Alcandian Soul Read Online Free PDF Page B

three feet from the opposite side.
    Cassandra rolled to the edge and stood up. A little shiver shook her because lying in the center of the large circle felt a little too much like a sacrifice being positioned on an altar.
    There were curtains in front of her too. These were thick, velvet-looking in another shade of blue. Moving across the stone tile floor, she ran a fingertip over one and smiled at its smooth texture. Wherever she was, even a coma, it was a feast for the senses. The air smelled so…clean. No hint of car fumes, nothing but that sweet-smelling air you only found outside wineries and in national parks.
    Sound drifted up from behind the blue velvet curtain. Pressing lightly on it, Cassandra discovered that there was only a half wall running the entire length of the room. Plucking the fabric gently, she peeked under the hem as it rose above the top of the half wall. It was finished up like a balcony, with a wide lip to prevent any accidental diving off the second floor.
    Her breath froze in her lungs as she looked out of her room. Below her was a large open area. There were balconies going around the building, all of them with curtains. Some of the curtains were pulled back to let her see into the rooms. But below was a gathering hall of some kind. Long tables filled it, with benches and chairs. Several huge men sat at those tables. Some were eating and others were talking. Most of them wore maroon-colored clothing of some kind. There wasn’t a crew cut in sight. Shoulderlength hair crowned each male below. Cassandra dropped the blue velvet as she jumped away from the wall.
    She needed to think! And fast!
    Fear bubbled up as she looked around the room again and noticed the little foreign details of technology. But her curiosity refused to be drowned by fear. She moved towards the open window and gazed down into a huge courtyard, bounded by graceful columns soaring thirty feet into the air, that would have made the Parthenon blush. Plants were held in large urns atop each column and they were dotted with blue flowers while thick vines twisted down those columns.
    More of the maroon-clad men walked through that wide expanse of gleaming white stone a floor below her. Their coats were three-quarter length and split up the sides to their hips like those seen in some kind of Japanese martial arts movie. The only thing missing was the katana sword strapped to their backs. Even from her distance, Cassandra noticed how huge they were. There wasn’t a flabby tummy in sight. Having lived the last year among the elite of the Army, she noticed the same stance and powerful motion in these men.
    Wherever she was, she was back among their Special Forces.
    “Hello, Cassandra.”
    She shrieked. Cassandra snarled a second after the feminine sound escaped her startled lips. She landed neatly in a balanced stance as she popped around to face the owner of that voice. It was oddly familiar but richer and deeper than her memory.
    That wasn’t the only thing that had changed about Cole Somerton.
    Cassandra ran her gaze over the sight in front of her as she resisted the urge to step away from him. Cole had never been a small man or a weak one, but the male waiting just inside the doorway curtain was huge. He had to stand over seven feet tall and his shoulder span was incredibly wide. Seeing others like him from the window hadn’t really impacted her with the true immense size of these people.
    “I thought you were human.”
    One side of his mouth twitched in response. He stepped forward and her feet moved away from his imposing stature. She detested the impulse but was too late to stop her body from responding to his presence.
    “The Alcandians have improved a great many things, including food. While they learned that nature shouldn’t be tampered with often, a little enhancement isn’t misplaced from time to time. I am human.”
    Well, he didn’t look it. He was wearing one of those maroon coats, but you could just see the