Awakening: A Timeless Series Novel, Book Four Read Online Free PDF Page A

Colt ran his hand across the wall in search of a light switch. I heard the click, but it remained dark.
    “Hold on,” he said and disappeared into the dark room.
    A moment later , sunlight streaked through two large windows.
    I pushed past a few cobwebs and took account of the room. Four bunks lined the far wall, and what appeared to be a couch covered in a dusty sheet sat before a stacked stone fireplace. Colt went to the fireplace and dropped the damper. A pile of leaves, dirt, and twigs dropped to the floor.
    “ I guess we can start in here,” he said.
    It was as good a place as any , and Colt said we were staying here for a purpose. Not that I completely understood. I would’ve thought we’d travel further, maybe hide out in a city where we’d blend in. I was sure there was more to it than Colt was letting on. He probably didn’t want to tell me yet, afraid it would upset me.
    I headed toward the closet doors, hesitating for a moment. Cobwebs meant spiders, and I hated spiders. I blew out a breath and opened the doors, ready to jump back if needed. The closet was filled with stacked boxes. Some were labeled sheets and blankets . I pulled a box down and blew off the layer of grime before pulling away the tape. At least they were sealed, which meant nothing could get in unless it chewed through the cardboard.
    Inside the boxes were sheets wrapped in plastic. I started to pull them out, but when I glanced at the bunks, they were missing mattresses. I frowned. Sleeping on the wood base would be uncomfortable. Unless…
    “Colt?” I turned to find that he was no longer in the room.
    I made for the door and glanced both ways. He must have gone to get cleaning supplies. I headed down the dark hall. If someone had taken the time to carefully pack linens away, chances were they’d stacked mattresses in another room.
    I tried the first door on my right, opening it slowly. I didn’t need another whiff of decay. Specks of light drifted through the long, heavy curtains. I went straight for them and pulled what was left of them open.
    A sneeze escaped me.
    “Bless you,” Colt said, leaning in the doorway. “Got bored cleaning the first room already?” He lifted a brow.
    “ I was looking for mattresses.”
    I glanced around the room. It was like the first room; four bunks without mattresses, a sofa covered in a sheet, and a fireplace. What was this place?
    Colt stepped inside.
    “Maybe in here?” He stopped before closet doors.
    I shrugged.
    He pulled open the door, and I screamed as a fuzzy brown animal leapt out at him. Colt jumped and cornered it quickly. Several sets of heavy footsteps pounded down the hall, but they weren’t all human.
    Maes bolted around the corner in his Tresez form. I pointed to Colt. Daniel, Brogan, and Clayton burst in behind him.
    Maes inched closer , and a moment later, a small squeak sounded. He turned around and shifted.
    “ It was a squirrel, Cheyenne.” Irritation flared in his voice.
    “ She didn’t know,” Colt defended me. “It scared her.”
    At least I knew Maes would still come to help if needed—maybe.
    Maes eyed him for a moment. “What are you looking for anyway?”
    “Mattresses,” I replied.
    He pushed the others out of his way, and I followed. Brogan rolled his eyes as I passed. Four doors remained, three on the right and one on the left. Maes went for the second door on his right.
    “ Here.” He pushed it open, and clicked on a light, revealing wrapped and stacked mattresses. It was a storage closet of sorts.
    Who did stuff like this, stacking mattresses with protective wrappings? Did they plan on coming back here one day?
    “Just what is this place?” I couldn’t hold back my curiosity any longer.
    “It was an old training facility. Marcus is particular about certain things,” Maes answered. “It’s been abandoned for years, but I knew there’d be supplies here, and halfway decent housing.”
    “And hidden,” I murmured. At least it was now starting