Mathieu (White Flame Trilogy) Read Online Free Page B

the burning building to save the child that was not her own. She saved the child, however had received severe damage to her lungs. Regina passed away early in the morning. The funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. on Thursday.
     
    “That’s my ma.” Geoff was standing beside him, arms crossed. “I was six.” His tone was sad, if not a little cold.
     
    Mathieu jumped, startled. His mind had been very into reading the article, trying to imagine someone he would run into a burning building to save. No one came to mind. “Oi! Don’t do that to me.” He turned away from the article, looking at the blond. “Do you remember much of her?”
     
    “My ma? Not really. I just remember she always smelled like roses. It was nice. This was her diner.” He said. “You aren’t from around here, are you?”
     
    He took a deep breath. Confidence. Riiight. “No. I’m from…” he hesitated. What would people think if he said he was from an orphanage? “Ateri. I was out here visiting family.” Mathieu lied smoothly. “Hotter than hell out here, isn’t it?”
     
    “It doesn’t get a bit warm out here, especially at the height of the day. So Ateri, huh. That’s a fair distance.” Geoff leaned against the wall, looking at Mathieu with the same blue eyes his mother had. “How does your family feel about you being so far away?”
     
    He returned to the counter and sat on his stool, Geoff trailing behind him. “My family isn’t that fond of the idea, if I’m honest.” He continued to lie. He felt a bit bad about it, but he needed to work out his story out before he met other people. “But I’m an adult, so it’s my choice to live in the city.” Mathieu looked closer at the other male. Geoff was a lot younger than he’d originally thought, closer to his own age. The boy had very straight teeth.
     
    “Kid,” a deep voice called from the depths of the diner, “foods up.”
     
    “Yeah, Dad.” The blond called back. “Jeez, always something, I swear.” He gave Mathieu a joking smile before getting up and going to get the waffle. “Here ya go. Enjoy.”
     
    “Thank you.” Mathieu politely laid the napkin across his lap, taking up the fork and digging in. The waffle was fluffy and rich, something Rebekah never managed to accomplish when making them, as well as smeared with butter. The peaches covering the top were clearly fresh, probably from just that morning. They tasted as though they had been marinated in sugar or some other sweet substance. As soon as he swallowed the first bite, he was shoving more into his mouth, not able to get enough of the taste. He wished he’d ordered another. Far too soon, it was all gone and he sighed in regret.
     
    “That was delicious,” He said to Geoff, who was wiping down the counter, “But, I’d better get going.” He dropped a few Khrons onto the counter and stood, scooping up his bag. “Thanks a lot. Take care.”
     
    The blond waved him off good-naturedly with a broad smile.
     
    Mathieu was already out of the town and down the road when he realized something. Despite how short his interaction with Geoff had been, he had been mostly relaxed. It was nice to be himself , to not be afraid of what someone else thought. Yawning, he stepped off the road so a carriage could go by.
     
    As he continued walking, he found the road oddly empty. A stray carriage here or there was nothing worth nothing. For such a thriving country, the area outside of the capital was pretty empty and boring. It made Mathieu itch; he wanted energy to surround him, to distract him from the tedium. A rabbit crossing his way was the most interesting thing to happen all morning.
     
    After a few more hours, the suns were at their peak. They beat down, making Mathieu break out in a sweat across his lower back and shoulders. Sighing, he pulled out his map again and wrinkled his nose in distaste. He was still at least another hour’s walk to the next town and he was beginning to regret not