Redemption (The Alexa Montgomery Saga) by H.D. Gordon Read Free Book Online

and headed
over to the door. I stood rooted to the spot, unable to think of anything to
say to stop her. “I’ll just go visit Tommy for a little while,” she said. “You
come and get me after you two…talk things out.” And then she left.
    Kayden came to me then, wrapped
his strong arms around me, and I rested my head against his chest, listening to
the heart that beat there; the heart that beat there for me. The scent of him
filled my lungs and I squeezed my eyes shut. His soft Scottish accent spoke so
close to my ear. “Are you going to be okay, my Warrior?” he asked.
    I pulled back and looked up at
him, wondering how it was that both Jackson and Kayden could be so willing to
give their souls for me, wondering how it was that a person could ever come to
deserve such devotion. I wanted so badly to tell him that I was not okay, that
I would never be okay, and that a piece of me had died when I’d had to
burn the body of the best friend I’d ever had. But I did not.
    Instead, I led him to the bed
pulled his shirt over his head, revealing his solid, golden body with all its
scars and beauty. Then I took off my own clothes, which hid my own scars, and
let Kayden pull the pain from me in the way that only his touch ever could.
    For that moment in time, it was
only Kayden and I and our love for each other, our bodies coming together to
wash out the world and all of its troubles. And for that moment in time I could
remember what it was that I was fighting for. I could remember what made all
the pain and suffering worth enduring.
    How is one broken thing
supposed to fix another?
    With love.
    Yes, love. That was what I was
fighting for. That was what I was living for. And maybe, not so tragically,
that was what I would die for.
    If you asked me, there are worse
ways to go.

 
     
    A Royal Summons
    At midnight, while the people in
the city of the Outlands were holding the funeral for his son, King William
sent his messengers out to deliver news to his people in all five of his
cities. The Royal messengers hung fliers on lampposts and store windows, and
also on the doors of all the houses. The fliers were stamped with the King’s
seal, gleaming in red ink that glared angry against the white paper.
    The fliers read:
    Every citizen of the Five
Cities must report to their local Council Buildings on the dates and times
listed below. Every member of every family must be accounted for. Men, women
and children. Brockens, Searchers, and Wolves. This Royal Summons applies to
all. You are to show up and pledge your allegiance to King William, Protector
of the Five Cities and Father of the Free Age. If you fail to show for your
scheduled time you will be considered a traitor to the King and will be hunted
down and executed.
    Signed,
    King William, Protector of the
Five Cities, Father of the Free Age

 
     
    Nelly
    The door opened. Tommy stood
there, pale hair ruffled, hands rubbing his eyes. Until he saw me. His hands
dropped to his sides, and then the sleep that was still on his face was gone,
and he smiled for me. A slow, sad smile. A ghost of the smirk that he usually
wore. And I gave him one back.
    “Hey, Tommy.”
    He stepped to the side and swept
a hand for me to enter. “Hey, Nell,” he said.
    I scooted around him and into his
room, looking around, unsure what to do now that I was here. “I’m sorry I woke
you,” I said.
    Tommy shook his head and took a
seat on the bed. “I’m glad you did.” He regarded me for a moment. “You want to
sit down?”
    I released a slow breath and sat
down in the chair next to the nightstand. “Bad dreams?” I asked.
    Tommy’s bare shoulders lifted a
fraction and fell. “Not good ones. You?”
    I looked down at my hands,
suddenly aware that I had been staring at Tommy’s bare chest. “I wanted to give
Alexa and Kayden some time to themselves,” I said.
    Tommy nodded. “How’s she doing?”
    A small laugh bubbled up my
throat, dry and humorless. “She’s…still going, I