Read Seventh Mark (Part 1 +2) for Free Online

in
there. It isn’t safe.”
    She pressed a
finger to her lips. “Shh…It’s all right. Michael’s going to see if
he can catch it.” She gripped my hand.
    “Catch it? Are
you crazy?” My voice rose and I pulled away. “I couldn’t tell where
the thing ended or where the shadows began.”
    Michael emerged
from the tree line.
    Relief flooded
through my veins. Shaking his head, he looked ticked.
    He grabbed our
elbows and started to steer us towards the parked cars. “Time to
go, ladies. This party’s over.” He turned to Grace, whispering, but
I caught everything. “It’s gone…caught the scent but it took off as
soon as it heard us.” His pace picked up.
    Grace jumped in
the backseat. Michael patiently, but not looking so patient, helped
me into the front and clicked my seat belt in.
    We pulled out
of the parking area.
    “Wait! The rest
of the kids. Someone needs to warn them.”
    “It won’t be
back.”
    “You don’t know
that for sure.”
    “Positive.”
Michael’s curt reply stopped me from asking again.
    I didn’t argue.
For some reason, I believed him. We drove the rest of the way in
silence.
    Parking the
Mustang with the same annoyingly-crazy driving skills as Grace,
Michael shoved the car into park. As he ripped the keys out of the
ignition, he glanced into his rear-view mirror. “I need to talk to
Caleb. Take Rouge inside. Get her something sugary to drink. It’ll
take the edge off.”
    “I’m fine.”
    “You’re in
shock. Head to Grace’s room. I’ll come up later when I’m finished.”
His fingers raked through his hair, he gave me a quick smile and
then he ran into the house.
    Grace and I
made our way at a much slower pace into the house and up the
stairs. I struggled into a pair of jogging pants and a tank top, my
body too numb to function properly. Dropping onto the bed, I lay on
my back, dazed.
    “I’ll grab you
something to drink.” She slipped out the door.
    I thought about
the creature and curled up on my side, hugging my knees. My heart
thumped hard and fast again my chest. “What kinda creature were
you?” I mumbled to myself. Something escaped from the zoo? A wild
animal from the mountains? I kept seeing the weird, amber-yellow
eyes flash against the white walls. They continued to stay there,
except set against blackness.
    Popping my eyes
open, I forced them to blink and focus. I’d fallen asleep. The
lights were still on in the room, but the house was quiet. Glancing
at my watch, it was after two. I crawled out of bed to find
Grace.
    As I walked out
of the room, Michael came up the stairs.
    “You should get
some more sleep.” The concern on his face made me melt a tiny
bit.
    “Is everything
okay?” I was paranoid I might wake someone. “I hope I didn’t cause
any problems?”
    He smiled and
turned me gently back towards the bedroom. Dazed, I crawled back
into bed and watched him sit down on the edge. My gaze followed the
outline of his body. I didn’t realize he’d spoken. “I’m sorry. Can
you repeat that one more time?” I whispered.
    “Everything’s
fine. We’ve been downstairs in Caleb’s office. You didn’t cause any
problems. That’s silly thinking. You don’t need to worry
anymore.”
    “Do you know
what that thing was?”
    He sighed then
finally nodded. “I’ve a pretty good idea.”
    “Would you care
to enlighten me?” I tried to read his face but, apart from a tiny
frown, it remained expressionless.
    “Not at the
moment, but I’ll explain it when I can.” His answer was loaded with
implications which only created more questions.
    “Would it have
killed me?” My voice was calmer than my insides.
    He sat silent
for a moment, his knuckles cracking as he squeezed them. “Yes.”
    “And you tell
me not to worry?” I straightened, tucking my legs under me.
    Forced air
pushed through his nose. “It was hunting, and you were in its path.
It’ll not happen again. I promise you.”
    The
determination in his voice made me stare at him.