Stephanie Rowe - Darkness Unleashed by Stephanie Rowe - Darkness Unleashed Read Free Book Online Page B

for the anguish she'd seen in their depths. She wanted to know more about him, and at the same time, she wanted to run away from him as fast as possible.
    Her fingers tingled and she rubbed them together, recalling what it had felt like to touch him. Why had she done that? He could so easily have spun around and grabbed her before she could have gotten out of the way. But when she'd seen him standing so close, his shoulders bunched as if he was carrying a thousand burdens in those powerful muscles, she'd been compelled to touch him, to see what she could learn about him.
    His coat had been well-worn, laden with stories of the battles he'd been in. So much death surrounded that man. It had caressed her, chasing away her fear and drawing her in. For a brief moment, she'd been lost in his presence, drawn into the aura that was so familiar to her. And when she'd touched his skin...she shivered at the memory. His skin had been so warm, warmer than a man shrouded in death should be. At the same time, it had been velvet soft, as if beneath the rough exterior was a tapestry spun of the softest silk, a thousand colors woven into one rich story of such suffering, torment, and bravery.
    When she'd touched him, the gnawing hunger inside her had quieted, almost as if he'd offered her sunlight. She had no idea what had happened, but she now had enough control that she could risk being around people for a little longer, even though it was dark out. Yes, she couldn't take the chance of going to sleep and surrendering herself to the night, but awake would be okay. What had that touch between them done? Would it happen again, or had it been a one-time thing?
    Not that she would try. He was too dangerous…and too compelling.
    Ryland shouted in the distance, jerking her attention back to the present. Dear God, how had she let herself get distracted by him? She knew better than to think of a man as anything but a threat. God, she knew better.
    Wearily, she rubbed her temples, staring in the direction the men had gone. If she had a brain, she'd do as they claimed they were doing, and avoid the village. But how could she do that?
    The stone from the map was gone. Her map would be useless if she couldn't find her way to the next mark, a pyre of fire and smoke. Without the stone, she had no idea which way to go.
    People who'd lived in the area for generations might know the land well enough to help her. Someone in that town might have the answers she needed. She had no choice.
    With a sigh of exhaustion and desperate hope, Catherine slung her backpack over her shoulders and walked out of the graveyard to where Ryland and his team had last been. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Dancing on the air were stories of death. Ryland's stories. His legacy that touched the very core of who she was.
    Ryland knew exactly where that village was, and he was going there to save his team. Which meant she had to follow him.
    Fisting the straps of her backpack, Catherine began to walk in the direction Ryland had gone, tracking him the same way he'd tracked her: through the fragments of death he left behind. She knew he wouldn't be lying in wait for her. His concern for his team was evident, and he would not stop until he had them safe. But once he did...she shuddered. He would never deviate in his ruthless quest to find her until he had succeeded.
    That meant her only option was to get to the village, get answers, and get out before he was free to pursue her.
    Sweat trickled down her temple despite the cold air, sweat that had nothing to do with heat and everything to do with her nervousness about putting herself so close to the man who'd been hunting her, the man who seemed to call to her so desperately that she'd almost given up her camouflage because she'd needed to touch him so badly.
    She let out a deep breath and touched the silver locket she'd fastened around her throat while she'd been watching the men try to bait her. The cool metal acted as a constant