The Reverence of One: Book Three of the Shadow Series by J.M. Pierce Read Free Book Online Page B

didn’t come. “With gh o… ,” he stopped himself but saw her cringe as he started to say the word . He rubbed his face and took a deep breath before continuing. “With people from the other side, it almost becomes as if there is a blank spot in a painting. I can feel the energy of the surroundings, and the hole that is the spirit is tugging at me.”
    Alyssa shifted her feet and replied. “That’ll come in handy, huh?”
    Test ’s face twisted and he recoiled in confusion. “What does that mean?”
    With a quivering voice, Alyssa replied. “I wouldn’t blame you, you know.”
    “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
    “If you wanted her —over me.”
    Test took a step towards her, but stopped when she took a step back. “Who are you talking about?”
    “Lauren.”
    Test began to laugh. “You can’t be serious. Lauren?”
    Alyssa instantly went invisible. “I don’t know what’s funny about that .”
    “Oh come on, Alyssa,” he replied, feeling the tug on his chest that told him she still stood before him. “Lauren is—well—to put it bluntly, she’s a bitch. Even my moody ass can’t keep up with her.” Test heard her giggle softly. “The only person I want in this world,” he paused, “or any other for that matter, is you.”
    He held out his hand, forcing the pulses to energize a little harder. The light from within shone dimly in the overcast light of the forest. He offered his hand to her, palm up, a warm red glow coming from its center. He felt her take it and watched happily as she came into view. With her transition complete, he marveled at how beautiful she was. Her dark skin and long sandy blonde hair looked as perfect as it ever had. He wrapped his hand around hers tightly and pulled her into him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nestled her head into his chest.
    “I’m sorry,” she whispered, pulling away just for a moment to kiss his chest.
    Test gripped her even more tightly. “Don’t say that. Never in a million lifetimes will you ever have to tell me you’re sorry.”
    There was a moment of silence , and between the two of them they shared a moment of peace. With a deep cleansing breath, Test asked, “Are you cold?”
    She pulled away and looked at him with a crooked smile.
    Test rolled his eyes. “Jeeze. That was pretty stupid, huh?”
    She nodded her head and gave him a pat on the chest. Stepping to his side, s he took his right hand into her left and began to lead him deeper into the woods.
    “What are we doing?” asked Test.
    She turned back to him and gave his arm a tug. “Nothing. Let’s just be together.”
    Placing her face in his free hand, Test leaned down and gently kissed Alyssa’s lips. With h er eyes remaining closed, the ir lips parted slowly. Releasing his hand, she put her arm around his waist and the two of them walked peacefully through the trees.
     
    ****
     
    After talking to his father the night before, Thad Johnston had resolved to himself that there was no one that could help him. Earlier in the day, he’d had the vision once more and it stirred even more anxiety within him that he couldn’t explain or understand . While experiencing the vision, this time, instead of focusing on the girl and the man, he focused more on the location. He saw a large, faded, dark green sign with dirty white letters that hung on t he outside of a brick building.
    For his entire life, his visions had only been about those close to him, or people that he regularly interacted with. Not only was this vision strange in that it was recurring, he honestly didn’t know either of the people within it . In his mind, he walked himself through his day. It was ridiculously routine ; h e woke up, took a shower, brushed his teeth, got into his car, and then stopped at Harry’s Donut shop on the way to work. Harry’s was a little dive of a shop that was set in a more destitute part of town, but they made the best cinnamon rolls in Kansas or Missouri