Shadow Bloodlines (Shadow Bloodlines #1) by A. R. Cooper Read Free Book Online Page A

Even though I was encased in stone, I heard and saw everything that happened before you touched me. Your friend was the golden-haired girl in the crimson dress, yes?”
    I didn’t like how he described Jacqui. Jealousy paced inside my chest like a wild animal. “Is she in danger too?”
    “Perhaps. If you try to contact her, she will be. They will use her as bait when your mother doesn’t work.”
    “What do you mean?” Dread clung to my gut at the thought of something happening to my mom or best friend because of me. “What will they do to them?”
    “Most likely, when they know you cannot be tempted, they will leave your mother and friend alone… or give them a quick death. It’s better than the alternative.”
    My breath hitched. “What could be worse than death? Torture?”
    “The Blood Spirits can drain someone’s life away, leaving an empty shell. One that they control. The person looks and sounds like they always have, but there is an emptiness in their eyes.”
    I flopped down on the ground. Was this guy for real? Or was I still tripping on that drug Ms. Moor had shot me with? I brushed off the tattered edge of the black dress, which was covered in blood and dirt. “So what do we do now? I have to know my mom and Jacqueline are okay. I can’t just disappear without a word.”
    He rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Did your father leave you?”
    “That’s not any of your business.” I crossed my arms over my chest. How I hated this topic. Once, I forgot it was ‘bring your dad to school day’ for some career show-and-tell thing in eighth grade. I feigned a fever, even scrounged up a penny to put under my tongue like Jacqui said always worked for her when the nurse took her temperature. All I got was a lecture on skipping. I was in eighth grade and when my teacher asked where Dad was; I’d mumbled an excuse while everyone had turned and stared. She’d asked what he did for a living. The lies flowed easily then; they stuck in my throat now.
    “Your father must have left to protect you both.” Amar nodded.
    I shot to my feet. “You don’t know a thing about him or us. He left when he found out my mom was pregnant. It was nothing to do with protecting us. It was cowardly and selfish.” Then after no word, nothing, he’d sent that cryptic text. Thanks, Dad.
    “And yet, you have survived this long without the Blood Spirits knowing anything about you. Shifters have been hunted and their offspring destroyed. If your father had stayed too long, they would have killed your mother if they’d known she was pregnant. Many weren’t as fortunate as you.”
    “What about you?” I remember being little and looking at the few photos my mom had of my dad. One was both of them together at a carnival. They looked happy. He had a nice smile and mischievous eyes. I used to believe he would burst through our door any moment and announce that he’d been kidnapped by terrorists. Except he wasn’t. And he never came back, or called, or even wrote—until the text message. “Are you a shifter? How did you get into that gargoyle?”
    He gestured me to sit, but I shook my head.
    “Can’t you tell me as we fly? I won’t rest until I know everyone I care about is safe. And you talking will help me not freak out about flying without a plane or parachute. Maybe.”
    Instead of answering, he stepped towards me, slow and measured, as though I were an injured deer about to bolt. My heart hammered against my ribcage as his breath tickled my forehead.
    He scooped me into his arms. He was warm against my bare skin and our faces, our lips, were inches from each other. I fought the flirting memory of my first kiss against his pouting mouth.
    He carried me outside of the cave and we swooped into the air, feeling like the big dipper on a roller coaster. As the ground and sky began to totter, I squeezed my eyes shut and took deep breaths. I was sure I sounded to Amar like I was hyperventilating. I needed to focus on something