Awaiting Fate by J. L. Sheppard Read Free Book Online

her. His gaze bored into her, searing the image of her into him. She was as beautiful as the image of her in his mind but somehow, that image paled in comparison. In person, she was so much more: simply breathtaking.
    She wore a blue empire waist dress that flowed around her. Her dark hair, two inches longer since they met, spilled around her oval face. When those blue eyes he dreamt of, met his, they widened. Her rosy lips parted, and her breath hitched.
    At last, as it had for days, the air he breathed no longer singed his lungs. His chest swelled in relief, no longer aching in anguish.
    Because he wanted to memorize every part of her anew and because he wanted to remember that moment of triumph—the moment he’d found her, he stalked toward her slowly, silently vowing: Never will I part from Olivia again .

Chapter 6
    It was improbable he would look for her and implausible he would find her, but he had.
    Cain, the demon she’d fought to forget since the moment she laid eyes on him.
    Although she would recognize him anywhere, it wasn’t the man she’d come to love and admire. The man staring back at her was a shadow of the man she’d become too familiar with, the same who’d haunted her dreams the night before. His hair was disheveled, and the sparkle in his eyes gone.
    And yet it was Cain.
    It was his blue-eyed gaze that bore into her, burning her with awareness, and his fierce expression laced in torment, pain and grim determination that unnerved her now as he patiently strode to her.
    I’m mistaken . He had to be a figment of her overactive imagination, a trick of the mind showing her what she most desired instead of reality. But as he neared, mere feet from her, the wind shifted and his scent permeated her senses. Her skin tingled as it always did when he neared. She knew then he was real, not a creation of her deepest desire.
    His gaze trailed up and down her body. When it met hers again, his eyes glowed deep crimson.
    Her heart pounding, her pulse quickening, she held her breath. Her mind spinning, jumbled with questions. What had happened to him? Why had he come? Was he not needed by his king? She knew he’d never hurt her, but why then was his burning gaze centered on her? As far as she knew, a demon’s eyes only glowed when angry and close to giving into his demon.
    Instead of asking all those questions, she asked, “How…” Her voice cracked. “How did you find me?”
    His eyes burned a brighter, deeper red, unnerving her further. Instinctively, she took a step away.
    His face transformed in a split second, his features hardening. Placing his palm over his heart as if her words and actions caused him ache, he asked with a rough voice, “Are you afraid of me? You think I came here to hurt you? You think me capable of hurting you ?”
    Hands shaking nervously, she pressed her palms against her thighs then admitted, “I’m not afraid of you, but you…you’re angry…and I don’t know…”
    He tore his gaze away from her and recoiled, looking pained.
    “I just don’t know what you’re doing here,” she finished quickly.
    He ran his fingers through his hair then cleared his throat and met her stare. “Why do you think I’m angry?”
    She paused, considering how she should answer. They were friends, comfortable with each other, and she’d always been honest with him, but he seemed so different from the man she’d fallen for. He looked different, but it wasn’t just that. It was his expression, the air around him. Jovial, jesting Cain was gone. In his place was this man, defeated and solemn, a shell of the man she’d known.
    Choosing her words wisely, she admitted, “I don’t know…I—”
    “I’m not angry,” he said and took a step toward her. “I came here for you.”
    “But your eyes—”
    “What about them?” he interrupted, impatiently.
    “They’re glowing. You told me…” She faltered. The longer she gazed at him the more she felt the inexplicable urge to comfort