Moonlight Calls (Demon's Call Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

flower-covered rock wall, holding a chubby
toddler with a mop of light brown curls.  My mother’s beautiful face was haloed
in sunshine and she was laughing into the camera, her stunning blue eyes
crinkled at the corners as if she knew a secret.  I loved and hated that
picture. It was beautiful, but it always reminded me how unexpectedly life can
change.
    “Yeah,” I said
softly.  “That’s one of the few good pictures I have of her. She died when I
was a little girl.”
    “I’m so sorry,”
Ailis said quietly.  Her pretty voice held an emotion that I couldn’t place
right away.  Maybe she felt guilty for bringing it up.
    “And that’s your
father in that one?”  Ailis asked softly, pointing to a picture of my very
pregnant mother standing by a lake somewhere next to a handsome, burly young
man with brown eyes and dark blond hair.  His arm was draped about her
shoulders as he poked teasingly at her giant mid-section.
    “Yeah,” I
sighed, “that’s him.”  I only kept the picture because my mother looked so
happy.  I just couldn’t quite bring myself to cut him out of it.
    Ailis studied
the pictures for a moment.  “Your Mother was beautiful,” she said with a soft
smile.  You look a lot like her,” she paused to glance my way.  “It’s the eyes,
I think.  Your Dad’s quite the looker too.”
    I studied the
old picture for a few moments.  I certainly didn’t resemble the blocky, rugged
man in the picture.  I seriously hoped that I hadn’t inherited one single thing
from him.
    “Can I ask what
happened to your parents?” Ailis asked intently.  I was a bit startled by her
question, but I saw no reason not to answer.
    “My mom… she
died in a car accident.”  I studied the images as I had a hundred times
before.  I was always surprised by the happiness portrayed in the pictures,
happiness that I couldn’t even remember.  “My dad left me at a Catholic girl’s
home.”  Apparently, he just couldn’t deal with life without his wife.
    It was a long
time ago, and I didn’t remember my parents, not really- not their personalities
or their voices- just the pretty people in the photos. 
    “I’m sorry,”
Ailis said again.
    I shrugged. 
“Don’t worry about it.  It was a long time ago.  I mostly don’t even remember them. 
I spent some time at the orphanage, but I eventually landed with a foster
mother, and I was lucky enough to stay with her until I was old enough to be
out on my own.”  I gestured at picture of an older lady with white hair and a
gentle, mischievous smile. 
    “Sara was in her
late fifties when she took me in.  She died a few years ago, but I had a happy
life because of her.”  
    She was the only
sense of family I had ever known.  I was so young when my parents passed away,
and the good Catholic ladies at the girl’s home where I had spent my youth
seemed to always be against me, steering potential parents in the other
direction.  I felt shunned, though I never knew why.  It had been puzzling and
painful, but Sara had come along.  She’d insisted on taking me specifically. 
Apparently, she had known my mother’s family back when she was a child, and had
started looking for me when she found out that my mother died.
    “I’m going to go
get cleaned up,” I said, heading toward the bathroom.
    Ailis gave me a
bright smile, probably hoping to erase the conversation.  “Thanks for all your
help,” she said sincerely.  “You’re right.  I owe you dinner.  Something loaded
with carbs.  And drinks.”  I nodded and smiled back before making my way into
the bathroom.
     I closed the
door and leaned against it.  All of this was old news- ancient history. It
usually didn’t affect me this way.  For some reason, being around Ailis seemed
to bring out all my feelings . I squared my shoulders and focused on
cleaning up.  I’d done enough emoting for the day.
    The cool shower
made me feel refreshed, but my mind was still dwelling on the