Inception (The Reaping Chronicles, 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

with each break of waves against the sand to come in and play for a while. The sun that had given its warmth throughout the day was setting just ahead of the storm, reflecting against the liquid horizon of the Gulf of Mexico. The fiery sky boasted shades of red, orange, and yellow that reflected and mingled on the surface of the stirring waters as gusts of wind roused the fabric of her long black dress, whipping her legs as if urging her to hurry—to move on and take shelter before the storm unleashed its rage.
    As terrible as this storm threatened to be, this wasn’t the one that she was concerned with. It wasn’t a storm of rain and wind and lightning that she was here to outwit—it wasn’t the one that threatened her life. Gabrielle closed her eyes and tried to push the thoughts out of her mind, but the new thoughts that rushed in to replace them were no better.
    The mental calm the tropical landscape helped her achieve earlier had waned, replaced by a familiar ache as her mind wandered to memories of Javan. She’d been on this beach many years ago. Only that day, she hadn’t been alone. She had been with him.
    It was a time before humans settled the now overpopulated Florida coastline. Before she lost the only love in Heaven she could ever have. Before she had the empty space inside her she did now that was constant and as loud to her as it was silent to others. Many times she’d heard a human say, ‘It’s better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.’ She’d argue that if it was the kind of love one angel had for another of their kind, it’s better to have simply never loved. An angel who lost their Reyah will forever grieve them as if it just happened, without any chance of another in their life to ease the sorrow. It didn’t matter if that loss was due to death or if they had been cast out of Heaven, the result was the same.
    Gabrielle closed her eyes, sensing the last warmth the sun’s rays would offer her face and bare arms on this day.
    Now is not the time for regrets.
    She pushed the sadness away, focusing instead on the Earthly sounds of seagulls calling to each other in the distance and palm fronds rubbing against their neighbors as they tossed in the wind. When she opened her eyes, the sun was on the cusp of slipping away for another day. She wished it would take the memories of Javan and her love for him with it, knowing it was a lost wish even as she made it. The light the sun lent to create the vibrant colors she’d seen moments before now conceded to the dark blues and purples of dusk—chasing the light into gloom and void. There was still just enough light to make her eyes glint like emeralds and her long waves of dark hair to shine against the ensuing shadows.
    A bolt of lightning drew her attention in the direction of not only it but also a human who had been slow in leaving the openness of the beach. The length of his stride told her that he was aware of his vulnerability to the strands of electricity that were almost constantly ripping the sky apart. Gabrielle’s body tensed as the man, in his mid-twenties, began jogging toward her and smiled—looking at her a little longer than she was comfortable with.
    Am I doing a good job of looking normal?
    She felt a pang of worry grip her stomach as she wondered whether or not she was going to fit in here or stand out like she did in her eternal home. The reality of being so different from her brethren was completely inescapable in Heaven. She caught herself hoping, on many occasions, that things would be easier for her on Earth.
    Please just let me fit in … at least here.
    Another flash and crack of thunder made the man jump, and he pulled his hands quickly to his ears. He glanced over his shoulder at the storm, then back at Gabrielle.
    “That storm’s going to be a real nasty one,” the man said as if he truly was concerned about her safety. A slight scowl reinforced the worry in his tone.
    She just smiled and nodded.