Free Wolf Sirens Night Fall: What Rises Must Fall (Wolf Sirens #3) by Tina Smith

walked out
onto the wooden second story balcony again and felt the breeze on
his warm skin; he knew he was as good as dead. He had the urge
again to jump the rail and phase on the run and if he made it to
the fence to keep on running. A moment passed as he contemplated
it. A presence moved to join him; too small to be Blair, he noted
Angele's human scent - of flowers and vanilla, which she doused
herself in.
    He didn’t look
at her; she touched his arm softly and with her sweet voice tried
to soothe him like a child with a pet. Tyler walked behind them and
Sky looked in his direction as he passed. Tyler liked to have
competitions with the others to see who could jump the furthest.
Sky had won. Tyler was a little pissed about that. The only thing
worse about Tyler, other than his bad sportsmanship, was his
breath. He liked to eat unsavory things when he phased.
     
    “Sky, we all
care about you, we are a family here. Please just talk to me, just
for today, tell me how you feel?” her ringing voice urged.
    She was prying.
The sun had risen.
    He had zoned
her out. “Huh?” He huffed, feeling the metal tag between his rough
fingers and he glared at it as she spoke in his ear. He felt
irritated by her being so close. She was so breathy.
    “Please Sky?”
she cooed. Her voice was high and smooth; she smiled and let out a
little nervous laugh. “Tell me what she has that we don’t?”
    Her questions
were inane, and Sky wished she would stop. She had no idea. He
ignored her nasal voice like he would a mosquito. But unwilling to
cause ripples at this heightened time, he tolerated her close
proximity, tensing uncomfortably at her every irritating
gesture.
    Wanting to be
distracted, he noted the numbers on the tag, ran his fingers over
them and felt the familiar bumps and remained frozen as he read the
numbers. His heart twanged, the numbers were not his, he re-read
the name and the infantry and then the soldier’s number - which was
wrong, this wasn’t his tag. This was a copy; only Lila had the
original tag and Lila had been in the house.
    “Where did
Narine find this?” he asked as though he were casually changing the
subject, as a nervous trickle ran down his spine.
    “In your room,
why?” She arched her back.
    “Where?”
    She pouted her
lips. “Under the pillow I guess.”
    He thought
deeply - what could these numbers mean? He tried to remember the
last conversation with Lila, but there was nothing, they couldn’t
have known, and it was so long ago. Coordinates? Time? He was
acutely aware his new shadow Angele had left her soft tanned hand
on his forearm, and he had begun to notice it lingering there. He
glanced at it with only his eyes, and racked his brain for
something off track to say to Angele before she decided to take an
interest in the tag also.
    “I thought I
loved her, you know,” he found himself muttering. His blue green
eyes were wide with honesty and disbelief.
    If she was
shocked by his sudden words, she didn’t show it. She stroked his
back gently with her arm.
    “I know, please
talk about it, it’s the best way to just let it out.”
    She was
sounding more and more like Narine by the day.
    “I wanted her
no matter how much it hurt; I made a list once - of all the pros
and cons, you know? And I tore it up and threw it away - forgot
it.” He let his voice trail, full of just enough torment. He didn’t
want to mention the cage.
    “You can never
be with her,” Angele offered in a soothing tone and he blinked as
her breath wafted his cheek. He ignored her.
    “I don’t know
that I want to live in a world where I can’t,” he admitted, and he
said it because he hopped it stung her to hear it, that even if he
let Angele touch him that way, he would still prefer something she
was not.
    He placed his
forehead on his hands inadvertently shaking off her lingering hand
and let his forehead rest over the railing. He clasped the chain
and tags tightly.
    He shrugged off
her advance and looked at