Orion Cross My Sky Read Online Free Page B

roared like a dragon.
    Even in the midst of this pleasure, pain entered his mind—crawling along the nerves of his face as if seeking an exit. He ignored it again.
    “I know what we oughta call this baby,” he shouted over the growling of the beast. “ Terror . The fuckin’ Clearwater Terror, that’s what this is!”
    And with that, he hit the gas and shot down Main Street going upwards of seventy miles per hour while Zane shrieked in the seat beside him and lights flashed in the rearview mirror.
    “Goddamn it,” he shouted. “Cops!”
    He threw his head back as he pulled over, gripping the steering wheel hard in order to aim the car off the road and along the curb. Sheriff Ryder swaggered up to the driver’s side window, shaking his head as he pulled out his ticket book.
    The engine stalled, and Orion slammed the palm of his hand against the steering wheel, something close to fury coursing through his veins.

8
    Chapter Eight
    “ W hat was that ?” Tammy murmured to herself, leaning up from her seat and peeking out the window. She didn’t see anything, just Main Street, and a few cars passing by.
    A moment before, there’d been a terrific roaring, the sound of an engine increasing in power. Tires screeching. It was that engine that got her, the resonance invoking something primordial within her. She couldn’t explain what it was, but her excitement piqued as she looked out the window, hoping to see something— anything .
    But there was nothing there, just Clearwater on a normal Saturday. She knew she was missing something, wished she could see farther down the road.
    Slumping back into her seat, she sighed and returned to her studying.
    But in the back of her mind, the sound of that engine resounded. The vibration of it made her tremble with anticipation. Something inside her had changed; something about that vicious roar had invoked a different part of her.
    A part of her that sought power. Control over her surroundings, over the shambles that was her life.
    She began to believe she would have so much power—so much control—if she were behind the wheel of the beast that had driven by.
    Leaning back, she began to fantasize, envisioning sparkling chrome and engines.
    She thought of the sounds she’d heard coming from Pete’s Service Station. She wanted to see all that for herself. In that moment, she decided she’d check it out.
    She wasn’t sure why, but she wanted to see inside that garage. Know what it was like. She wanted to learn, to experience.
    And there was no better way to do it than first-hand.

----
    T ammy had finished putting away the books she’d read when Clara found her in the non-fiction section.
    “I hope you put those away correctly,” Clara said, raising her head and looking down at her cousin, smirking.
    “Of course I have.” Tammy stuck out her tongue. “I know the Dewey decimal system.”
    “Good.” Clara grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the front entrance. “Because I would hate for my new coworkers to think my cousin is mis-filing books in the library.”
    “Your…your new coworkers?” Tammy beamed. “You got the job?”
    “Of course I did!” As they walked out of the library, Clara giggled. “Okay, so I was really, really worried. But you were right. I did just fine. I start on Monday, after school, but I’ll probably get a lot of weekend hours. At least until I graduate high school in a couple months.”
    “And you want to keep working here?” she asked as they headed back toward home, crossing Main Street.
    “Yeah! You know, I’m really excited about it.” Clara paused, as if gathering her thoughts. “I’m even thinking about going to school to study library science.”
    “Really? Wow. My cousin, the librarian. Has a nice ring to it!”
    “It does,” Clara agreed with a chuckle. “I can’t wait to tell Gaven.”
    Back at home, they ordered pizza to celebrate, then sat on the couch and watched a movie until the food arrived.
    “So, did you