Frenzied by Claire Chilton Read Free Book Online Page B

hope blossomed in her chest. “Ben?”
    “Lucy?” He growled. Then his face transformed from bear to human, and his body returned to its usual size.
    “Thank god!” She breathed easy.
    It’s okay. He’s just like me.
    His arms trembled above her, and he flopped on top of her.
    Jesus he weighs a ton.
    “Oww, you’re crushing me.” She gasped.
    He groaned and rolled sideways off her, lying on the floor beside her.
    “Sorry, that was weird and draining.”
    “At least we know we can both control it.” She sat up and beamed at him. Her heart didn’t feel as if it was being pulled through a vice anymore. She wasn’t alone in this.
    He raised himself onto his elbows and turned to face her, his eyes solemn. “I nearly killed you.”
    “But you didn’t. That’s the point. You can control it.”
    “But I would have done if you hadn’t said you needed me.” He frowned and tilted his head. “You need me?”
    “I was scared. It just tumbled out.” Her face burned with embarrassment.
    “It was nice,” he said. “No one ever needed me before. I was just a liability.”
    “You remember who you are?”
    “It’s coming back. I remember who I was,” he said in a dark tone.
    “Really? It took longer for my memories to come back.”
    “Well, you did get hit on the head a fair bit. I wish I didn’t remember.” His voice was dark and cold.
    “Come on, it can’t be that bad.”
    “My parents are dead. I’m a lost cause. You ever been in juvie? I have, a lot.”
    “I’m an orphan too,” she said.
    “Do you think our parents dying is what made us different?” He sat up as if he had an epiphany.
    “It could be.” She shrugged, hiding the real pain she felt over her loss. It hurt still to think about her parent’s death, but it was probably for the best given her current state. 
    At least there’s no one I can hurt with this curse.
    “It has to be. That can’t just be a coincidence.”
    She nodded. “It could be connected, and at least we can control this freaky stuff.”
    “I didn’t have that much control.” He stared at her shoulders.
    She glanced down at her left shoulder. There were bloodstains where his claws had dug into her. “It’s nothing. You had claws. Even cats scratch.”
    “Was I a cat?” He widened his eyes.
    “No, you were more like a bear. I wonder what I am? Anyway, on control, this thing seems to be controlled by emotions. We just need to master it.”
    “And get out of here alive.” He frowned. “And survive after that …”
    “What do you mean, after that?”
    “I don’t think being a Berserker is going to be easy once this is over, assuming we get that far.”
    She glanced across the room. “We’re doing better than they did. Anyway, nothing is easy. You know what the worst part is?” She stood up and brushed her hands down her skirt to smooth it out.
    “What?”
    “Now, you’re stuck with me. We’re a pack.” She winked at him.
    He flopped back onto his back and sighed. “Damn, and I thought death was scary.”
    “Hey!” She nudged his side with her foot.
    He grinned in reply and stretched out on the floor before jumping to his feet. “Come on let’s get out of this place. We’ll figure out the rest as we go.”
    “We can’t.” She stood up too.
    He turned to her and frowned. “Why not?”
    “We can’t let any of these creatures out of here. Imagine what would happen if we let them out into the city. Billions of people would die.”
    “Doesn’t the same apply to us?” he asked. “Anyway, for all we know, they’re already out in the city.”
    She sighed. He was right. They had no way of knowing what had happened when they were unconscious. For all she knew, violent creatures had torn the city of Leeds apart and were now spreading across England like a plague.
    She paced the aisle. There had to be an answer. “In the weird book, the notes said that a druid would summon the powers of Odin to create his warriors. What if it is like vampire