Spark by Jessica Coulter Smith, Smith Read Free Book Online Page A

knowing what to expect when she ventured out of her room. It was silent. Too silent. The air was still and something smelled wrong. Sour.
    Wrapping a robe around her, she slowly opened her bedroom door and peered
    into the darkened hall. The lamp that always remained on had been switched off and she approached it cautiously. Mina twisted the switch several times, but nothing happened. Something told her this went far deeper than a burnt out bulb and she eased further down the hall, the hair on the back of her neck rising to attention.
    Where were her brothers? Her father? What happened to Spark?
    Each door she passed stood open and the eerie feeling wrapped tightly around
    her as she pressed on, moving deeper into the house. She came to the wide staircase and used her wolf senses to check for danger. Nothing stirred below. Every instinct she possessed screamed at her to return to her room and lock the door, but she couldn’t hide without knowing if Spark was okay.
    The cool marble of the staircase seeped into the soles of her feet as she padded down the stairs. At the bottom, the moonlight shone through the windows surrounding the front doors, casting everything into silver tones. The door was cracked a quarter inch and her feeling of unease doubled. No way would her family have left that door unlocked, not after having spotted Striker earlier. The wolf had been seen prowling the edge of their property, as if seeking a way in, and now everyone was missing and the door was open. Warning bells were ringing in her head, but Mina refused to listen to them.
    She wanted her mate.
    Continuing through the house, she nearly stumbled over a warm body. Mina fell
    to her knees and rolled him over, gasping when she saw the bruise over Simon’s eye.
    Whoever had taken him out must have not played fair. Her older brother was bookish, but he also knew how to defend himself. If Simon was down, were the others as well?
    She tiptoed through the lower level of the house, stumbling upon her other two
    brothers and her father, all unconscious on the floor.
    A sour feeling rolled through her stomach as she thought about Spark being at
    Striker’s mercy. If the wolf thought for one moment that Spark and Mina had mated, he would lose what little sanity he had left. Mina feared for her mate more than herself. At least she knew what Striker wanted from her, but if he got his hands on Spark, it could get bloody fast.
    As she crept through the kitchen, she paused long enough to ease a butcher knife from the block on the counter. Gripping it tightly, she held it in front of her as she neared the back door. It was wide open, a gentle breeze blowing in, bringing with it the stink of insane wolf and her mate. Mina didn’t know what to expect when she entered the backyard, but her heart stuttered in her chest as she saw Spark lying on the ground, a knife wound to his side, his arms cut to hell, and a slice across one cheek.
    His eyes were closed and she prayed that he still lived. She watched intently, not daring to breathe until she saw his chest rise and fall, albeit in shallow breaths. Mina looked around but didn’t see Striker anywhere. She nearly ran to Spark and fell on her knees beside him. The knife clattered to the ground as her hands fluttered over him, not sure where to touch him, yet wanting to assure herself he was all right.
    “He’s alive. For now.” Striker stepped out of the shadows, not three feet from
    her.
    Mina reached for her knife, but he was too quick and kicked it away. Her nails
    bit into her palms as she closed her hands into tight fists and rose to her feet. She knew that one on one, she was no match for the crazy wolf, but she wouldn’t back down and leave her mate to die. No matter what Striker said, she knew he had no intention of leaving Spark alive.
    “Why did you attack my family and my mate?”
    “Mate,” he sneered. “You were supposed to be mine! My rightful place is beside
    your father, and you took that from