Book of Life Read Online Free PDF Page B

couldn’t understand him.
    “What?”
    He took a moment to wake up before repeating himself, wiping drool from his mouth. “What time is it?”
    “Close to midnight.” I grabbed his ankle through the pink comforter.
    He rolled over, spinning under my touch. “Any word from Max?”
    I shook my head. “About what?”
    Wes rubbed his eyes. “Oh, right, you weren’t there. Max thinks he found a lead on Greg.”
    I shuddered at the mention of his name. I was never going to get used to hearing it, not since he brain washed me and forced me to kill a man at the beginning of this year.
    “He’s left to go see if he can catch up with him,” he went on.
    “Went where?” Lacy chimed in.
    Wes shook his head. “No idea. He didn’t seem to want my help.”
    “I don’t think I want you to help,” I protested. “Not with anything concerning Greg—or Avery for that matter.”
    Wes ignored me.
    I couldn’t help but feel anxious about the fact that Wes had offered to help. The last thing I needed was to lose him as well. He, Jane and Jake—and I suppose Lacy—were the only people I had to confide in. Without Wes here, I’d be forced to confide with Jake, and I doubt Lacy would stick around without Max. I really just didn’t want to be left with Jake. It’s not that I disliked Jake, if anything it was something of the opposite. Jake’s blue dancing light continued to tease me, and in my weakening state I wasn’t sure I could trust myself alone with it, I could barely trust myself in a crowded room with it. My only hope was that if Wes left to help Max, he’d take Jake with him. At least then I’d get a few moments of peace.
    Wes propped his hands behind his head. “Jake would be there with me,” he said, as though hearing my thoughts for once. “Greg can’t stop the three of us together. Besides, Greg won’t hurt Max because what hurts Max hurts him, too. You have to remember that.”
    “I remember,” I barked, further irritated. “That’s what worries me. It makes you and Jake easy targets. He may avoid killing Max, but he probably won’t take the same precautions with the two of you.”
    “Max won’t let anything happen to us,” he added with a shrug, as though it was no big deal.
    I snorted. “Right, just like he’d never let anything happen to Jane.”
     
    MAX:
     
    I stormed through the large carved doors into the empty hall. “Srixon!” I yelled, an undeniably irrational pitch to my voice.
    My feet pounded over the tiled floor, past columns draped in flowing fabric thrown skyward with my passing. A few steps later I’d reached the alter. Srixon stood with his back to me, lighting a candle and placing it on the pew as though my presence meant nothing. He silently made one last prayer, taking his time before turning to face me.
    “My son.”
    His calm greeting only threw wood on my fiery anger. I was in no mood to entertain Srixon’s references to me as his son, not anymore. “You protected her, didn’t you?” I was referring to Avery, his only offspring—it was the only thing that made sense. He had purposefully withheld the truth of the prophecy in order to protect her. Though she was evil, I could see that a father’s love for his daughter transcends many boundaries, good or bad. It was like my love for my brother. I would always hope he’d change.
    “I’m sorry, Max,” he admitted.
    Looking him in the eye, I saw the guilt and the truth, but it wasn’t guilt enough—I expected more remorse. “Do you realize what you’ve done?”
    Srixon laced his fingers together before him. His gold trimmed robe was cuffed around his wrists, draping to the floor and sweeping the ground in a dramatic fashion. “I do.”
    “Well, I don’t. I need to know the whole prophecy. You told me Jane was an integral part. Jane’s father implied this as well. I don’t understand, then, why she died before this came to fruition.”
    Srixon looked at a loss for words.
    I went on. “I need to know the