See How She Runs by Michelle Graves Read Free Book Online

deflated and finished cleaning up. I looked in the mirror
and realized I had mascara streams coming down from under each eye.
Not only did I just go ballistic, but I did so looking like a
glorified raccoon. Ugh. Could this day get any worse? No really,
could it?
    Part of me was excited about finding out
what was really happening, but the other part was wary. I was not
one hundred percent sure that I could trust anything Kennan said
now. I headed back to my room and pulled on some long john pants
and a tee. I came out of the room with my hair in damp ringlets and
my makeshift pajamas.
     
    **********

SEVEN
     
     
    The most intoxicating smell was filling the
cabin. It smelled like heaven, and I realized I had probably not
eaten in a long time. I headed towards the small two person table
in the kitchen and sat down while Kennan scooped some sort of
pasta, chicken, veggie mix onto my plate. He brought me a glass of
water as well. Even now, he still had to feed me. I really was
pathetic. He sat down and we ate in companionable silence with him
eyeing me warily. Even though I was bursting to know what brand of
crazy he was selling, I was famished.
    Once we had both finished eating, he took
our plates to the small sink and rinsed them off leaving them to
wash later. He returned, gesturing for me to follow him to the
living room.
    “Before I explain anything, before you will
believe anything I try and tell you, I am going to have to show you
something. I was hoping this day would never come, Iz. I never
wanted this life for you. I need you to look at me closely, Iz.
Really pay attention. When you feel like looking away, look a
little longer. Do you understand?" he asked timidly. I just nodded.
I was too curious to say anything else.
    He nodded once and then muttered, “A
bhidse.”
    He kept saying things I did not understand
and I kept watching him. Then suddenly the air around him started
to shimmer and he expanded outward and upward. At the same time
dark bluish-black ink swirled about his skin in intricate patterns,
starting at his neck and wrapping itself under his shirt and down
his arms and God knows where else. The air settled, and there stood
a man that I did not know. I could not comprehend how this could be
the Kennan I knew.
    K.O. was tall, yes, but this man before me
was 6 foot 7 at least. He was almost as broad besides. He was
chorded with strong muscles. Not like a bulky weight lifter, but
the kind of muscle that had come from seriously throwing his weight
around with manual labor. The inky pattern had settled into some
sort of Celtic scroll design that looked older than anything I had
ever seen.
    I got up from the sofa and went to where he
was standing by the fireplace. I studied him carefully and then
finally looked up into his face. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes
looked blankly ahead as if he were waiting for me to scream. I saw
him there, lingering in his eyes. There in his eyes was my best
friend and the man that kidnapped me. So I did the only thing I
could think of. I poked him. He looked down at me surprised.
    “What no screaming?” he asked.
    I shook my head, still too stunned to say
much. But somehow this felt right. I felt as though I was seeing
the Kennan I had been catching glimpses of recently. That same
place in my gut that told me to avoid mister CEO was now telling me
that this was the man that I had known for the past two years.
There just seemed to be more of him than before.
    “How did all of this fit into that?" I
asked, honestly curious.
    For the first time in what seemed to be
ages, he relaxed. A smile danced on his lips, which seemed to be
much fuller and so very appealing. Holy cow, hormones, let’s just
put that on the back burner and come back to it never. Trying to
distract myself, I moved back to the sofa and plopped down.
Standing next to him was giving me a size complex.
    “Do you mind if I sit down to explain this?”
he asked as he moved my way.
    I shook my head and he took