Falling Blind: The Sentinel Wars by Shannon K. Butcher Read Free Book Online Page B

driving her closer to the brink of madness.

Chapter 4
    C ain’s world was engulfed in agony. He’d never felt anything like it before—not even on the night he’d nearly died—the night he’d failed his duties, and Sibyl had been stolen from her bed.
    This was different. Deeper. It was more than merely physical pain. It was as if his soul were being wrenched from his body—pried out by a red-hot crowbar.
    He held his breath and waited for it to pass, but the longer it went on, the harder it became for him to remain calm. The pain should have begun to fade by now. It should have loosened its grip enough that he could pull in a breath. And yet it went on, strangling him and robbing him of his strength.
    And then he heard something weaving between the pounding beats of his heart booming in his ears. Rory. She was making a gut-wrenching sound of frustration and defeat.
    Cain lunged toward her, the need to make her pain stop driving him to act.
    “No,” said Logan. “Not yet.”
    Someone held him back physically. It took Cain a second to realize that it was Hope who was blocking Cain’s progress. She was much stronger than seemed possible, and that shock was the only thing that kept Cain from fighting his way back to where he was touching Rory’s skin.
    With an effort of will, he forced his eyes open. The edges of his vision were cloudy, fogged with pain.
    “Breathe, Rory,” said Logan. “You’re okay now.”
    Rory pulled in a stuttering breath, but it was deeper than before. Her dark eyes were open wide, terror stark and pale as it haunted her expression. As he watched, some of the color came back to her cheeks, driving away the ghostly paleness.
    “Good. That’s it. Just like that.”
    Cain, once again in control of himself, looked down at Hope. His voice was calm, even though everything inside of him was roiling in chaos. “Let me go.”
    The woman lifted her hands. “Don’t touch her.”
    It was the only thing he wanted to do, but he knew better. He couldn’t walk around holding on to her for the rest of his life. They had to take care of her wound. That had to come first before anything else.
    Cain stepped back and shoved his hands in his pockets to remind himself not to touch Rory. But that didn’t stop him from watching her and making sure she was okay.
    Her eyes were open, but she didn’t appear to be able to focus on anything. Her stare was distant, as if she were blind. The silver rings piercing her skin glittered as she shook under the bright fluorescent lighting. Logan laid a long, elegant hand on her brow, and it was all Cain could do to keep from drawing his sword.
    Logan was a friend. A healer. Rory needed him, which meant Cain could not lop off the other man’s hand, no matter how much of a possessive statement Cain wanted to make.
    Slowly, the distant vacantness in her eyes faded as she looked at him. As soon as her gaze connected to his, he felt it all the way through him, warming places he hadn’t known were cold until just now.
    There was desperation in her gaze, as if she were drowning and he was the only one who could extend his hand to save her. The thought puffed him up, driving away the lingering effects of his battle with the pain of losing her touch. He felt stronger, more solid, like he could go on for years with no rest if that’s what she needed him to do.
    That sudden flood of purpose left him shaking all the way down to his boots. He hadn’t had that in a long time—not since his little girl had grown up and left him. Since then, he’d been floundering, flailing around for some reason to keep on pulling in his next breath. The way Rory was looking at him now, he no longer questioned what it was he needed to do. It was clear.
    She needed him to save her from whatever it was she’d just endured.
    His luceria vibrated frantically, celebrating her nearness, clamoring for more.
    She looked so small sitting there, so vulnerable. Her bright pink hair, glaring under the