Free Mark of the Dagger (The Marked Series Book 1) by Stella Rae Page A

her.
    "Because Daddy, mine won’t fit him and you’re bigger. We got to make sure he stays warm, you know." Her dad smiled at her and ruffled her hair. That was the winter before he died. She remembered snow ball fights with her and her mom against her uncle Joe. Thinking back now, she found it odd that she should remember times like those, yet she didn’t remember anything about her dad being a hunter. Did she somehow block those memories out?
    "What are you looking at?" a soft voice asked and startled Dani out of her memories. She turned to see Samuel standing behind her, his hands shoved into the pockets of his coat.
    "I was looking at the stars and thinking of my dad," she told him honestly.
    "I lost my father during the attack here too. I was five. It's hard sometimes to walk these grounds knowing this was the last place he was before he died. It makes the memories seem that much more real. More potent. Even when you want to get away from the pain of losing them, you can't. Because everywhere you go, around every turn you take, you wonder if he saw the same things as you, thought the same things. They're always there."
    "I know what you mean. I still haven't gone to the auditorium. Jan was just saying that I needed to. She thinks that if I face it, I can move on. But I don't think this is something you can just move on from. And I'm sorry about your dad, I didn't know. Are you close with your mom?"
    Dani asked him, to keep him talking, she didn’t want this moment to end. She and Samuel haven't really had the chance to talk like this. She knew hardly anything about him at all. When they did talk it seemed that they fought, more than anything else.
    She knew that her attraction to him was not normal. No one ever just sees a person, and it’s like BAM! At least not in real life.  Yet with him, from the first moment she saw him she was drawn to him. Like a moth to a flame. Every time she looks at him, or catches him looking at her, she gets butterflies. Her feelings, no matter how fast it happened, are real and intense. And the feeling is amazing and scary all at the same time.
    It seemed as if he were debating whether he was going to answer her. She took that time to study him. His blonde hair was peeking out from under his knit hat, his blue eyes were the color of ice, and a scarf wrapped around his neck reached the bottom of his chin. His lean legs were showcased in a pair of tight denim jeans and his black boots looked freshly polished. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen. When she looked back at his face she noticed he was watching her with an amused expression. Knowing she was busted for checking him out she felt her face blaze.
    He nodded his head in the direction of a bench just off the sidewalk. She let out a breath she was unaware that she was holding and followed him to sit. She stayed silent in hopes that he would answer her question, not ready for him to end their time together. After a while, he looked up at the stars, he finally did.
    "I never knew my mom. She died during childbirth.  Sometimes I think I can feel her. I know that sounds weird but..." he trailed off shrugged.
    "I don't think so. Over the past few months I've learned not to dismiss anything. Everything that I thought was fact and fiction was turned upside down. So if you think you feel her, I'm sure you do. I'm sure she's here with you. I'm sorry about your mom," she whispered. "I like to think my dad is here with me. That he sees how hard I'm working and is proud."
    "Joe's proud of you."
    "I know," she smiled. They sat in silence for a while. Dani wondered if he stayed here because he felt more connected to his dad. She decided to just ask him.
    "That's part of it. After my dad died, I went to live with my grandparents. It was hard for them to raise a five year old. They were retired and planning on traveling the world, but had to put everything on hold for me. I felt like I was a burden to them." Dani felt so bad for that