Possession Read Online Free PDF

series of
images of the attack flashed through my mind. I remembered the searing pain of
the thing's teeth in my side. The absolute heat of Dax's iron arms as he
grabbed me before I fainted. I put my hand to my head. I might be drugged, but
I had never been as sure of anything as I was of what I’d witnessed. I knew I’d
never forget. "I passed out after that, and you must've brought me
here." Another log popped, but none of us acknowledged it that time.
    Oscar
and Dax were both staring at me as if they weren't quite sure what to say.

10.
SECRETS
    S omething
in my face or my voice must’ve made an impact. There was a deep silence, during
which the three of us continued to stare at each other. Finally, Oscar spoke in
a soft, hushed voice. "May we ask you for an oath of silence?"
    I
looked at him, my damp fists opening and closing on the soft blanket covering
me. "I need to know what exactly happened. What was that thing? And...how
did Dax do what he did?"
    A
shadow crossed Dax's face. "Absolutely not. That is none of your
concern."
    Oscar
turned to him. "Dax..." he began, placating.
    “It’s
none of my concern?” The drugs had definitely lowered my inhibition. Anger
heated my cheeks more than the fire. “That thing attacked me. It could attack
me again—or someone else in town. I deserve to know what it was.”
    But
Dax was glaring at me. "I saved your life. Now I'm asking you not to
divulge what you witnessed. I believe that's a fair trade."
    Just
like that, my resolve began to crumple. There wasn’t much I could say to that;
he had saved my life. If he hadn’t been there, I would’ve died. Without
a question. “Fine,” I muttered.
    Oscar
cleared his throat delicately. “May I have a word, Mr. Allard?”
    Dax
glared at him, as if he wasn’t sure if he wanted to grant him that, but they
moved off to the side nonetheless. There was a hushed conversation which I
couldn’t hear in spite of straining my ears. They sounded like they were
speaking much too low, and I wondered how they understood anything that was
being said at all.
    When
they returned back to my side, they each had a reflective, cautious expression
on their faces. “Ms. Beaumont,” Dax said in his sandpaper voice. “For your
troubles, we’d like to offer you one thousand dollars.”
    I
stared at him, my head spinning, and not just because of the medicine. They wanted
to pay me for my silence? As much as I was indignant that they felt like they
could buy my loyalty, I wasn’t delusional enough to say no. I needed that
money, desperately. But a thousand dollars wouldn’t go very far. “The job,” I
said, my voice hoarse. “That’s what I’d like.”
    Oscar
glanced at Dax, as did I. His face was furious, anger and alarm all over it
just as it had been when he’d first seen me. He folded his arms across his
chest, biceps bulging with the movement. Entranced, I watched his every move,
his change of expression.
    “No,”
he said flatly.
    Blood
rushed to my face at his tone. “What...” I swallowed. There was no way I’d ask
this if I wasn’t hopped up on whatever they’d given me, but I wanted to know. “Have
I offended you in some way?”
    For
a moment, Dax stared at me, confusion coloring every facial feature. When
understanding seeped in, his eyes widened. Seemingly unconsciously, he took a
step closer to me. In spite of the giant fireplace roaring just a few feet
away, I could feel his body heat waft out toward me. He was like a walking
furnace. “You think...you’ve offended me?” He actually sounded astounded.
    I
stared up into his copper gaze, the effects of the drugs somehow melting away.
I was completely hypnotized. There was no way I could’ve lied to him, not even
if my life had depended on it right then. Nothing else existed in that moment
but the two of us—Oscar, the room, even what had just happened to me in the
forest fell away.
    In
a quiet voice, I said, “You act like I’m the most abhorrent person you’ve