by Karen Lynch
The crow blinked and regarded Roland and Peter with intelligent black eyes that made the boys shift nervously. “He looks like he’s thinking about pecking my eyeballs out,” Peter muttered, taking another step back.
“Don’t be ridiculous. He’s just curious because I’ve never introduced him to people before.”
Someone cleared their throat behind me, and I turned to Nikolas and Chris who watched me with cool appraisal. If they had been surprised by Harper, they certainly hid it well.
“What do you plan to do with that thing?” Chris asked in a tone that said he was not happy about the idea of sharing a car with a crow.
“Harper just came to say good-bye.” As soon as the words were out, a lump formed in my throat. “Excuse me,” I managed to say before I walked a dozen yards away to make my farewell to my old friend.
“I have to go away for a while,” I explained as he stared at me intently. “You be careful, and don’t go too far into the woods where the hunters will get you. And watch the cars on the road. I know you and your friends act like road kill is an all-you-can-eat buffet, but don’t be stupid about it, alright?”
He shifted restlessly, and I stroked the back of his head, knowing this could be the last time I ever saw him. My future was so uncertain, and there were lots of dangers to a wild bird, even one as smart as Harper.
Never one to stay still for long, Harper lifted his wings preparing to take off. “I’ll miss you,” I said to him before he left my hand and circled me twice before flying away. I watched him until he disappeared from sight. Then I walked resolutely back to the waiting vehicles.
Ignoring all the stares, I hugged Roland and Peter and told them I’d call as soon as I got wherever I was going. Then I got into the back of the SUV. The windows were tinted, and I felt invisible to the rest of the world and more alone than I had ever been. I shivered and pulled my small coat tighter around me.
The front doors opened, and Nikolas and Chris climbed in. “Okay, that was one for the books,” Chris declared as he started the car. His eyes twinkled when they met mine in the rearview mirror. “All set?”
“As much as I ever will be.”
Nikolas turned in his seat to look at me. “Are you alright?”
Was I? I was heading off to God knows where to live with strangers. My future was uncertain, a vampire Master wanted me dead, and I was leaving everyone I knew. But the way Nikolas looked at me reminded me of that night in the alley when he silently assured me that I was not alone. There was something between us I couldn’t define, but I’d felt it when I thought I was dying and the moment I saw him standing in the kitchen doorway yesterday. It was more than a truce; it was like we were connected somehow after everything we’d been through together. Whatever it was and whatever was waiting for me, I knew I could trust him to be there with me like he had been through all of this. Maybe we could even be friends. Stranger things had happened.
I gave him a small smile. “No, but I will be.”
~ The End ~
Author Note
If you enjoyed Relentless, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. You can also drop me a line at my website or Facebook or Twitter. I’d love to hear from you.
http://www.karenlynchnl.com
https://www.facebook.com/KarenLynch.Author
https://twitter.com/karenlynchNL
Other books in this series:
Refuge (Book 2)
Rogue (Book 3)
Warrior (Book 4 – Nikolas’s POV)
Haven (Book 5 – Roland’s story)
Fated (Book 6 – Chris’s story, coming soon)
Read on for books by two of my favorite authors: Hope(less) by Melissa Haag and Awakened by Ednah Walters.
About the Author
When she is not at her job as a computer programmer, Karen Lynch can be found writing, reading and baking. A native of Newfoundland, Canada, she currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her cats and two crazy loveable German Shepherds: Rudy and Sophie.
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