Chasing Shadows by Ashley Townsend Read Free Book Online

suddenly appear in the street. Her feet moved a little faster as her eyes roamed nervously over the seemingly lifeless buildings.
    Two guards suddenly appeared at the opposite end of the street and began walking toward her, though neither one seemed to have spotted her yet. Though she had no reason to hide, Sarah dashed into the nearest doorway on instinct and pressed herself against the frame, heart pounding against her ribcage.
    “If Cadius continues to scare away maids,” one of them was saying, “then he’s going to put us to work cleaning out ash from the fireplace and cooking in the kitchen.”
    The other one laughed heartily. “Can you imagine us, covered in flour? No, we’ll have to convince the staff to keep on the lookout for new maids to take over at the castle, but they’ll have to make due with what we’ve got until then. And this new lot will have to not scare easily—the last three obviously had no backbone.”
    They came into view then, and Sarah pressed herself against the wood in an attempt to make herself as invisible as possible. She needn’t have worried, though: The guards paid no attention to her as they passed. She slowly emerged from her hiding place and was relieved to see the street empty once more.
    She walked quickly past the buildings, hoping that she could get out of there before she encountered anyone else. A noise like that of an opening door sounded behind her, and she spun around to face it, heart beating erratically. The door suddenly slammed closed before she could catch site of anyone. Whoever was inside must have spotted her and decided to remain indoors.
    Calm down, Matthews, she chided herself, adjusting her hood. You’re being ridiculous. She turned around and began to jog down the narrow street toward the main square, glancing over her shoulder as she moved to ensure she wasn’t being followed.
    With her attention diverted from where she was headed, Sarah ran straight into something hard, gasping at the impact. Hands gripped her upper arms to keep her from toppling backward and pulled her close, over-compensating for her lost balance. She leaned back to look up at the man who held her, and the action caused her hood to fall back from her face. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked into Will’s startled blue eyes.

 
     
     
    ~Chapter 5~
     
     
     
     
    Will. The name was spoken in her mind like a soft breath of wind. She felt a profound sense of exhilaration and apprehension at her unexpected first glimpse of William Taylor in weeks. His large hands on her shoulders kept her firmly planted against his chest, obviously too startled to release her after helping her regain her balance. They stared at each other for several breaths, and both seemed to be at a loss for words—she was overjoyed to see he was alive and well, while he looked completely speechless over her sudden appearance.
    Sarah had no idea if she should apologize first or pretend like nothing was wrong between them, so she remained silent in her indecision, waiting for him to speak. His startled eyes, an even darker blue than she remembered, stared back at her; she could read the unspoken questions in his gaze.
    “What are you doing here?” Will asked. There was no anger in his words, only astonishment and confusion. 
    All of her carefully planned answers fled as she looked down at the hand he had on her shoulder. Her eyes returned to his face, and she struggled for words that made sense.
    “I’m, uh, visiting,” she replied lamely. His powerful presence and the strong grip he still had on her shoulders seemed to have robbed her of speech.
    Will looked like he wanted to say more, but a door nearby opened suddenly, startling them both. He dropped his hold on her, and they turned in time to see a woman emerge from inside. She stood on the doorstep and flicked her waist-length dark hair over one shoulder when they looked her way. Her dress was cut dangerously low and hung off her slender,