Emergence (The Primogenitor Chronicles Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

total loss, there’s Nickolas.” Kelley snagged a little device lying between the seats and pointed it at the recovery team. She pressed a sequence of buttons. Smiling, she watched the screen as it flashed. “Good, transfer complete.”
    “Good luck on your hunt, Nick.” Les laughed. “Hope she gives you a run for your money.”
     

     
    Nickolas walked beside his brother to the backyard and stopped near the window. It didn’t take long to find her traces.
    “Chris, here,” Nickolas called. He gently touched some broken branches on an azalea before he squatted down to look at the footprints in the flower bed. “Where did you say you saw her?”
    “Somewhere close to here,” Christoff said, parting the bushes at the edge of the yard. “This is where I saw her hiding.”
    Joining Christoff, Nickolas could see the scuffmarks where she had crouched in the dirt to watch the house. “It looks like she ran deeper into the woods.”
    A branch snapped, and they looked at each other, slow grins settling on their faces before they turned and tracked off after the sound.
     

     
    Adrenaline surged through Jessica’s body, clearing the fuzziness that had taken over her mind again, clouding her thoughts. Jogging through the woods, she looked back over her shoulder as she felt a quick burst of…something…aimed at her, and she shivered. She knew the two Valkyrie Hunters were trying to narrow down their search. She had spent too much time as a child in Aurora not to be aware of the special mental abilities Valkyries had.
    Hunters! Gods, what did I do? Why did they send two Hunters after me? I can’t get away from them.
    She blocked some branches with her forearm, picking her way barefoot across the cold, muddy ground. She stumbled and stepped on a stick, wincing at the loud crack it made more than at the pain it caused to her numbing feet. I’m so screwed.
    It was hard to ignore the pain the forest floor inflicted on her feet, but she picked up the pace anyway, flinching every now and then as she encountered more stones or sticks. She wracked her brain for the distant memories of the Hunters she’d known in her childhood. Working to remember what they were capable of. She’d tried to forget them, but now she welcomed every half-forgotten scrap. Her gait slowed as the fogginess in her mind swelled once more and eroded her reasoning ability. She shook her head to clear it. Second guessing what the two following her might do would get her nowhere. Fear swirled through her again like the rising of the tide. Her emotions and thoughts surged and receded, mixing together like sand and surf. With each lapping wave something changed inside her. One moment the sand would be smooth and her thoughts were her own, the waters calm and ordered. The next, a wave would swamp everything and fear and confusion would reign.
    She barely noticed when she tripped in a hole, she was so focused on her internal struggle. She just scrambled back to her feet, brushed the dirt off her knees and hands, and kept going.
    Vague memories from when she and Robin had been kids, and had played in these woods, filtered through her eroding mind, pushing her deeper into the forest. Recklessly forcing her way through the ferns and bushes, she ignored the cost to herself, hoping her memory was true and not gilded by childhood. She needed to find a secure hiding spot where the Hunters wouldn’t be able to find her. Jumping a log, she found herself skidding out of control down a hill. She grabbed at bushes and tree trunks to try to slow her descent then rolled to land head first at the bottom with a thump, her face plastered in the dead leaves and loam. Sitting up, she brushed the debris from her face, spitting out dirt. With a grimy hand, she wiped the grit out of her eyes and took a look around her. Tears blurred her vision. A meadow opened up at the base of the hill. She had a choice. Spend more time pushing through the bushes, or leave the relative safety of