The Third Key (The Alaesha Legacy Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

pocket. Once it was out of sight, the other two relaxed noticeably. Shaking her head, she headed to the door and opened it. A young man, maybe two years her senior, stood on the other side. His features were unremarkable, almost bland, but she found herself drawn to him, lost in his green eyes. They were not a green she normally saw, but the color of freshly peeled avocado, the part of the fruit right next to the skin. They even had the same smooth appearance to them.
    He blinked and she shuddered, breaking free from the trance. "Edith." His voice was deep and very British.  "It is impolite to make a guest wait on the doorstep." His thin lips pressed into a slight scowl. He had several days worth of growth on his chin and upper lip.
    He was taller than she was and he looked down his nose at her, a bushy eyebrow raised in annoyance as he crossed his arms. She stepped back, so shocked at the stranger's forward attitude that she never thought to reject his request to enter. He brushed past her, tossing her a small smile before heading into the living room.
    She stared after him momentarily, watching his scraggly, chin-length hair bob out of sight before shaking her head and trailing after him.
    Dana jumped to her feet when they entered, moving faster than Edith had ever seen her move.
    "Charles," she said in a breathless gasp. "What are you doing here?"
    Alex rose to his feet as well, stepping forward to place himself partially between Dana and the newcomer. Edith stood to the side, watching the strange exchange with a befuddled look on her face. A flash of concern crossed Charles's face when his eyes settled on Alex, but it disappeared just as quickly as it arrived.
    "Who are you?"
    "I'm Alex, Dana's boyfriend. And who are you?"
    Charles slid his intense stare to Dana. "Your boyfriend?"
    She nodded meekly, suddenly finding her strappy shoes more interesting than anything else.
    Alex stepped forward until he was a mere foot from Charles. "I said, who are you?"
    An amused expression danced across Charles's lips as he stepped back, hands up. "Relax, lover boy. I am Dana's boss. Have no fear. I'm not trying to steal your girl, mate." The green eyes flicked to Edith momentarily before darting back to Alex.
    The younger man was unimpressed. "Dana doesn't have a job. You can't be her boss."
    A hearty laughter filled the small room. "Sure she does, lad. There's more to this girl than meets the eye." Charles leaned forward slightly, his eyes piercing into Alex's. "But I think you already knew that."
    Dana recovered from her unexpected lapse of bossiness and straightened, pulling Alex back beside her. She put on her best fake smile and wrapped her arm through Alex's. "I'm sorry, honey, I should've told you. It's kind of a family business. Charles here is my, uh, cousin, I guess you could say."
    She turned her smile on Charles, but it held an edge, daring him to contradict her. He laughed again. "Yeah, right, cousin." He shook his head and snorted to himself before turning to Edith.
    "Darling, where's the key?"
    Edith took a step back, her right hand going instinctively to her pocket as her eyes narrowed. "What key? And don't call me darling."
    Charles sighed and cocked his head at her, his expression both amused and annoyed. "Let's not play games, shall we? Show me the key."
    Dana crossed the short distance to Edith and put an arm around her new friend's shoulders. "It's okay. He knows about the key. He always has. It's, uh, kind of his key, really."
    Charles shook his head slightly. "No, not really mine. I'm just, let's say, a guardian."
    Edith hesitated a bit longer until her skin flushed under the triple stares. With a snarl, she pulled the key and thrust it at Charles. "Fine, whatever. Here. It's just a stupid key. I don't understand what all the fuss is about."
    Much to her surprise, Charles took a step back, quickly putting his hands up in a defensive position. "Oh, no, I didn't say I wanted it. I just wanted to see it, to make