Hollowed by Kelley York Read Free Book Online

to repeat myself?"
    I force my tongue to cooperate. "My sister is dead." It's the truth as I know it. The truth my parents and I came to accep t after a year passed and Ruby didn't come home .
    Blondie glances behind me at Guy and her expression darkens. She grabs my face, deceptively slender fingers digging into my jaw. "Don't fuck with us. Where. Is. Ruby?"
    I slam my fist into her mouth.
    Reflex. That's all it is. She can get in my face all she wants, but grabbing me is a line no one crosses and gets away with. Blondie rears back with a howl, blood dripping where one of my rings split open her lip. While she screams and Guy is too busy gaping at her , I run like hell.
    It ' s not much of a head start. Guy is after me within seconds , his steps heavier but faster than my own. His fingers graze my back and I twist, dart off the right side of the path into the trees and bushes. Struggling to pick up some sign of Oliver ' s presence. There ' s nothing. I can ' t sense him, and I can ' t pause long enough to concentrate on where he might be. 
    Reaching the creek that runs through the center of the park, I head for the wooden bridge that spans the seven feet across . Guy isn ' t good at silent pursuit; I hear him crashing through the woods behind me like a pissed-off bear. There ' s no way I can outrun him, especially when I don ' t know where to go.
    I c an't outrun him, but I can hide.
    Rather than take the bridge, I plunge into the water. Instantly I ' m all too aware that , vampire or not, I apparently need to breathe because the cold sucks the air right out of me. I wade against the current under the bridge, draw in a deep breath , and duck beneath the surface, feet bracing against the mud dy bottom so I'm not swept head-first into the nearest rock. My hands clutch at roots and plants, anything to keep me from floating to the surface and being seen.
    Over the sound of rushing water , I can ' t hear him approach. The only way I know when he passes is the hollow thud of footsteps over the bridge . Even then I stay put until I ' m sure my lungs are going to explode if I don ' t get oxygen.
    I surface sp uttering and wheezing quietly— as quietly as one can sputter and wheeze, I guess. Oliver should have warned me bein g undead—infected, whatever— wouldn ' t give me some useful ability like not needing to breathe. Or at least resistance to cold. Teeth chattering, muscles quivering, I drag myself out of the water. Now, if I can find a tree somewhere I ' m capable of climbing , I can hide out until the two psychos take off or until Oliver finds me. Sopping wet and muddy, I really hope I won ' t lose a finger or toe by the time that happens. So much for hunting.
    N o sooner have I gotten halfway to my feet than Blondie, split-lip already healed but blood still on her face, is a foot in front of me. Quieter than her bearish partner. Lucky me.
    There ' s no time for me scramble back before she kicks me. Hard. Once, twice, in the stomach, ribs. Something cracks, I can feel it. This is payback for damaging her pretty face. Instinctively I curl up on my side, trying to block with my arms. She digs the toe of her shoe into my hip, rolls me over onto my back. It hurts too much to resist. Easier to go with it, easier to hold my breath and pray for the jagged pain to stop.
    Blondie leans over me, shark-smile in place. " You ' re one dumb bitch, anyone ever told you that? "
    I try breathing in short little pants because it ' s less painful than breathing in deep. " More than once. "
    Her gaze darkens. Obviously she doesn ' t appreciate my humor, go figure. The next thing I know the pointy heel of her shoe is grinding down into my bro ken ribs. The screaming I hear... it ' s coming from me. She leans her weight into it, pinning me in place, making it impossible to move or think or breathe.
    " I ' ll ask you again... Where is Ruby? There ' s no reason for you to protect her. "
    She eases up just enough for me to make some semblance of a