Unveiled: A Paranormal Urban Fantasy Novel (The Dark Skies Trilogy Book One) Read Online Free Page A
Author: Lysa Daley
where all the vegetation has burned away. This massive glowing orb, practically in my backyard, is surely a dark herald of things to come.
"Whoa,” I say, confused. “That doesn't look like a regular meteorite."
"What's a regular meteorite supposed to look like?" Ruby whispers, angling to get a clear shot of it with her phone.
"Like a jagged hunk of rock and ice."
The exterior surface of the thing that sits in the clearing has a completely smooth, almost glass-like, surface. It’s perfectly round and cracked in half like a hollowed out egg. A vibrant purple glow pulses from the interior as a strange hum fills the air.
A swarm of men wearing industrial grade rubber boots, and orange jumpsuits, complete with hooded ventilators, scour the wooded mountaintop. Sleek rifles are strapped across their back while knives and grenades dangle from heavy canvas belts.
They're like some hybrid of a SWAT team and a hazmat crew. And I don't get the sense that they're fooling around.
A trio of orange jumpsuit guys sprays white foam on a few remaining dying flames and a patch of once smoldering foliage; others appear to be gathering information with scientific equipment and instruments.
In the background, near the SUVs and away from all the action, a rail-thin man barks orders. He's not wearing any protective gear. Just a black suit, white shirt, black tie, and dark sunglasses – even though it's nearly 10 o'clock at night.
There’s a commotion in the brush at the edge of the canyon. Someone, or something, is approaching the area. In an instant, every rifle is trained in the direction of the noise.
From outside the perimeter of the circle, a hulking figure, carrying a bundle, crests the nearby hillside.
"Oh my god," Ruby gasps, then quickly makes sure the picture on her phone is in focus. "They're going to shoot that guy."
Luckily, the hulking interloper freezes when he realizes he's now staring down the barrel of a dozen guns.
“What’s he carrying?” I lean forward, trying to get a better view, but the shrouded bundle in his arms is looking more and more like a body. A limp, dead body.
Sunglasses Man slowly strides towards the hulking figure. He must recognize him because he waves his team off.
They lower their guns, quickly losing interest, and return to their various tasks.
Sunglasses Man approaches the hulking figure as he moves out of the creepy green smoke into the lit clearing.
“Oh my God, Astrid! Is that …?” Ruby can’t get the words out.
I realize that the man carrying the limp body is my Uncle Conrad.
Chapter 3
" P lease tell me that's not my uncle?" I can't look. I'm crouched as low as I possibly can get with my hands covering my eyes.
"Oh yeah, that's him," Ruby nods, peeking over the vegetation. "That's definitely your uncle."
A shiver runs down my spine. Why would my uncle be out in the woods at night carrying a bundle that looks like a dead body?
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I sneak a peek. She's right. It's for sure my Uncle Conrad.
Then again, it's hard to mistake a 6 foot 5 inch tall, muscle bound guy with a razor-sharp crew cut for somebody else. I suppose he's handsome in a beefy sort of way.
I'm mortified to report that more than one of my friends has had a crush on him. Believe me; I just have to flip on the old denial meter for that one.
After a beat, Ruby adds, "I'm sorry, Astrid, but your uncle kind of scares me."
"He kind of scares everyone," I admit. "I think that's his plan."
My Uncle Conrad is a martial arts master with five different black belts, which basically means he can kill you in five different and totally distinctive styles.
"But he'd never hurt anyone," I say, because deep down, he's a total pussy cat who loves to cook and sings Taylor Swift in the shower. Even though he complains about Tom, the stray cat, I know he secretly leaves tins of tuna outside for him all the time.
Ruby remains silent.
"Maybe someone was killed by the meteor," I suggest,
"Whoa,” I say, confused. “That doesn't look like a regular meteorite."
"What's a regular meteorite supposed to look like?" Ruby whispers, angling to get a clear shot of it with her phone.
"Like a jagged hunk of rock and ice."
The exterior surface of the thing that sits in the clearing has a completely smooth, almost glass-like, surface. It’s perfectly round and cracked in half like a hollowed out egg. A vibrant purple glow pulses from the interior as a strange hum fills the air.
A swarm of men wearing industrial grade rubber boots, and orange jumpsuits, complete with hooded ventilators, scour the wooded mountaintop. Sleek rifles are strapped across their back while knives and grenades dangle from heavy canvas belts.
They're like some hybrid of a SWAT team and a hazmat crew. And I don't get the sense that they're fooling around.
A trio of orange jumpsuit guys sprays white foam on a few remaining dying flames and a patch of once smoldering foliage; others appear to be gathering information with scientific equipment and instruments.
In the background, near the SUVs and away from all the action, a rail-thin man barks orders. He's not wearing any protective gear. Just a black suit, white shirt, black tie, and dark sunglasses – even though it's nearly 10 o'clock at night.
There’s a commotion in the brush at the edge of the canyon. Someone, or something, is approaching the area. In an instant, every rifle is trained in the direction of the noise.
From outside the perimeter of the circle, a hulking figure, carrying a bundle, crests the nearby hillside.
"Oh my god," Ruby gasps, then quickly makes sure the picture on her phone is in focus. "They're going to shoot that guy."
Luckily, the hulking interloper freezes when he realizes he's now staring down the barrel of a dozen guns.
“What’s he carrying?” I lean forward, trying to get a better view, but the shrouded bundle in his arms is looking more and more like a body. A limp, dead body.
Sunglasses Man slowly strides towards the hulking figure. He must recognize him because he waves his team off.
They lower their guns, quickly losing interest, and return to their various tasks.
Sunglasses Man approaches the hulking figure as he moves out of the creepy green smoke into the lit clearing.
“Oh my God, Astrid! Is that …?” Ruby can’t get the words out.
I realize that the man carrying the limp body is my Uncle Conrad.
Chapter 3
" P lease tell me that's not my uncle?" I can't look. I'm crouched as low as I possibly can get with my hands covering my eyes.
"Oh yeah, that's him," Ruby nods, peeking over the vegetation. "That's definitely your uncle."
A shiver runs down my spine. Why would my uncle be out in the woods at night carrying a bundle that looks like a dead body?
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I sneak a peek. She's right. It's for sure my Uncle Conrad.
Then again, it's hard to mistake a 6 foot 5 inch tall, muscle bound guy with a razor-sharp crew cut for somebody else. I suppose he's handsome in a beefy sort of way.
I'm mortified to report that more than one of my friends has had a crush on him. Believe me; I just have to flip on the old denial meter for that one.
After a beat, Ruby adds, "I'm sorry, Astrid, but your uncle kind of scares me."
"He kind of scares everyone," I admit. "I think that's his plan."
My Uncle Conrad is a martial arts master with five different black belts, which basically means he can kill you in five different and totally distinctive styles.
"But he'd never hurt anyone," I say, because deep down, he's a total pussy cat who loves to cook and sings Taylor Swift in the shower. Even though he complains about Tom, the stray cat, I know he secretly leaves tins of tuna outside for him all the time.
Ruby remains silent.
"Maybe someone was killed by the meteor," I suggest,
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