Emerge: The Awakening Read Online Free PDF

me you’re joking.” 
    “Nope, apparently you are ‘equals’ and I am to keep my distance.” 
    “That’s rather ironic.”
    “Well, you seem to have the one thing she wants.”
    “What? A pulse?” 
    “A pedigree. Like a puppy.” She cocked her head in amusement. “That’s one scary stalker-girlfriend you’ve got.”  
    “Protect me?” he pleaded in mock horror as they headed in opposite directions.
    <><><>

 
    CHAPTER
    FIVE  
    Allie ran swiftly along the beach, enjoying the chill of fall in the air. It was just over a month since she’d arrived on Kelleys Island and the leaves were a riot of colors. She loved her new home and its illusion of stability, but she didn’t trust it to last. She was more herself here than she’d ever been before, but she was so scared it would all disappear. Something loomed over her like a dark cloud—an ominous storm that threatened to destroy everything. 
    She slowed to a walk when she neared the shady grotto nestled at the base of a massive cliff. A winding flight of steps rose from the sand up to Aidan’s palatial home along the ridge. He really did have a pedigree, with a trust fund and a panoramic view of the city across the bay.
    She could hear the peaceful vocals of Miserere a 9 on the surround sound and she paused to watch him. He was texting, a slight frown creasing his brow. It was noon in Germany, and he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to check in with his old girlfriend.
    “How’s Wendy?” She dropped to her usual place beside him on the stone sectional covered in brightly colored cushions. Everything in the grotto was carved right from the limestone rock. Even the huge dining table was a slab suspended from the ceiling. The fire pit was formed right into the floor where flames crackled cheerfully this morning, but dark black soot marred the low ceiling where a fire had recently burned out of control.
    “She’s good.” He grinned. “And awfully curious about you.”
    “How so?”
    “Coffee?” He slid a mug across the table.
    “Ahh, the nectar of my people,” she sighed, settling back comfortably. “But I’m not so easily distracted. Why’s your old girlfriend curious about me?”
    “She wanted to know if you were hot,” he snorted in a very un-Aidan like way.
    “Um?”
    “You’re more her type than I am,” he laughed.
    “Oh.” Allie giggled as Benedictus filled the air. “Feeling depressed this morning, are we?”
    “I happen to like choral music. It helps me think.”
    “What’s on your mind?”
    “I need to know exactly when your sixteenth birthday is.”
    “Halloween. Why?”
    “You were seriously born with that orange hair on Halloween?”
    “ Orange? ” she scoffed.
    “Is that a date you picked or is it your actual birthday? We don’t know when Sasha’s is, so we let her pick her own when she was little.”
    “It’s my real birthday, but you still haven’t answered my question.”
    “Just want to make sure we have enough time for party planning.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
    “You’ve met me, right? I hate birthday parties. Mom always invited a bunch of random kids I didn’t even know. She gave up when I punched a kid for making fun of me because I didn’t have any real friends.”
    “You have real friends now, but you seem determined not to accept it. I know you’re happy here, but why does that scare the hell out of you?”
    “I will allow that blatant attempt to distract me, but if you throw a party, don’t be surprised if I don’t show up,” she said. “To answer your question, I am happy here, but it can’t last. I didn’t want to get attached, but it’s too late for that. It would break my heart if I had to leave now.”
    “Your parents promised. No more moving.” He draped his arm around her.
    “Yeah, well, I’ve never known a world where we don’t move.” She pulled away. Allie always reacted strongly to his touch. If she were honest, she craved it. They were so drawn