Demon Day by Penelope Fletcher (best novels in english .TXT) 📕

mouth and saw the brillianceof my teeth, fang-like. My eyes sparkled like wells of light, evenmore so as tears pooled above my bottom lashes.

How strange and odd I looked to my owneyes.

Breandan, a silver sheen beside me,cupped my cheek, bringing my eyes to lock with his. There wassympathy and compassion there. Could he see my pain? His othermoved to rest over my chest, fingers shifting gently as he closedhis eyes, feeling my heartbeat pound against his palm. Could hefeel my pain?

He leaned his head against mine thentilted his chin to kiss me. I sighed and brushed my lips againsthis, breathing in the scent of sunlight and rain. The water sloshedas I snuggled closer, into the warmth and comfort. My leg musclestightened as my arms snaked around his neck to bring himcloser.

He watched me out the corner of hiseye as I rubbed my cheek against his, like he was afraid I was notreal or something. His hands moved up, under my wing pinions untilhe smoothed over where they joined to my back. His hands swept overmy lower wings and I made a strangled noise. They tingled at histouch. Stiffening, he stopped, and brought his hands to rest low onmy hips instead, long, powerful fingers played across my skinapplying pressure.

“So we stay?” heasked.

He was trying hard to respect me. Hisprotection extended beyond the physical, he wanted me to healemotionally before the cracks I knew were already there broke openand obliterated me from the inside out.

I cupped his face in both my hands andlooked deep into his eyes. He was my home, my light in the dark.Already I felt my heart healing. I paused then placed a kiss to hisclenched jaw.

“We stay,” I agreed softlyand smiled.

*

My dreams were filled with dark andwicked things but always did the silver light that surrounded mekeep me safe. The darkness could not have me and it was easy for mymind to become quiet and sink into a deep blissfulsleep.

I woke before the dawn, overly warm,and tucked safely in Breandan’s arms, my head pillowed on hischest. We had curled up together on the bank of the river andtalked long into the night. Dew was heavy in the air and thehorizon was awash with dense pastel colors, announcing the sunsimminent arrival.

A soft whistle over by the fernsrevealed Alec standing in the gloom, jerking his head at me,beckoning. I cocked my head in question and he smiled cheekilybefore tugging on his pants. I leaned up onto my forearms thenbecame painfully aware of the fact I had no clothes on. It wasn’tlike before, when it was just Breandan and I. After a while, I hadbecome relatively confident in my own skin as we talked. Now I justfelt exposed. Dropping back down I wiggled further into Breandan’sside and crossed my arms over my chest. Managing to merge a blushwith a scowl, I looked up to see Alec clamping a hand over hismouth hide his laughter. He held up his palms when I hissed quietlythen turned on his heel, tapping his foot impatiently.

Jumping into a crouch, I breathed inthe crisp morning and let the cool air refresh my damp body. Iscanned the lake bank and found my dress in a crumpled pile a fewpaces away. Picking it up a few spiders and ants fell onto my legand I slapped at them, cringing, and batted at the dress with myhands to make sure there were no more crawlies. Slipping it over myhead, I itched at my neck and trawled my fingers through my hair,which cascaded down my shoulders in dark waves. Since I hadembraced my fairy nature it was growing ridiculously fast, and Iwondered when it would stop.

Hearing a lusty sigh, I turned to findBreandan awake, sitting up with his forearms resting on his knees,watching me battle with the tangle on my head. My fingers stilled.There was something … different. His permanently clouded expressionand guarded eyes shone with warmth and happiness. He lookedpeaceful rather than serious and plagued. He closed his eyes andbreathed in deeply before standing to find his trousers. “I willcome with you,” he said.

I looked away as he pulled his pantson and heard the leather strings rub against each other as heknotted the tie, I walked over to him and pushed him down. “No.Stay here and rest.” I kissed him briefly on the lips and thenagain because the first was so sweet and it made me tremble. Weboth sighed. “You need to rest and Alec is protection enough.Besides we’re on Pride territory, no wandering demon will comehere.” He did not look convinced. I laced my hands behind the napeof his neck. “I’ll be fine.”

“Come on, Rae! Gods, whatare you doing?” Alec stomped over to us and tugged on the end of myhair. I slapped his hand away when he tried again.

“Bring the fairy with youif you must. We’re going back to the Pride Heartanyway.”

“Why?” I asked untanglingmyself from Breandan, who stood gracefully and took myhand.

The three of us wandered back to thecentre of Pride land and I enjoyed the peace of such a moment. Alechad a habit of talking until he ran out of breath. He’d heave in agulp of air then start again, chattering on about how they ran theborders of the Pride at sunrise and sunset, and how the Alpha’sdaughters were taken.

“So you were with them?” Iinterrupted when his face turned a ruddy pink from talking so much.“You saw who took them?”

“No. The twins were runningtogether in the morning, but when they did not return by nightfallByron knew something was wrong. He sent me to find them. I caughttheir scent quickly and with it human and silver. I found a pool ofblood too. Not enough to suggest the wound it came from was fatal,but enough for concern.” He looked toward the east, in thedirection of Temple. “There may be two of them, but to get bothunder your thumb all you have to do is threaten the other. Even ifone of them was able to get away, she would not. They would neverleave each other, even if it