Free Sable Book 1 of Chaos Time (Chaos Time Series) by Marie Hall Page A

what we’re doing? He’ll come for us. If he’s as powerful as you say it’s probably gonna go down the same way.”
    Taking a deep breath, he scrubbed a hand down his face. Utter exhaustion draped him like a cloak. “That’s why I need to do this as quickly as possible. There’re seven sources of power, you told me that as long as we were able to destroy half of them he’d be unable to succeed. My hope is we destroy at least two of them before he’s tipped off.”
    “That sounds a lot like poking a sleeping dragon.”
    His nostrils flared, and when he squeezed his hands into fists, she could have sworn she heard the knuckles crack. “I don’t have a choice!” he snapped, anger vibrated off him like a tuning rod.
    Hunter, who up until this point had appeared like an easy going guy, was now snarling. His face stretched into a terrifying visage of madness and cruel intentions. And was that fangs she’d just seen? His was sucking in air like a bellow and maybe it was her fear distorting reality, but he seemed to be expanding, growing, right before her eyes.
    Sable leaned as far into her tree as possible. He looked at her and must have noticed her large as saucer eyes, because he glanced off to the right and wouldn’t look at her again until his ragged breathing was under control.
    When he did, he appeared as nothing other than a sexy, tall and nicely muscled guy, but she now knew it to be a mirage. There was a beast that lived inside him too.
    “I’m sorry you saw that.” He was nervous, shifty. His eyes moving randomly around, out at the trees, then back at her, again and again. “I swear to you, Sable. I won’t fail this time. But I can’t do this without you.”
    She licked her lips and for the first time she felt a true kinship with him. He grappled with demons too, who was she to cast a stone? “What about the others?”
    Relief washed him and he smiled. “Does that mean you’ll come with me?”
    “If my dreams are realities of time’s approaching, then it’s a future I don’t want. Do I completely believe? No,” she shook her head, “honestly this is almost too much for me. But if what you say is true. Then we have to stop him. But what about the others? Don’t we need them too?”
    His eyes closed for a brief pause and when he opened them they shone with hope. Faint, but sure. “We’ll find them. Get rest now. I’ll return for you in the morning.” He stood.
    “You’re leaving?” She got up, dusting off her damp pants.
    “I don’t do trees.” He looked up at the fire oak. “My body prefers a thick mattress. But I’ll come back.”
    She looked over her shoulder. Much as she loved her tree, she really had no desire to crawl up on a branch to catch some sleep. “Shouldn’t I come with you?”
    “I forget sometimes that this is all new to you. Turn into your bird, call the fire to you and the rest will take care of itself.”
    She rocked back on her heels. Suddenly anxious and nerve riddled. “How? Are you gonna stab me again?” She shook her head as she tried to backpedal, but of course she couldn’t because of the giant tree in the way.
    “The shift is instinct guided now, Sable. That was the catalyst to release your spirit. All you have to do is will it.”
    She stared at her tree long after he’d left. He’d said that instinct would guide her. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to find her calm center. At first, it was nothing but chaos. A thought on top of a thought, chasing one after the other like a dog chasing its tail.
    A wave of calm reached out to her. There was warmth and peace. It surrounded her, filled her. Like a ripple in a placid pool she saw a golden dot of light open up in her mind’s eye, until she was bathed in it.
    Heat crawled over her. Slow at first, then moved in a quick burn down her veins, through her blood, until it escaped her pores and she erupted in flame. She stared at her arms. The fire was amber on top, sparking and