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

eyes to see into the darkness of the cave. Corey quietly took off his backpack, rested it in my arms, then dug into a side pocket and pulled out a long dagger.
    My eyes popped and my mouth fell open. He pressed against me and pointed to a crevice in the cave wall. He motioned for me to back into it and stay put. I nodded, besides all I had was a large iron key. What was I going to do with that? Unlock it to death?
    Sssssstt…a scratching noise accompanied the hissing. Corey squatted down behind a large boulder. The scratching became clicking and scraping. I wanted to crane my head out of the hiding place to see what was making the noises, but I wasn’t brave enough to keep breathing, much less face down a monster. So I closed my eyes and concentrated on breathing quietly.
    The noises became louder until the creature was right in the same room with us. I was in a near panic, my heart ramped against my breast. The only thing that scared me more was the fact that Corey was out there with the strange monster. I opened my eyes to search for Corey. He was watching the beast with a curious expression on his face. The tension seemed to leave him and he quietly stood up, held out a hand for me to stay and then moved into the center of the cave.
    Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! I prayed. What is he doing! My fear for Corey’s safety won out over my fear for myself and I leaned to peek around the edge of the cave wall. I dropped the backpack with a thud, all feeling left my arms and legs.
    Corey turned at the sound and smiled. He was stroking the head of what I could only describe as a dark green, spotted baby pterodactyl.
    I moved forward cautiously. “What is it?”
    “I think we would call it a dragon.”
    “Dragon? As in Puff-the-Magic ?”
    “Heheh, yeah, something like that.” His face was alight. I had seen an expression of adoration like that once from my brother when he found a stray pup.
    “I think…” He cocked his head curiously. “I think he is talking to me.”
    “Corey, he hasn’t made a sound.”
    “No, I mean with thoughts. It’s like I can feel what he feels. He is hungry and new…very new…maybe just hatched.” He turned and looked into the dark cave. “There are more eggs, inside. He is showing them to me.” He tapped a finger on his temple.
    “Can I pet him?” I inched toward them.
    “Yeah, come on. He really likes this.” He scratched gently against the eye ridge.
    I took another cautious step toward them and stretched out my hand. The baby dragon turned his head to look at me.
    “I agree!” Corey laughed.
    I frowned at him.
    “He feels very soothed by your physical appearance.”
    “What?” I wrinkled my nose.
    “He thinks you’re pretty.”
    I rolled my eyes and huffed out a breath. “You are making that up,” I chided and kneeled down to close the distance between my fingers and the dragonet.
    When I touched him a strong current blasted up my arm and I convulsed. My vision fractured into a thousand angles with prismatic color blinding me. My teeth clamped down hard, and I tasted blood in my mouth. Screeching sounds assaulted my ears, and I heard Corey yelling my name. Then the world went black.

    “I can’t believe he let her touch that thing!”
    “I think we should kill it!”
    “If he touches her again I think I will kill him!”
    “Water?”
    “Thanks.”
    “I am so sick of the Trip, Corey, Kate triangle. I think I might puke!”
    “What do they see in her, she is just a skinny little girl?”
    “She is beautiful. She is Mine.”
    “Katie girl, please be okay.”
    “The big one smells bad.”
    “My soul, please come back to me.”
    “The soup is almost ready.”
    “37, 38, 39”
    “You are almost here!”
    The voices were splitting my skull and they were talking nonsense! I recognized all but one voice…a child’s voice. A moan escaped my lips and a weight pressed down on my chest. At my sound the voices mingled into a loud jumble.
    “Oh god, she is alive…hello