Fall (The Ragnarok Prophesies) Read Online Free PDF Page A

her. Ronan did a stupid thing that could have cost her more than a few nightmares.
    I wasn’t sure if he cared about that or not.
    He looked at Chelle and me levelly, then went back to staring out the window.
    “You owe her an apology, you know,” Beth said, stomping across the room. She stopped in front of him, crossing her arms over her chest. Whatever sense of kinship she’d felt for him over Dani, he’d effectively destroyed it. “Your sick joke could have killed her.”
    Ronan turned his head to look at her, his expression blank.
    I fought the urge to shudder. I hated how he did that, moving nothing but his head in some creepy raven way.
    “You knew there were wolves out there. They killed Dani,” Beth said. Her bottom lip quivered, but she didn’t burst into tears. She took a deep breath and scowled. “One could have killed Mandy.”
    “They wouldn’t have bothered,” Ronan said.
    He was right, if a little too blunt, but Beth didn’t know that. She didn’t know the wild wolves living in the woods surrounding town were harmless. They didn’t kill Dani or try to kill me. The real monsters walked among us, lived beside us… and wanted to kill all of us. But Beth never would know that, because Chelle didn’t want her to, and we couldn’t deny Chelle that right, even if it meant the wolves,
our
wolves, took the blame for the horrible things happening.
    “What did you say?” Beth asked, her voice lowering an octave.
    “She’s not important,” Ronan said.
    Beth blanched, curling her hands into fists.
    Dace growled silently, his anger flowing through our bond like the crack of a whip striking flesh. I jerked at the sting, but no one noticed. Everyone’s eyes were on Ronan and Beth.
    “Maybe you should leave,” Gage said, glaring at Ronan. He placed his hand on Beth’s arm, to keep her from punching Ronan, I thought.
    “I think I’ll stay,” Ronan said.
    Gage shot him a dirty look, his eyes narrowing to thin slits.
    “Why are you here anyway?” Beth demanded. “Ari doesn’t even like you.”
    I cringed at her brutal honesty.
    Ronan didn’t react.
    “Ugh!” Beth threw her hands in the air, disgust written all over her face. She swung to face me. “I’m sorry, Ari, but if he doesn’t leave, I will. I don’t want anything to do with him.”
    “Beth―” Chelle started.
    “I’m serious,” she said, cutting her sister off. “He’s an asshole, and I don’t know why you guys even let him hang around. Dani would be disgusted with him if she were still here.”
    Beth’s face paled as soon as the words left her lips, but it was too late to call them back.
    Ronan and Chelle both flinched, Dani’s name hanging in the air like smoke from a bomb blast.
    “She isn’t here,” Ronan said, his voice quiet and remote. “She’s dead.”
    He stepped around Beth and out the bedroom door without another word.
    Great. Just great.
    I rubbed my temples.
    “I’m sorry,” Beth mumbled when the sound of his footfalls on the stairs receded. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
    “It’s fine,” Chelle said, her voice faint and pained.
    Beth sank down in the windowsill, hunching her shoulders as if trying to disappear. Moisture swam in her eyes, misery pooling in twin drops of water. “I miss her,” she whispered. “I miss her so much.”
    My heart broke for her, for Chelle. And for Ronan.
    All three.

couple more steps, Ari,” Dad said, wriggling two fingers.
    I shuffled forward. My legs trembled until I felt like Bambi learning to stand for the first time, but Dace stood at my side, so I knew I wouldn’t fall flat on my face. Not this time, anyway.
    “You’re doing good,” he said, squeezing my hand in his.
    Easy for him to say. Every time I moved an inch, it seemed like the couch did too.
    I hated walking.
    “Why does the couch keep moving?” I complained, glaring balefully at the leather sofa.
    “It isn’t.”
    I arched a brow.
    Stop whining. You can do this.
    I ignored him, mostly