West (A Roam Series Novella) Read Online Free Page B

Even. So sure of herself, she smiled politely, and I was instantly pissed off. She’s going to sit there and lie, right to my face?
    “Really.” I slid the lock on her phone, and a screen popped up displaying an entry titled Dream Dictionary- to dream about a teacher. “A dream dictionary.” God, she was seventeen fucking years old. A kid. This was going to be harder than I thought. I needed patience, and I was grasping for it.
    She may have been beautiful and smart, but the last thing I was going to deal with was immaturity and an aversion to authority. That shit ended now . “So, you had a dream about a teacher?” I smirked; I couldn’t help it. I’d caught her in a boldfaced lie, and I was enjoying every second of her discomfort.
    I had died a hundred deaths for this girl. She was going to do everything I said.
    She lifted her chin, defiant. “Yes I did. It was very disturbing. It was about you, and I woke up vomiting.”
    I stared, comprehending her words. She dreamed . About me. Disturbing.
    She’s already having the dreams, before I even touch ed her… like Annie had.
    Of all the lives, of all the girls, never had her words rendered me completely speechless.
    I imagined the memories she could have experienced. The dungeon torture… the woods in France… the gas station…
    The motel.
    My hands around her neck.
    Jesus Christ.
    “I was sick in the dream, in some hotel room… it smelled…,” she cleared her throat, “It seemed so real that I woke up sick. It was really short but kind of… kind of scary.”
    Her voice shook.
    I was so wrong.
    The hotel. Julie.
    I’d completely misjudged her. No wonder she was late. She’d had her first nightmare, and I hadn’t even been there for her, to hold her, to comfort her. Her hands twisted furiously at her waist, and her delicate shoulders fell.
    It’s not defiance in her eyes, you fucking asshole, it’s exhaustion.
    “I’m sorry, Roam,” I managed, carefully placing her phone on the box to avoid touching her. “Here.”
    This is w rong. I need to wait. She’s too young for this. I pictured her standing in the snow, watching as they lowered her mother’s body into the cold, hard ground. I remembered discovering that Roam had been rushed to the hospital only a year later, nearly dying from falling into a nest of yellow jackets.
    I’d stayed awake all night, saying every prayer that I had left, staring at the numbers. When they remained through the next day, I promised myself I’d never let her feel that kind of pain again. I’d be there for her, as early as possible. My partner in this prophecy, not my wife.
    Save this world and end this- without a baby.
    “Not your fault. The mind is a strange place.”
    I listened to this kid forgive me with logic.
    Finally, I nodded, wiping my sweating palms over my knees. “Very true. I’m sorry that I embarrassed you.” I had to get out of there. I had to get the fuck out of there before I touched her. I wanted to touch her, I wanted to see her face when she realized the world that she knew was much older and entirely more frightening then she could have ever imagined.
    “Here, just put away these two boxes and lock up when you’re done. I’ll let Mr. Kingston know you volunteered.” I held out the long, blue lanyard.
    She continued kneeling at the boxes. Her eyes widened, and with her naturally high cheekbones, she took my breath away.
    She’s only seventeen. She’ll only grow more beautiful with time.
    “You’re leaving?”
    “I just remembered something I need to take care of. You got this?”
    She stood, and I judged her to be about 5’6”. “Thanks for being so easy about this,” she said.
    Get the fuck away from her . I thrust the lanyard toward her, watching it slip through her fingers. As I bent to sweep the air for it, she did the same.
    And her finger touched the back of my hand.
    It was too late.
    Pain slashed across her face, and I reached for her, catching her before she fell. A