Masquerade (Creepy Hollow, #4) Read Online Free PDF Page A

as—”
    “Shut up! You didn’t love him like—”
    “Everyone loved him, Ryn, you know that. There was just something about him, something that drew people toward him. And I get that he was your brother and you guys had this special bond, but come on. It’s been eight years. Don’t you think it’s time you—”
    “Stop it!” His hand sweeps through the air between us, calling up a gust of wind that forces me back a few steps.
    “Oh, you want to fight?” I advance on him, pushing both hands into the air so hard the magic throws him back against the wall. “Bring it, Ryn, BRING IT! I’ve been waiting years for this fight.”
    With an almost animal-like snarl, he strikes out at me. I duck and swing my fist, landing a punch to his stomach. But he’s already twisting out of the way, grabbing my shoulders, forcing my back against the wall. He clamps a fist around my throat as I bring my leg up and kick his chest. A heavy breath escapes him as he stumbles backward. I kick again, harder, and he goes down. I throw myself on top of him, but before I can even aim a punch, he flips me over, pinning me beneath the weight of his body. I slam the heel of my hand up against his jaw. His head jerks backward, and I shove him off me.
    And then we’re both on our feet again, circling each other, striking out with hands and feet. Kicking, hitting, kneeing, scratching. An unspoken rule exists between us: No magic. No weapons. Just like in the Fish Bowl.
    Ryn lunges toward me. I dart out of the way, always faster than him. I swivel and kick, but he grabs my leg, unbalancing me. I hit the ground with a yelp. Before he can pin me down again, I sweep my leg out in front of his ankles and trip him. He falls heavily and rolls toward me. But I’m already up and dancing out of reach.
    Time to make you run.
    I set off between the trees. Faster and faster. He does a good job of keeping up, but he’ll never catch me. I aim for the tree straight ahead. My feet hit the trunk, and for one crazy second I’m running vertical. Then I somersault backward—and land behind him. He throws his arms out against the tree to stop himself, spins around, and grabs at me. Caught by surprise, I don’t have time to move backward. He raises me above his head, as though I weigh little more than a sack of pixie dust, and throws me.
    What the freaking hell? Who throws their opponent?
    Something slams into my stomach, forcing the air out of my lungs. I realize my body is slumped over a tree branch. I drop to the ground and try to suck in a few breaths. I can hear Ryn coming up behind me, not even bothering to be stealthy. The second he throws his arms around me, I jab my elbow backward into his stomach. He groans. I stamp on his foot, then aim a backward kick at his leg. As he stumbles, I spin around and throw myself at him once more.
    We’re on the ground. I’m astride Ryn’s chest, fingers twisting in his hair, pulling his head back to expose his neck. And somehow there’s a glittering knife in my other hand, its blade held close to his throat. I’ve broken the rules, but I’m past caring by now. I lean over him, my face inches from his. “I could kill you,” I say between bared teeth.
    A humorless laugh escapes his lips. “Not if I kill you first,” he says between heavy breaths. I become aware of a sharp point digging into my side. I guess he broke the rules too.
    “So kill me,” I say. “It won’t bring Reed back. And it won’t make you happy. You’ve always known it wasn’t my fault; you just needed someone to blame.”
    I expect him to thrust his blade into my side, but he doesn’t move. Neither do I. A nighttime creature chirps nearby, and the leaves above us whisper in protest as a breeze disturbs them. I realize I can taste blood in my mouth, and possibly sand. I don’t look away though, and neither does Ryn.
    “You’re a mess,” he says eventually.
    “So are you.” His bottom lip is cut open, and there are scratches across