Shudder (Stitch Trilogy, Book 2) by Samantha Durante Read Free Book Online Page B

a little taller, a newfound confidence cascading
through him. Something lit up inside him. “Shedding the old world
to embrace the new,” he explained with reverence, a faraway look in
his eyes. He settled his gaze back on her broken face. “You
understand.”
    She didn’t understand. Why wouldn’t he
just tell her what she wanted to know?
    With a wry smile, he finally relented.
“Phoenix. We’ll call you Phoenix.”
    Phoenix? She knew he couldn’t see her
expression through the gauze that swathed her face, but the
question must have been evident in her eyes.
    “ Rising from the ashes.
Renewed, restored – filled with hope for the future. I think that
will suit you, given your recent… ordeals.” He sat back, a smug
grin spreading across his face.
    Phoenix. It wasn’t her original name,
she thought, but it was better than nothing. She would take it, for
now.
    “ They call me the
Developer,” he continued. “My colleagues, the Engineers, and I have
been working to maintain order here in Paragon. But this misguided
rebellion has been making that job… difficult for us.”
    A rebellion? Something about that felt
familiar to Phoenix, but she was tired now. Too tired to think any
longer. She felt her consciousness slipping away, the pain
assaulting her body numbing any attempts by her mind to process
what he was saying.
    The Developer eyed her for a moment,
then released her aching hand and reached above her head. An
electronic beep pricked her ears and relief washed over her body,
dragging her ever further toward sleep.
    “ Rest now. There will be
plenty of time to talk when you’re feeling stronger. You’re safe
here, Phoenix. I’ll make sure of it.”
    The sliding door closed behind him
with a hiss and she settled deep into the fluffy pillow at her
back. Something about his words rang false in her head, but the
utter deliciousness of the heavy sleep creeping over her
overwhelmed any misgivings she might have had.
    Phoenix, she thought. Maybe he was
right. Maybe this was the start of something better.
    Finally the pain faded into the
background, along with the urgency of her questions. Cocooned by
the distinct sweetness of hope, she closed her eyes and drifted off
into a peaceful slumber.

7. DREAM
    Alessa couldn’t see his face, but she
could feel the heat of him sidled up against her. His body wrapped
protectively around hers, she was flooded with a sense of
sanctuary, of knowing she was safe from whatever dangers lurked
outside.
    Still enveloped in the tranquil mist
of sleep, she smiled deeply and rolled over to face him. Her eyes
still closed, she dreamily ran her hands over his broad chest and
nuzzled her face against the scruff of his chin with a
sigh.
    Tilting her head up, she trailed his
chiseled jaw with her lips, their mouths meeting in a slow, tender
kiss. Their eyes fell open in unison and she lost herself for a
moment in the endless blue she knew so well.
    But then something began
to change for Alessa, some incongruous feeling rising fiercely from
her gut. A sudden distinct thirst overwhelmed her. But not for water – for
blood.
    And she was taken with the bestial
desire to kill.
    Startled, she pulled back from their
embrace, searching his eyes for answers. And what she saw there set
her heart racing.
    Yes, those blue eyes were the same she
remembered, but the face that held them was not. It wasn’t Isaac
she lay entangled with, but Joe.
    Alessa shot up with a staggering gasp,
the world spinning around her. Clutching at the memory of her
dream, she struggled to calm her shallow breaths and still her
pounding heart.
    Isaac stirred next to her, groggily
placing his hand on her lap in a drowsy attempt at comfort.
“Everything okay?” he exhaled.
    Catching her breath, Alessa patted his
hand. “Yeah, just a bad dream. Go back to bed, Isaac.”
    Isaac readily complied, rolling over
in a contented little ball with a heavy sigh.
    Alessa sat rigid, staring blankly at
the wall of the lean-to until