Boneyard (The Thaumaturge Series Book 2) by Cal Matthews Read Free Book Online

feel my own body. I panicked, all at once. One second I was floating along, empty and emotionless, and then next my mind revolted with pure animal instinct.
    I let out a cry, loud and harsh, and the sensation of it dropped me back into my body with enough force that I cried out again.
    “Don't worry,” I heard Leo say, his voice steady again, but low and disembodied because my eyes still only saw black. “He's a bit of a screamer.”
    I struggled. Somehow I was firmly in my body, aware and feeling and aching, but I was still way too far up, my eyes seeing only the darkness. Immobility seized me; I could neither descend nor stay in place. Whatever made up my astral self tensed, clenched, and began to tremble. I thought that I groaned out loud, that I fell, but my awareness of my physical body blinked out then like a light switch, and all I could feel was energy coursing through. It filled my being with heat and vibration, like being electrocuted, like I could feel my very molecules quaking and tearing apart. Down! Down! I screamed, trying to force myself to fall down back to the familiar lower spheres. The darkness wasn't inviting anymore. All the warmth had gone. Now it felt crushing, like being under water, in cold murky dark and there was no air, no air —
    Pressure built in my ears, behind my eyes. My chest tightened, squeezing until I gasped. I trembled, just my hands at first but then I shook so hard my teeth rattled together. My lungs burned, the back of my throat ached, I couldn't breathe, I was being crushed. Pain exploded right in my nose, blooming out into my face and I screamed and screamed and then... I fell.
    I dropped down out the higher planes, falling gracelessly and quick, watching the darkness fade to a blur of lights. I crashed down into my body and promptly fell over, though I didn't have far to fall because I found with no real surprise that I was already on all fours, my head hanging down as I gasped for breath. I sprawled forward, my face dragging over the dirty, stained linoleum. I lay there panting, every inch of me hurting.
    “I can't,” I panted weakly. “I can't.”
    I heard distinctly feminine crying of the horrified and frightened variety. Then Leo's hands fell on me, darting down under my arms to haul me back up to my knees and get my face off the filthy floor.
    “Easy, easy,” he murmured, settling me back to rest on my heels. I almost pitched forward again, but caught myself with one outstretched hand. I risked a look up at Carl Fogerty's corpse and oh, Christ —
     Nothing prepared me for the sight of the withered corpse, squirming and moaning in the ratty recliner. His—its—head lolled back, its eyes rolling, its mouth a soft gaping pit. Leo followed my gaze and he swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing sharply in his throat.
    I looked away, Dana’s horrified cries ratcheting up to a steady, low moan. Leo pressed one hand between my shoulders and rubbed circles. “You okay?” he whispered. “Jesus Christ, Ebron, are you... fuck .”
    “What happened?” I croaked. Wincing, I raised my hand to tenderly poke at my throat. It felt like I had gargled glass.
    “You were convulsing,” he whispered back. “Your whole body. You fell over, you were screaming, you were, like, clawing at your throat. Oh, my God, Ebron. I’ve never seen you like that.”
    “I'm sorry,” I told him and he just shook his head.
    “No, I am,” he said lowly. “I shouldn't have pushed you. Fuck, Ebron. You fucking scared me.”
    The corpse in the chair gave another gurgling groan, its arm flailing uselessly against the armrest. Dana cried out when the corpse thrashed. She clasped both hands over her mouth, her shoulders shuddering.
    “Come on,” Leo said, pulling me carefully to my feet. His face gave nothing away, but his eyes kept flickering to mine. He studied my face as I braced myself against him when my knees threatened to give out.
    Dana stared down at the corpse, her chest heaving with