The Celestial Kiss Read Online Free PDF Page A

and figure out where I could find Samuel.  “There is something you could do,” I offered, taking this opportunity as it presented itself. 
    “What’ll it be?”
    “I need to get as far from here as possible, but I’m low on cash and—well I don’t know my way around.”
    “How much do you need?”  She asked, reaching into the pocket of her apron and producing a fold of rumpled dollars bills.
    “No,” I shook my head, trying not to sound ungrateful.  It was a generous offer.  “How about some advice, instead?  I need to get somewhere I can regroup and get myself together.  Do you think you could point me toward the bus station, or a taxi or…?”
    “That bad, huh?”  She offered me a look so full of sympathy, it made me feel bad for deceiving her.
    “Pretty bad,” I agreed. “Yeah.”
    Larissa looked to be on the verge of speaking when someone called out her name from across the room.  She sighed without even turning, put up a finger to tell him to wait a moment, and then focused on me once more.  “Can you wait just a few minutes while I go shut him up?”
    I peeked behind her to see the angry man who had called for her standing behind the counter with his thick, tattooed arms crossed before his broad chest.  “Yeah, I’ll be here.”
    “Be right back.” She promised.
    Relieved, I sat back in the booth and looked absently around the room. Goose bumps raced up my arms even before I connected eyes with him, but when I did, I felt like there was something gnawing in my stomach.  The man Larissa had pointed out, Julius, stared at me with dark eyes and a look of hatred.  I broke contact immediately, and rubbed my arms to ward off the chill that had sprung up in me.  It was like he could see into my soul, into my past…like he knew what I was.  I recognized the look of a hunter, even though I’d never seen a live one.
    In an attempt to seem casual, I focused on the sweaty water glass before me a moment and then gathered a sufficient amount of courage.  Through my lashes, I saw that the other man had stood up, turning a pair of prying eyes towards me.  With no further hesitation, I slid off my seat in a fluid motion and instinctively headed toward the door.  Realizing that would require me to pass him, I paused, scanning for a restroom.  The hand that landed on my shoulder was light, but I jumped nonetheless and found myself face to face with Larissa.
    “Hey, you ok?”   Concern marred her pretty face, and she looked over my shoulder.  “Is he here?”
    “I need to get out.”
    “Come with me.”  Larissa’s hand closed on my wrist and she led me through a maze of empty tables, ignoring the man who started yelling at her when she dragged me through the swinging door that led behind the counter. She continued to ignore him as she led me through a crowded back room, past stacks of milk crates and shelves packed with cans.  A glaring red sign showed me the exit, and Larissa threw it open, heedless of the wailing alarm that erupted around us.  “Come out of the alley and make a left.  Follow the road a couple blocks down.  You’ll need to cross the street when you get to Jefferson, but you’ll see the sign for the subway.”  I looked at her blankly, trying to get my mind to process what she was saying.  “Go on, you’ll have a decent head start.”
    “Thank you,” I breathed, my throat tight with the cold as a plume of air bloomed around me.  She gave me a slight nod, and I stepped out the door into a shadowy darkness.  The sky was moments from opening up in a torrential downpour; thunder cracked overhead.  The door shut behind me, and a few moments later the wailing alarm ceased, paving the way for silence.  I gathered my bearings, then pushed through the alley, repeating the directions in my head.
    I saw the two figures before I heard them, leaning up against the alley, clouds of smoke hanging in the chilly air around them.  I pressed myself into the wall as