“My boyfriend does,” he said gruffly. “He considers himself her friend.”
Recognition lightened Audrey’s honey-colored eyes. “Oh! You mean Owen,” she laughed, relief softening her features. “Your name is Jared, right?”
He nodded. “It is.”
Audrey frowned at his short answers. “You don’t talk much, do you?”
“Never have,” Jared answered.
She ran her hand through her tangled brown hair and looked around, surprised by the lack of people around. She briefly wondered where they had all gone. “Well, if you’re looking for Owen, I’m afraid I can’t help you,” she sighed, offering him an apologetic smile. “I haven’t seen him since we found out about Rose…” she trailed off as she realized that she couldn’t finish that sentence. She flashed a nervous smile and amended, “Rose and I had a bit of a falling-out.”
Jared raised an eyebrow. “You did? That’s…unfortunate.”
“Unfortunate for her, maybe,” Audrey muttered. “For me, it’s…safer.”
Jared reached behind him, underneath his jacket—the black jacket that looked out-of-place in the hot, Florida weather. Audrey frowned as she realized that his entire outfit looked out-of-place. He wore all-black clothing, and each part of the outfit had a strange symbol on it—a flame on the outside, and inside the flame, a sun, engulfed in more flames. She didn’t recognize the symbol at all.
“Before I do this,” Jared said, startling her out of her thoughts, “let me just say that I don’t want to do it. You’re innocent in this matter. I don’t believe that you should die for your former friend’s mistakes. If I had a choice, I would spare you, but I don’t. I’m not a bad person, really. I’m just following orders.”
Audrey blinked in shock. “Wait…what?” she sputtered.
He pulled a gun from behind his back and pressed it to her forehead.
Audrey’s amber-colored eyes widened in shock. “What are you doing?”
“I’m sending a message to Rose Foster,” Jared explained, “from the Assassins of Light.” The gunshot echoed thunderously as he pulled the trigger.
—
Audrey shot up in the bed, screaming to the top of her lungs, her body drenched in cold sweat. Her heart pounded so hard that each heartbeat physically hurt, that each beat seemed to rattle her entire body. She lifted her hand and pressed her fingers to her forehead, half-expecting to find a bullet hole, but she felt only cold, clammy skin beneath her fingertips. The dream had felt so real, just like they always did. The realization that the dream wasn’t real brought her no relief…because even if it wasn’t real now, she knew that it would be real soon.
It was one of those dreams. She knew, without a doubt, that it was.
As she replayed the dream over and over in her mind, hyperventilating and trembling in fear, she could only think of one thing to do. With shaking hands, she reached out and picked up her phone. She dialed a familiar number.
Audrey listened as the dial tone rang over and over, and then, of course, the phone sent her to the voicemail. Her mind felt so fuzzy and dazed that she barely even noticed the voicemail message. She only listened for the beep.
When it beeped, she whispered into the phone, “Rose, I need help.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
TO BE CONTINUED
in
THE ASSASSINS OF
LIGHT
CREATURES OF DARKNESS: BOOK THREE
BY BRITNEY JACKSON
Find updates at:
www.britneyjackson.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BRITNEY JACKSON
Britney Jackson is a fiction author who especially enjoys writing fantasy, dark fantasy, and horror stories. She is the mother of two beautiful, little boys that she loves with all of her heart. She resides in Tuscumbia, Alabama. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Fine Arts and Religion, and she is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in English. Britney has been passionate about writing for as long as she can remember. Art, such as literature and music, helped her endure some of the darkest periods of her life, and she hopes that her books will be there for others who need a literary escape. When she is not writing, she can be found drinking massive cups of coffee, playing music, obsessing over some awesome fictional characters, or embarking on the wild and dangerous adventure known as motherhood.
Or…in Britney’s words, “Basically, I’m weird, and I write.”
You can learn more about Britney Jackson and her books on www.britneyjackson.com.
You can also connect with Britney Jackson by becoming her friend on Facebook at www.facebook.com/britneymjackson.
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