Free The Frenzy Series (Book 2): Frantic by Casey L. Bond Page A

drain you, just like she wants to.”
    “It would destroy her, and then she would hate you for letting it happen.”
    “Wrong. It would take time, but I would build her back exactly the way I want her.”
    “She isn’t a thing . She’s a person,” I spat.
    “She isn’t a person anymore. She’s cursed, just like the rest of us. And she’s mine... or she will be once Tage is removed from the equation.”
    “Tage? He likes her?”
    He snorted. “He claimed her and she is bound to him, but I intend to break that bond as soon as possible.”
    My fingers balled into fists. “How did he claim her? What does that even mean?”
    Roman smiled. “It doesn’t mean what you imagine it does.” He walked toward me slowly. “It means that she fed from his vein. She can feel his emotions and he can feel hers. It’s an intimacy very few night-walkers ever get to experience. She was supposed to bind to me, but I’ll take care of the problem.”
    “You’ll have worse problems than that if you don’t take care of Porschia.”
    Roman stepped back. “You should get ready for your feast. The Elders are providing the meat in the Fellowship Hall tonight.”
    “What about the rotation? Did they find anyone?”
    “I’m about to find out.” He hefted the giant tree trunk and sped away toward the shop. Chips of wood covered my clothes and most of the grass underfoot. I laced my hands behind my head and looked up to the darkening sky with no idea of how to fix any of this.
    From across the swirling water came a shrill keening, and my eyes were riveted to the source. Blonde hair, matted and tangled. Torn jeans and a dark sweater. She clutched her side. It was Mercedes, Porschia’s sister. “What do you want? Haven’t you done enough?”
    She smiled, turned, and slowly walked away. I wanted to throw something at her, but she was still freshly Infected and faster than most of the rotters. She was up to something.
     

     
    Roman and Dara made it very clear that I wasn’t to go to the pavilion for the evening rotation. Maybe I should have listened, gone home, and changed into clothes that weren’t glued to my skin with sap. The only thing I knew when I walked closer to the square was that I wasn’t prepared to see her .
    “Porschia?” The words barely tumbled from my lips in a whisper, but she turned to face me. Her hand was wrapped tightly around Tage’s. He was her anchor, keeping her from floating away on the current that was consuming her. Frenzy was a beast, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I did the wrong thing by telling her to use the ring. I’d wondered it almost every waking moment since that day.
    Her hair was glossy, dark, and smooth. It hung long over her shoulders like a curtain of silk. Her skin was the same, not paled at all, and her eyes…God, how I missed them. Streaks of green mixed with dark and pale gray, bursting from the center.
    “Saul? You aren’t supposed to be here.” She stepped backward and hid behind the night-walker. Does she not want me here? I pushed that thought as far down as it would go. She was still my Porschia and deep down, I knew she wanted to see me as much as I needed to see her. That alone was a gift. She was okay. Better than okay, by the way it looked. Another thing I tried to shove down? Jealousy. Green as moss in spring time. Her hand in his. It was wrong. My hand should be the only one holding hers.
    Mary, Tim, and Victor were present and very angry. “Hey,” I said with a nod. They nodded and Mary’s eyes questioned me. Did you know ? I moved toward their group. Apparently I had no poker face. She clenched her jaw after reading my answer.
    Victor ticked his head toward Porschia. “How long?”
    “A few days.”
    “Did they turn her?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
    “No, she used the ring. She tried to stop someone from crossing the river bank and an Infected attacked her. She had no other choice.” I didn’t tell them that it was my fault she