Beneath a Blood Moon Read Online Free PDF

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    “I shouldn’t have gotten you involved,” I mumbled.
    “You did say you thought it was a bad idea.” Isabella wrinkled her nose. “I should have listened. Forget it. Let’s bust this joint while we can.”
    Maybe Isabella had been hit in the head, but I needed her help to get to my feet and stay there. My muscles trembled and twitched as though electricity still coursed through me. A storm door set beside a curtained window promised freedom. We staggered to it, and holding up her hand in warning, Isabella peeked outside.
    The sun burned over the desert, and for as far as I could see, there was nothing but dry, cracked ground and craggy stones jutting up from the barren landscape. My mouth dropped open.
    The door wasn’t locked, and with a dismayed cry, Isabella stepped outside. The cabin wasn’t much larger than a shed, and the desert loomed all around us. The oppressive, relentless heat drove my friend back inside the cabin’s welcoming cool.
    “What the fuck?” Closing the door, she checked over the rest of the cabin, which consisted of a tiny bedroom, an even smaller kitchenette, and a bathroom with a shower stall.
    Through the bathroom window, I saw a long line of electric poles stretching across the desert. I pointed at it. “Must be something that way.”
    “Are you stupid? We’ll die trying to cross the desert like this. There’s nothing in here we can use to carry water. We have no idea where we are.” Isabella glared at me before returning to the main sitting room, flopping down on the couch. “We’re stuck.”
    Something about the way she gave up without even attempting to free herself pissed me off. I swayed but remained standing, staring at her for a long moment. I clenched my teeth.
    As her friend, I shouldn’t have even considered leaving her behind, but I was tired. I was tired of being pushed around. I was tired of being afraid. I was tired of being a second-rate citizen compared to her; she was beautiful, smarter than I ever hoped to be, and willing to do whatever it took to advance her wealth and social standing.
    I had left that life behind, renouncing it when I ran away from New York to escape my father’s fury at my poor choices and his overbearing, controlling behavior.
    If I had to choose between staying a hostage or dying in the desert, it wasn’t a difficult choice to make. It was a stupid decision to make, but I was beyond caring.
    I would rather die free. Maybe she was content to wait for her fate, but I wasn’t.
    Lifting my chin, I glared down my nose at Isabella. “No, Isabella. You’re stuck.”
    Isabella’s eyes widened and her mouth hung open, though she didn’t say a word. Satisfied I had made my point clear, I stomped to the door and flung it open.
    A man stood in the doorway, watching me with a faint smile on his lips and a gleam in his blue eyes. Recognition drove me back several steps, and with my heart in my throat, I spluttered.
    The years had refined Rory, smoothing away the rough edges that had appealed to me when I had met him at sixteen. Instead of the tattered t-shirt he had once favored, he wore a black suit and a pristine white shirt. Desert sand dusted his legs. When he strode towards me, I backed away, shaking my head in denial.
    He halted in the center of the room, sliding his hands into his pockets. He considered me before flashing his best smile at Isabella.
    “Well, well, well,” he murmured. “It seems you ladies were industrious while I was gone. Pardon my rude invitation. I didn’t think you’d accept if I went about it the normal way.” Rory turned his attention to me, and there was something predatory about the way he grinned at me. “You’ve gotten prettier, Sara. I hadn’t thought it possible. I like your hair. It suits you.”
    My legs gave out beneath me and I sank to the floor, staring up at the blond-haired, blue-eyed man I had defied my parents for, only to have him cheat on me the same day my father’s rage