A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford Read Free Book Online

Eden .
    “I’m sorry.” His whisper faltered, broke apart in the freezing air. The darkness smelled of snow to come.
    “I won’t kill again,” he spat, rising to his feet. And it was true. He’d gotten stronger.
    A little longer. A bit more control. One day without a blackout—only one—and he’d trust himself enough to track down Az. Az could help him. Help him get Home.
    “I belong Upstairs.” Gabe lurched as the word left his lips, hitting the concrete on his hands and knees. He puked until his stomach burned, the bile stained with strings of red.
    “I want to go Home,” he choked out defiantly.
    The retching started anew.

CHAPTER 7

    E den braced herself against the sink, her knuckles white. She caught her reflection in the mirror, tears smearing black streaks of mascara down her cheeks. She’d have to redo her makeup.
    “Are you coming or not?” Az yelled from the living room. “We gotta get going.”
    She sucked a breath, tried to keep her voice from wavering as she yelled, “I need a minute!”
    Pain racked through her. As it had earlier that morning, the pressure in her guts built. This time was so much worse. She doubled over with a moan. A strange gurgle rose out of her as the cramp finally broke off. Her mouth filled with a horrid taste.
    She slammed on the faucet, cupping a handful of water and swishing it around in her cheeks. When she spat, the water came out gray.
    Eden stared as it swirled down the drain. She startled at the rap on the bathroom door.
    “You get lost?” Az asked. Even through the wood, she could hear his boyish excitement.
    The change in him was unsettling. Mere hours ago, he’d been dangerously close to Falling, but with every mile they put between themselves and Madeline, he’d rallied. By the time they’d reached the apartment, he’d been his own self. She wondered what he’d stopped Madeline from saying, what other drama their hasty exit had spared him. He’d recovered so quickly, almost as if he hadn’t really been Falling. She shook away the thought.
    “I’m coming!” she called back, and then lowered her voice to a whisper, staring back at her reflection in the mirror. “You’ve gotta tell him about this,” she said quietly to herself. She stifled a gag and cupped another drink. This time the water left her mouth clear.
    Even before her mystery pain, she’d tried to back out of their date, reason with him, but he wouldn’t budge. She gave in when she realized how much their night together meant to him. Az needed this. But it didn’t keep her fears away. She knew he wanted to make the night special, a surprise, but that only raised her anxiety. Would they be in a crowd? Alone? What if something happened and Az lost it again? She glanced down at the swirl of residue left around the drain.
    What if something happened to her?
    Eden wet the washcloth hanging over the back of the faucet and used a bit of soap to clean under her eyes, doing her best to be gentle.
    She quickly stroked on a fresh layer of mascara. “Tonight’s going to be good,” she said, her voice shaking worse than her hands. “And tomorrow…”
    You stop pretending this is going to go away , she thought. But for now, she plastered a smile on her lips. With a deep breath, Eden turned from the mirror and swung the door open, raising a hand to the doorframe.
    “I swear on all that is holy, you laugh and it’s your ass,” she said, knowing Az would hear the nerves behind her bravado and hoping he’d think it was only her being girly about her hair.
    Her bangs swept across her forehead, clipped back near her ear, but the rest of her hair she’d chopped off to nearly a pixie cut. The pink had been bleached away, and then she’d dyed the highlights a dark green.
    The silence stretched out. As stupid as it was, she realized she really did want him to like what she’d done. At least not hate it. “I figured if anyone was looking for us, they’d be saying I had pink hair.” Eden