Everywhere and Nowhere (Safe Haven Book 1) by Rebecca Royce Read Free Book Online

where they didn’t have enough room to reform.
    Hadrian could only imagine the pain that would cause. His cells forever trying to reform and never being able to would be eternal agony. Confident that was exactly what Pettigrew and the warriors who refused to end this nightmare would do to him as soon as he’d closed the portal, he would take whatever small pleasure Hadley’s body pressed close to his provided.
    His cock hardened and he tried to ignore it. Dimension travel had never made him horny before. It had to be Hadley. Had Pettigrew done something to her to make her so damn attractive? They were in a life-and-death situation.
    “What are you doing?” Her gaze never lifted from the weapon in his hand.
    “I’m going to cut myself deeply until I bleed, and then I’m going to cut you. We’re going to combine our blood. The uniting of our two life forces should open a portal. Jeremiah will walk through it, holding you. He holds on him a beacon that will pull everyone else who wears the same beacon through the portal with him. When everyone is through, I will cut myself again. This time, since it is my blood alone, the portal will close.”
    Hadley shook her head. “At another time I might be fascinated by the physics of this. But for now, I thought you said I was human. More like my father, which is why I will die. Why will my blood open a portal?”
    He had to shout to be heard over the loud buzzing noise that had started on deck above them. It sounded as if someone had started a huge machine. Hadrian didn’t even want to begin to imagine what kind. “You have trace elements of the princess’ blood in you. We know this because we tested the other seven sisters when they died. It should hopefully be enough. My blood can open the portal. The royal family’s—in other words, yours—keeps it open.”
    Her eyes widened. “But…”
    He had no time to continue to argue with her. Grabbing her hand, he sliced her perfect peach skin with his old but still sharp knife and tried not to wince when she screamed. He needed to remind himself that she was nothing but a spoiled Pettigrew and it was time she accepted her fate. So why did he feel so sick and worried and why didn’t it particularly bother him that his concern was not for his own men or his own safety?
    Drops of red blood, the purest of its particular color, dripped from her hand as she bellowed as if she’d been stuck by a sword and not merely cut on the hand. Without a second thought, he sliced deeply into his own hand, barely feeling the pain, as if it were no more than a bee sting or an annoyance he could quickly forget. Grabbing her hand, he pressed it against his and felt the surge of power enter his veins.
    Soon . The portal would open soon.
    Hadley gasped, her skin turning even paler. “Hadrian, is this the pain you promised me?”
    He shook his head. “So sorry, sweetheart—you haven’t even begun to know the torture that is to come.”

Chapter Five
     
    Hadley watched in awe as a giant hole opened in the air to the left of where she and Hadrian stood. It didn’t look like anything she’d seen on television or in any science fiction movies. While it was clearly an opening, nothing dark or ominous seemed present, either lurking inside it or flowing through it. Rather the brightest white light she’d ever seen clouded her vision.
    Several of the crew around her gasped and applauded. She’d never learned their names, but in her defense she’d been their prisoner and there certainly hadn’t been time.
    She pushed herself closer in Hadrian’s embrace. It was silly, really. He was the leader of the bunch, and they’d all set out with one intention and that was to kidnap her and shove her through that opening in the universe, but somehow Hadrian made her feel safe. Or at least safer than she was outside his embrace.
    And unless she was very much mistaken, he was hard. Was that for her or some kind of result of the portal opening? Her mouth