Fury: Book One of the Cure (Omnibus Edition) Read Online Free Page A

the door again when he pauses and adds, “If you don’t come and get a coffee with me, I’ll be back tomorrow morning, and the one after that, and the one after that, until you agree. I might even start coming at night, too. So it’ll save us both some time and pain if you just get your skinny butt out here now.”
    My mouth opens in fury but no words come out. What a prick ! My mind whirls, trying to figure out how to respond. I could call the cops on him. I could have him thrown in prison for harassment. And stalking. I could move—I’m due to find somewhere new anyway. I’ll probably get kicked out pretty soon. I could just out-wait him—I bet I can ignore him for longer than he can be bothered to keep coming back.
    I don’t trust him for one single second, but I have a disastrous flaw called curiosity. I have no idea what his interest in me is, but I find myself wanting to find out. And wanting, if I must admit it, to understand the look he keeps levelling me with, because it’s one I certainly haven’t been looked at with before.
    I plod back inside and pull on some ratty old jeans and a long-sleeved tee that will cover the bulk of my bruises. I don’t bother brushing my hair because this meeting might be a good opportunity to repulse him. Shouldn’t be too difficult.
    Outside, he’s smoking again. And he seems to be back in his cheerful mood. When he sees me he grins and winks. “Good girl.”
    Condescending wanker.
    I roll my eyes and storm past him, headed for the nearest café. I push inside, head straight for the counter, order myself a black coffee and then cram myself into a table in the corner, all without looking at Luke. I hate being around so many drones—they make me deeply uncomfortable.
    Luke arrives at the table some time later with arched eyebrows. “No need to order for me,” he mutters.
    I smile sweetly and then turn my eyes away from him.
    “So these night terrors …” he starts.
    “Don’t even think about it,” I snap.
    “Clearly you’re not a morning person.”
    “I’m just not a ‘have coffee with my stalker’ person.”
    He snorts with laughter. “I’m a nice guy, I promise. Well, maybe not nice, but I certainly won’t hurt you.”
    “What’s the purpose of this? Are you trying to sell me something?”
    “I just want to… you know—talk. If you still want me to piss off after a coffee, I will.”
    I stare, too suspicious to believe this could be the real reason.
    Luke shrugs. “Haven’t you ever just wanted to get to know someone?”
    Well, sure. But no one’s ever wanted to get to know me.
    Our coffees arrive and I blow on mine before taking a big long gulp. Thank god for caffeine. I can’t drink it on the other side of the moon—it makes my nerves shatter. But on this side it practically saves my life, calming me right down.
    I’m enjoying a moment of blissful quiet when he says, “You haven’t been cured, have you?”
    I almost drop my cup. The rest of the café disappears, and Luke is the only other person left in the world. I turn slowly to meet his eyes. “What?”
    He doesn’t repeat himself. He just gives me this calm look, like he’s daring me to deny it. Is this the real reason he brought me here?
    “Of course I have,” I say faintly.
    There is no sound except for our breathing, no color except for his eyes.
    “Don’t be scared,” he tells me.
    “I’m not,” I snap.
    He searches my face. “I won’t tell anyone. Ever. I’m just curious.”
    “How did you … How do you know?” My voice breaks.
    Luke is bleak and full of hard edges. “It was obvious from the moment I saw you.”
    “No one else has ever …”
    “I’m sure they noticed,” he says. “But they were too uncomfortable to let themselves really see .”
    “But you saw.”
    He shrugs. “I don’t know why. Maybe it’s a glitch in my cure. Maybe it’s an incorrect response from my damaged brain: to want to be near someone who could hurt me.”
    My heart starts