Becoming by Raine Thomas Read Free Book Online Page A

okay?”
    “She’s fine,” Gabriel lied as they hurried
toward the gate. “Just a slight allergic reaction aggravated by
stress. I’ve got her medication in the car. She does better away
from crowds.”
    “Gabriel.” Amber hardly recognized her own
voice. It was croaky and panicked. The vibrations shaking her arms
continued to increase in violence. This could not be
happening.
    “Hang on,” was his response.
    They ignored everything and everyone around
them as they burst out the back gate and hurried through the
parking area. Their car was wedged in among other cars in the
Brewers’ makeshift parking arrangement. They’d have to do this on
foot. Fortunately, the only people out front were about twenty
yards away and thus far had their backs turned.
    Oh, God. They had to get away. Had to. Had.
To. The pain was starting. God, it hurt.
    “Gabriel?”
    Her voice was an anguished question now, and
would normally have embarrassed her. Only a few seconds had passed
since they left the backyard, but the tremors now shook her entire
body. Obviously sensing she was reaching a critical point, he bent
over and slung her over his shoulder. Then he started running as
fast as her added weight would allow.
    “Hang on,” he instructed again, breathing
harshly and dodging trees as he ran.
    She couldn’t breathe. Her body was now
outside of her control. She wanted to scream in agony as the surge
threatened to overtake her. And even as she knew Gabriel was her
only hope, she feared for him. Didn’t want him anywhere near her.
She would kill him.
    Just as her entire body started convulsing,
he burst through a clearing leading to a pond. The sight flooded
her with relief even as the pain burst through her chest.
    Gabriel!
    Her brutalized cry was nothing but a thought,
but she somehow knew that he heard it as though it had ripped from
her throat. Without pause, he plowed straight forward. They plunged
unceremoniously into the pond, and she managed to take hold of her
senses enough to wrap herself around him so that their combined
weight would drag them further under the water as quickly as
possible.
    Then the world exploded.
     

Chapter Five
     
    Ailfrid jerked back, away from the bed he had
been leaning over. The movement propelled him into a wooden bureau
and had him staggering to regain his balance and breath.
    “What happened?” Ini-herit demanded, hurrying
over to help keep Ailfrid upright.
    “Surge—powerful—” Ailfrid gasped, clutching
his head in obvious pain. A trickle of blood dripped from his nose
onto the front of his white garb.
    Ini-herit placed his hands on either side of
the other male’s head. A silver glow shimmered around them and then
faded.
    “Thank you, archigos ,” Ailfrid said,
blinking as the pain receded.
    Beside them, Knorbis stood with his arms
crossed. “Was that stronger than the one three years ago?” he
asked.
    “Significantly so,” Ailfrid responded. He
stood quietly, his eyes flashing dark green. When he again blinked
back to full awareness, he said, “And the others experienced this,
too.”
    Knorbis and Ini-herit exchanged a look. This
was a first…as well as a fulfillment of Knorbis’ predictions.
    “Can you reconnect with Gabriel?” Ini-herit
asked Ailfrid.
    Ailfrid looked again toward the bed. “I shall
try.”
    While he advanced on the bed, Knorbis pulled
Ini-herit a step back. “You will have to move up your
timeline.”
    “Indeed,” Ini-herit agreed. “I am already
sensing one summons from the other side. Another is sure to
follow.” He looked at the bed, which was now bathed in dark green
light. “It appears you were once again correct.”
    Knorbis sighed. “It would certainly appear
so.” Then he caught Ini-herit’s gaze. “However, the reason you must
act quickly is that this was not the surge I predicted. My fellows
and I all believe that this was merely a prelude to what is still
to come.
    “The next surge, if we allow it to occur,
will leave no