Dark Spirits Read Online Free PDF Page A

long legs, and I fell on my back, knocking the wind out of me. That memorable night taught me to break the legs on somebody larger than I. I needed to quickly incapacitate any advantages my opponent would have over me.
    Once in a while Nathan and I would have some quality time alone. Hand and hand, we explored the rocky island. I was amazed at how huge and gray the rocks were. Some of them were as big as a three-story house. Whenever I had pictured a remote island, I imagined sprawling white, glittery sand, and lush green tropical forest. But the island we were on seemed like it had been coughed out of purgatory, straight into our world. There were some beautiful spots though. Also, the stars at night were so clear and bright, it gave the illusion you could reach up and pluck one out of the sky.
    The stars . . .
    Dropping all other thoughts, my mind honed in on the stars.
    Now, I fell into a meditative state. My external surroundings dimmed. My heart rate and breathing slowed to a drowsy pace. I felt absent from my body, a spirit floating among the stars.
    A hazy vision fluttered before me of a dark place. I couldn’t make out what or where it was, but I felt a strange pull toward it.
    The sound of dripping water filled my ears.
    Then the scene shifted, as if I were in a rail cart being rolled into a different room, reminding me of a haunted house ride at an amusement part. A whirl of whispering encircled me. I saw a room–an empty barn filled with hooded, dark ghostly figures. They were gathered together in a semi-circle, feverishly whispering:
    “Paige Reed is now immortal, and the ‘old one’ has Solomon’s ring.”
    “Have you heard what Nathan Caswell did to Aosoth?”
    Someone cackled next to the empty stall, “She’s in the Sahara Desert, squirming in excruciating pain.”
    Amused laughter echoed through the barn.
    “He’s not through with her yet,” a voice called from the loft.
    “She’s a bitch!” someone yelled, and the room filled with shushes.
    “Be quiet.”
    “What’s the plan?” a gravelly voice asked.
    A tall, black-hooded figure floated toward the middle of the group. In unison the group stepped back like a retracting black wall.
    The room fell silent.
    “We either obtain the ring and destroy it. Or”–he moved his head, dramatically looking about, glowing eyes reaching out from the depths of his hood– “we destroy Paige.”
    I gasped, and my hand flew out to the side of the tub, knocking a candle over.
    “Crap.” I flung water out of the tub onto the purple bathroom rug where a small fire had ignited, dousing the flame. I reached over and pinched the flames out on the rest of the candles, silently thanking the elements for their assistance.
    A few minutes later, I slipped into my black and white checkered boxer shorts and a white tank. I padded across the hall into my bedroom, twirling my hair into a messy bun. The green numbers on my digital clock blinked midnight.
    The witching hour.
    I wanted Nathan to be here, and loneliness gnawed at me. And then, just like that, fierce anger whipped through me. The back of my neck burned. I gnashed my teeth together, falling into a river of rapid, volatile thoughts, allowing it to suck me under.
    If Nathan were here, I wouldn’t be dealing with this on my own. How could he do this to me? To us? We should be dealing with this together, not separately.
    I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, attempting to rein in those unruly thoughts. I told myself those biting feelings were part of the immortal package. If I were human, the emotions coursing through me now wouldn’t be so sharp.
    I knew one of my many tasks as a newborn immortal was to learn how to control my emotions because like an exposed nerve, we felt everything to the highest degree. I also knew that was what Nathan meant when he’d said I needed to master my emotions. So he probably thought I’d ruin the meeting with an emotional outburst. But he should know I would never . .