Revealed Read Online Free

chewed her
lower lip for a moment, a nervous habit of hers. “In the security office,” she
whispered, defeat a living and breathing thing inside of her. “There are hidden
tapes. Ones the staff don’t know about. The doctor had the cameras put in a few
years ago. They are hidden behind a false wall. Watch them. They all run off
their own power and feed. I couldn’t see well, but they weren’t suicides.”
    He inched
forward, so close that she could feel the heat from his body. He touched her
chin lightly, tipping her head up so that they were staring into one another’s
eyes. “I need you to show me. I’ll get my friend to move the security and
others along. He has his ways. We’ll remain only long enough to get what we
need. Anything and everything is useful. Including your name, little one. What
is it?”
    “And you
guarantee that these people who killed my friends will be brought to justice?”
She was rewarded with a nod from him. “Okay. And I’m Riley. Who are you?” She
noticed that he had ignored her question about what a guardian was. He was far
more than human, though, and she itched to touch him. And she had never liked
touching people.
    “I’m Hector,” he
answered. His thumb brushed over her skin before he dropped his hand. “I will
make those who did this pay with all they have to give and more. I will also
protect you, Riley. It is my honor and privilege to do so, for however long we
will be together in this endeavor.”
    “I couldn’t ask
you to do that,” Riley replied with wide eyes. “If you want to watch over me, I
won’t argue. But when it’s over I’ll have to give up my safety.” She sighed.
“Come on, I’ll show you.” He radiated honesty, but she sensed his determination
as well. It matched her own. She was determined to remain healthy, alive, and
safe.
    He followed her
back to the building. “You didn’t ask it of me,” he said softly. “I offered
freely.” When they reached their destination he urged her into the shadows
surrounding the doors. “Stay here until I return for you. I must speak with my
friend without any of them knowing what’s going on.” He waited for her to nod
before he pulled the door open and stepped inside.
    Riley hugged the
side. She chewed her lip and wondered at her willingness to remain. When the
door opened again, she pressed her back to the wall, waiting to see if it was
Hector or one of the guards.
    “All clear.” His
deep voice reached out to her. Hector held out a hand and waved her inside. “We
need to be quick, though, and won’t be able to leave out the front doors, so I
hope you have another way. Even if it’s secured.”
    “There is
another way—I can sign myself out,” she admitted as she slipped into the
facility. The moment that her hand slid into his, however, she stopped dead in
her tracks and stared up at him.
    “Oh God,” she whispered. “You
are… What is this?” The golden thread was back, very lightly shining between
the two of them. Maybe I’ve lost my mind.
Maybe this is my breaking point.
    Hector pulled
her close to his body and gazed down at her. “I will explain everything later.
We’re not safe here, especially you. We need to get to the tapes and then leave
quickly. When we have the time, after we have left, I will tell you all that I
know. Will you trust me for a little longer, Riley?”
    “Yes,” she
whispered, because she felt the honesty in his voice. Felt the truth that
flowed from him. “I will have to sign myself out. I can’t just walk away.” She
stepped back, and the thread that spanned between them thinned almost to
nothing. She licked her lips and felt the loss of that odd connection, which
had felt like home, plain and simple.
    He was frowning,
but nodded. “Will that cause you any issues? I mean, with anyone here, or out
there in the world? I know this is a lot to be asking of you, even though you
were clearly heading out to do your own thing.” He shot her a look with a