Madly and Wolfhardt Read Online Free PDF Page A

melancholy.
    “If you’re sure.”
    “I’m positive,” I said reassuringly. 
    After a few seconds of deliberation, Kellina turned and jogged up the beach toward Aidan.  I saw him hold out his hand and she stopped in front of him to take it.  Even from a distance, I could see the dazzling smiles they exchanged before they headed back into the crowd.
    Watching them from afar, I analyzed my feelings about Aidan’s reaction to Kellina.  He was obviously drawn to her— very drawn to her.  Yet, we were to be betrothed in a matter of months.  I should feel jealous, shouldn’t I?  I should be mad that he and Kellina were looking at each other with such unabashed attraction, shouldn’t I?
    Yes, I knew I should feel jealous.  But I didn’t.  Not about the right things anyway. 
    As I watched, Aidan bent to whisper something into Kellina’s ear.  She laughed and, at that moment, I did feel a stab of jealousy, but it wasn’t over Aidan.  Watching their blatant and very mutual fascination, I realized that’s what I envied—that their feelings seemed to be enthusiastically reciprocated. 
    As they disappeared into the crowd, I found that my thoughts drifted toward Jackson and how he acted toward me.  I realized that I would’ve given anything for him to be so taken with me.
    I turned my back to the party as my mood darkened.  It seemed that as people laughed and flirted behind me, my life was falling to pieces. 
    Feeling sorry for myself, I ticked off all the things that were wrong in my world:  my home, Atlas, was under attack; there was very likely a royal traitor at the root of it; at least eight Lore were on their way to Slumber; my soon-to-be fiancée was plainly developing feelings for someone else; I was falling back under the spell of forbidden love.  Oh, yeah, and the object of my increasing affection could barely stand the sight of me.  That was the cherry on top of it all.
    How had my life come to this?
    With salty sea water swirling around my ankles, I felt the power of my emotions stirring the ocean.  In the distance, above the noise of the music and laughter, I heard a loud crack of thunder and the clouds began to roll toward me. 
    My bracelet warmed against my wrist and the waves rose ever-higher, crashing violently against the shore.  The wind whipped my hair and stung my face as the sound of distant rain teased my ears.  The atmospheric unrest mirrored that of my heart, of my soul, and there was little I could do to quiet it. 
    A flutter in my stomach brought my attention back to the shores of reality.  I felt an awareness, a knowledge.  I felt a recognition stir inside me, one so clear that I wasn’t even startled by the movement that I saw in my peripheral vision. 
    I didn’t need to turn my head to confirm visually what I already knew with bone-deep certainty.  Instead, I closed my eyes and reached out with my senses—senses magnified by the water all around me, water that pumped extraordinary life into my veins—and I felt .
    His eyes were on the side of my face.  They felt like warm honey as they began to move, sliding down my body.  From my throat to the curve of my lower back, to my ankles and back again, they finally ascended and came to rest on my face once more.
    My chest ached at the bittersweet pleasure of his presence.  It affected me more profoundly with each passing hour.  I felt consumed with him, consumed by him.  I’d waited so long to feel something so deep and overwhelming.  I’d always assumed it would come with the mating tie.  And, even as I stood there, I believed that it had.  But it was all wrong. 
    Yes, it was just as exciting as I’d always imagined it would be, but it was painful—horribly painful—and I’d never expected there to be pain.  I knew that my feelings for Jackson were forbidden, that nothing could ever come of them.  I would never be able to have what my body, my soul and my heart craved most.  I would be forced to spend