Ashborne (The Ashborne Trilogy: Book 1) by Kat Lilynette Read Free Book Online Page A

hour, listening to his soft breaths and following the lines of
his face with my eyes. He looked peaceful, and he seemed to be
smiling, ever so slightly as he slept – which made me do the same.
It was in that hour that all my anxieties toward this mysterious
savior seemed to fade away. It seemed as if my heart knew something
that my mind had yet to figure out.
    Oh, Amber. You've really
lost it this time, haven't you?
    # # #
    When I finally woke again, the light
tapping on the roof of the tent let me know it was raining outside.
I had no idea how long I had been asleep, but if felt as though it
was later than mid-day. I looked passed the foot of my bed and
could see Emoren, sitting at the same table he was before, leaning
back in his chair, reading the same book as before.
    “ I was wondering when you
were going to finally wake up,” he said as he closed his
book.
    “ Why do I still feel so
tired?” I felt even groggier than I had the night before, like I
could sleep for the rest of the day. Emoren must have been waiting
for me to wake, because he already had water and a plate of food
prepared for me and was bringing it to my bedside.
    “ The first dose is always
strong. It takes several hours before the full effects kick in,” he
said as he handed the meal to me.
    I propped myself up enough to set the
food beside me on the bed. My head was still so fuzzy, and it was
difficult to concentrate. It felt as though I had drank too much
ale the night before. “Thank you.”
    Emoren smiled and returned to his seat
at the table. Grabbing the old, brown book, he propped his legs up
on the table, leaned back in the chair, and began reading silently
to himself. I ate quietly, waiting for my mind to right itself,
staring at Emoren while he read.
    “ What are you
reading?”
    He glanced over at me and smiled as I
chewed my food and stared at him curiously.
    “ It's a journal.” He
closed the book and began to rise from the table. I guess he
realized it was going to be tough to read in peace with me being
awake now.
    “ Your journal?”
    He walked over and placed the book
beneath his bed before he began rummaging through his brown pouch
again.
    “ No,” he said. “It's
someone else's story.”
    As I finished my meal, I could see
Emoren pulling another glowing, green vial from his
pouch.
    “ Ugh.. No more, please,” I
groaned.
    Emoren chuckled. He stood up and took
the plate from me, exchanging it for the vial he was holding. I
gave him a playful, angry sneer as we traded our wares.
    “ Sorry,” he smiled. “Don't
worry, this is the last dose you'll need to take. It's not as
strong as the first, but once it finally kicks in, it's still going
to make you sleepy.”
    He walked over and set the dishes down
and began pushing his chair back under the table, as if he was
preparing to leave.
    “ Are you leaving again?” I
asked, leaning up in protest.
    He turned and smiled at me before
slowly walking over and taking a seat on the bed next to mine. I
watched him, waiting for an answer, as he reached down just beyond
the foot of his bed and pulled up a gray, unmarked book.
    “ I'm not leaving today.
It's raining,” he said with a reassuring smile.
    I still didn't understand why, but
after hearing that, I felt relieved. I wasn't sure what was going
on inside my heart, but I didn't want this new, small world to feel
empty again.
    He sat there quietly for a moment,
carefully flipping through the pages of the run-down-looking book.
Once he appeared to have found the page he was looking for, he
leaned in my direction, sitting on the edge of his bed.
    “ What are you doing?” I
asked.
    “ Well, since neither of us
are going anywhere today, I thought you might enjoy it if I read to
you,” he said, surprising me with a another unexpected gesture of
kindness.
    “ I would like that very
much.”
    Emoren glanced at the vial on my bed
and then looked at me expectantly, letting me know he wasn't going
to begin until I consumed the