Devilishly Damaged

by Abigail Cole

  “I found this in my….our father’s office but I figured it was a part of their past they didn’t want to come to light. However, after discovering the photo of your younger self, I see it now. You have our father’s eyes and our mother’s hair. In fact, I’ve seen photos of her as a child and you two were almost identical.” I swallow loudly, my body beginning to shake as nausea rolls through me. I’m going to scream or throw up or both. I refuse to believe my real parents were here the entire time, surely they would have told me.

  “It’s not possible.” I breathe. Apparently, flicking through the events of that night don’t have the same hold on me all of a sudden as I sift through the memories for clues. It had seemed like a stroke of luck they were driving in the alleyway that night, but now I’m not sure. Arriving at their penthouse suite after the police had released me to their care, there had been a suitcase of clothing for me at the ready. In fact, the whole adoption process now seems to have been too smooth as I was on a private jet by the end of the week, but I’d figured money speeds these things along.

  “Avery, did you know Fredrick Walters was released two months ago? A week before mom’s accident.” I can’t contain the gasp that leaves me this time, my eyes bulging as I stare at the sliding glass door. He’s been roaming free out somewhere in the world and I had no idea. My heartbeat is racing in time with the rapid rate my breathing quickens to. I can’t handle the influx of information being presented as a panic attack takes a hold of me.

  I can faintly hear voices telling me to breathe and relax but it’s too late now. Fear has me gripped firmly in its claws, its nails piecing my flesh as the darkness bleeds out. My chest crushes in on itself, squeezing my heart as it fights to keep beating within the tight enclosure. The room spins around me at a rushed pace, green eyes briefly flashing through the haze before I drown into the blur again. My body shakes violently, as I fight for control. In my mind, the attack lasts for hours, but eventually the trembles ease and I concentrate on inhaling and exhaling deeply.

  Regaining focus, I feel light-headed as Wyatt leans forward, his elbows on his thighs as he outstretches his palms to me. Shifting forward on Axel’s lap as I continue to fight the remaining affects, I place my hands in his.

  “So, what does this mean?” I manage to force out. Staring deeply into his eyes, I search for the answer I desperately need to hear.

  “It means you are now a part of The Shadowed Souls too.”

  Stay tuned to find out what happens next in Dangerously Damaged!

  Thanks!

  Thanks for reading the first novel in The Shadowed Souls Trilogy! Be sure to follow me on Amazon and Goodreads to find out when the next in the series becomes available. Also, please join my active Facebook group 'Coles Reading Moles' for announcements, reveals, giveaways and more. See you there!