placed a finger over his lips and shifted my weight so he could sit up. He turned his head to listen.
    “Wha…” he locked a finger over my lips, furrowed his brow and shook his head.
    He slowly stood and lifted me to stand beside him, then with his attention on the dark cave beyond, he pressed me against the cave wall with his arm in front of me protectively.
    Then I heard it.
    Ssssssstt….ssssssttt….sssstttt. I strained my