Escape by Sheritta Bitikofer Read Free Book Online Page A

but she would have preferred home to this.
                “No!” Connor barked from his post, causing Amelia to jump from her reflections. “She doesn’t belong here! She has to go back and if she can’t then she’s not our responsibility! She will NOT stay here, Esmeralda. Is that understood?” Connor stood up straight, holding arms at his sides with his hands clenched tightly into fists. His eyes blazed a fiery red once more, but the whites of his eyes became as black as his hair and his face darkened with fury. Amelia began to quake at the sight and she could hardly breath.
                Esmeralda stood up from her chair and her eyebrows shadowed over her slowly reddening eyes. Her lips pursed together in defiance and Amelia could feel electricity in the air as a silent battle waged in the room. The vampire and demon had their eyes locked upon one another. It was frightening, like when two parents had their first big fight in front of their child, but Amelia knew this could not have been the first time these two butted heads.
                Tense seconds ticked by and Amelia watched another change occur between the stalemated roommates. She found it primarily in Esmeralda. Her thick hair began to steadily become more buoyant, almost thickening against her slightly hunched back. And then small items around the kitchen began to rattle. Utensils, plates, and glasses shivered. She almost expected the items to float and begin shooting towards Connor like bullets from a gun.
                Connor’s brows furrowed with indignation and a deep rumble could be heard from his throat that sounded much like the growl of a lion or wolf. Above them, the lights began to flicker and Amelia wondered if it was the doing of the vampire or the demon. The room was thick with such negative, dark energy that Amelia had a hard time clinging to her sanity as her eyes darted between the two of them, wondering who would cave first.
                Almost as suddenly as the supernatural argument began, it ended when Esmeralda let out a very controlled breath of air and her eyes faded back to their usual violet hue. The utensil stopped clattering and the lights shined solidly once more. She squared her shoulders, showing she would take her defeat proudly and sat back down at the dining table with Amelia.
                Connor’s eyes slowly changed back to normal as well, but he left them no last word before storming off into the bedroom and slamming the door behind him.
                Finally, Esmeralda turned away with irritation, back to Amelia. “Don’t worry about anything. I’m sure Sir Jedalf will able to find some way to get you home. Are you tired at all?” she asked as she gave the most convincing apologetic smile.
                 Amelia was a little frazzled by the episode she had just witnessed. Were these outbursts nothing to them? She had to remind herself to breathe before answering with a subtle nod.
                “I recommend you take a nap then. I have to take one, too. That wore me out,” she said laughingly. “The spare bedroom is right down that hallway,” she pointed towards a short corridor, “And you can lay down for a while. No one will bother you. We leave in about an hour, though. I’ll come in to wake you up. And don’t worry about Connor, dear. He’s just grumpy in the mornings.”
                “Is it always morning for him?” Amelia asked sarcastically, willing to break the tension in the house and glancing back at the bedroom door timidly.
                Esmeralda laughed lyrically, but then shook her head. “No, no. He’s normally very well tempered. He got up just before we came to find you and I was giving him a hard time about getting out of bed. Like I said, don’t worry about him. He should relax later in the day.”
                The vampire rose from the table with poise,