Ascending Darkness (Shattering the Darkness) Read Online Free PDF

eating. I set my sandwich back down on my plate in disgust.
    “What a crock of shit,” Brynn snaps, making my head jerk up in surprise. “There is no way you are that stupid. It’s not like you volunteered for the job. Explain everything to him and he’ll understand.”
    “Yeah, because all men want to tear through a high traffic zone for the rest of their life. He’ll be disgusted enough that he’s even been with me ,” I roll my eyes. “Just let it go. It’s for the best.” I slouch in my chair and take a drink of my water.
    “In the meantime, what? You’ll just be miserable?” Avery voices his concern softly.
    “I’m fine.”
    “Girly, you are not ‘fine’.” He grabs my hand and holds it in his while looking me in the eyes. “You are a mess,” he says with a voice full of sadness. I feel a stinging behind my eyes and nose and take a deep breath to keep the threatening tears at bay. “Oh! I know!” Avery squeals loudly and happily after a minute, making me jump and jerking me out of the path my thoughts were about to head down. “You’re birthday is next week. We’ll throw a party and that will get your spirits up!”
    “That’s a great idea!” Brynn, apparently over her snit, chirps then exchanges an odd look with Avery that I can’t quite decipher. “It’s your thirtieth, right? We’ll have a big shindig.”
    “No, really. Please don’t.” I beg.
    “Too late. It’s decided ,” Avery quips, leans toward me and kisses me on the cheek. “We’ll rent a place. Ooo! The W Hotel over on the coast! Their Whiskey Blue room is fabulous! We’ll rent it out. And then everyone can just stay in their rooms.”
    “Uh… isn’t that a little expensive? ” I ask. “And you need a lot more notice than a week to get a booking for one of their party rooms. Or even a regular room.”
    “I’ll make a call ,” Brynn pipes in, ever helpful.
    I roll my eyes, knowing I’ll never win in this argument, and let them go about their planning.
    My mind wonders to Breccan and what he is doing. I think of how nice it would be to stay with him in a suite at The W and to have him with me for the party.
    Or anytime…
    Knowing that is a dangerous road to allow myself to travel down, I shake off my thoughts and start listening to Brynn and Avery plan so that I can drown out the pity party playing in my head; it’s like I am a freaking broken record. 
     

Chapter 3
     
     
    One week later…
     
    This week has been much of the same. I went to work each day feeling empty and hollow, receiving looks from my staff- clearly wondering what the matter was. Kole, Mark and Rory even cornered me in my office on Tuesday to try to push the truth out of me.
     
    *****
     
    “We know something’s up. You have obviously lost weight ,” Mark accused.
    “Yeah, and you used to always be so meticulous with your clothes and appearance. Now it’s like you just don’t care. Your hair is always tied back in a mess and you only ever wear jeans and a t-shirt ,” Kole, clearly the fashion police, notes.
    I didn’t realize I was looking so shabby. I know I always used to care so much about how I looked and I think in a way it was like armor to protect me from who I used to be. But now I just feel nothing , so there’s no point in being protected when you can’t be hurt, right?
    “We are only worried about you. You just haven’t been yourself ,” Rory puts his two cents in with a gentle voice. “You hardly talk and most of the day you just stay back here in your office. You haven’t even brought Bane in here in nearly two weeks.”
    “You guys it is very sweet that you are worried, but I’m fine. I’m just working through some things. I’ll be back to myself in no time.” I paste a bright fake smile on my face.
    “It’s that Breccan guy isn’t it? What did he do? I swear to God, if-” Mark begins to threaten.
    He has always been the one to keep an eye out for everyone. He walks the girls to their cars every