Eternal Island (Book 1 in the Eternal Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Ariana had ever seen up close in her life. It was black with blacked out windows, and rims so shiny she could see her reflection enough to know just how bad she was in need of a shower and a hairbrush.
    “What kind of car is this?”
    “You like it? It’s a Lotus. I’m thinking of trading it off, though. I’ve had it for eight months now. I might just give it to you, as a moving gift. You wanna give it a test drive and see what you think?”
    “Are you freaking serious? Hell, yeah, I wanna drive.”
    Ariana started the engine and more horses than she could count galloped under the hood. A tear came to her eye as she remembered the love her daddy used to have for sooped-up cars. His face would light up every time he got a new issue of Car and Driver in the mail. He used to dream of him and her building a car together. Ariana wasn’t interested in the cars, she just loved seeing the look on his face. Now she wished she had cared a little bit more.
    “Are you okay? We’ve been sitting here for a good five minutes and Abe is waiting on me. Don’t you need to pee anymore?”
    Ariana put the car in gear. “No, I’m alright now, thanks. I was just daydreaming. Which way do I go?”

C HAPTER 6
    Once through the gates of Eternal Palace, Rainey told Ariana to turn left. Bright ceiling lights glowed like mini-suns the whole two hundred feet of the tunnel down to the enormous underground garage. There were at least a hundred cars parked there, including trucks and sport utility vehicles, all neatly lined up in rows.
    “Is this where everyone parks?”
    “It is one of five garages. Park over there, next to the Hummer. Hurry up, I’m late and I have made him wait for me a lot, lately. He likes people to be punctual.”
    “Just tell him I drove and I was slow because I didn’t know the way.”
    “He will buy that, too,” she mumbled, then looked at Ariana and spoke louder. “You get settled and I’ll pick you up in thirty minutes or so.”
    “Rainey?”
    “Yes.”
    “Are you intimate with him? With Abe, I mean. You seem to really want to make him happy.”
    Rainey burst into laughter. “Me, with Abe? My God, that’s a new one. No, Abe isn’t interested in me, nor I in him. He was quite the player for a while, but now he only has eyes for one special woman.”
    “Who is she?”
    Said too much! Shit, said too much, Rainey scolded herself. Of course she would be interested. “We’ll talk about it later, okay? Over dinner, maybe. We’ve really gotta get going now.”
    One of the elevators had a note with Rainey’s name on it stuck on the call button. They stepped into the elevator and Rainey quickly scanned Abe’s neat writing to see where he suggested Ariana’s living quarters to be. Surprised, she hit the button for the second floor. Rainey honestly expected him to say Ariana would be staying in his personal bedchambers. The King was listening to her advice without arguing. That must have been a first.
    When the doors opened, Ariana almost choked in awe. The curved staircase led up and down, and in all directions there were hallways and doors. It was like a massive museum with all the statues and paintings on the walls, and everything shining brightly. Polished marble and glass glimmered everywhere. The floors and stairs were white marble and glistened as if they were wet.
    “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
    All Ariana could do was nod. They walked down a hallway; Rainey stopped in front of a door and knocked, hoping its lodger had been notified of her imminent arrival. A few seconds later a petite girl with platinum blond hair cut a little above her shoulders, and a very pretty smile, opened the door.
    “OMG, Rainey, where have you been? I’ve got this new spell I need to try out but I thought I’d pass it by you first. Who’s your friend?”
    “Becky, this is Ariana. Ariana, this is Becky Smith. Ariana is your new roommate. Will you help her get settled, please? I’ll come back for you in about