Zola Flash (The Zola Flash Series Book 1) by T. Marie Alexander Read Free Book Online Page A

shadows toward me, holding Cleo in his arms.
    I gasp. Why is my mother just standing there? Rican sets Cleo on the ground near me and, instead, takes me in his arms. I struggle against his grip but with each of my efforts, he tightens his hold.
    Rican’s breaths heat my neck. “Your family belongs to me, Zola. And unless you surrender to the Payohlini, you’ll never have a decent night’s sleep.”
    “You can’t hurt me anymore. My family is dead!” I squirm against him. “What more can you take from me?”
    Rican says nothing more, and as a version of Pin appears, Rican releases his hold on me. I run to Pin. He smiles and cups my face, but when I reach up to kiss Pin, his head falls into my hands. Blood splatters me and my white hair. Behind me, I hear Rican laughing. No way is he going to get away with it again.
    No way.
    “Pin!”
    I scream myself awake. Pin comes running into the room, carrying a cup of what looks like pea-ku, a dream-away serum from home. Pin gives me the drink and flops down in a very hairy green chair. The drink reminds me of my last day on Victian, a day I do not want to remember, and I set the cup on the small, glass end table.
    Moving over to Pin, I find a seat in his lap. I lower my head to his shoulder and wrap my arms around his neck. Being so close to him brings instant relief, and the disturbing memories begin melting away.
    “You were screaming,” Pin says, breaking the silence between us.
    “It was dreadful. I reacted like a child.”
    “You are a child.” He sighs. “Which brings me to something we need to talk about.”
    “What?”
    Pin runs his fingers through my tangled hair. He does not smile, nor look at me. I twist in his lap to face him. Wanting to erase the pain in his eyes, I pull the tie from his hair, letting the strands hangs free, and begin to kiss his neck. The skin there is warm, and his pulse quickens beneath my lips. For a few short, sweet seconds he seems to enjoy our contact, but as though a spell is broken, he suddenly shoves me to the floor.
    Hurt and confusion run rampant within me as I glance up at him. What did I do wrong?  I climb to my feet and head into the kitchen, taking the serum with me.
    Seconds later, Pin enters. He must see the confusion in me—must. “Are you okay?” he asks.
    I arch my eyebrows at him.  Why does he even have to ask?  If okay is what he sees, he needs his eyes seriously checked.
    “I know you probably don’t want to talk to me right now,” he says.
    He’s right. I don’t.
    “But we have to eventually talk, so say something.”
    His face shows little emotion when I finally lift my gaze. He’s like a rock. “I’m fine, just a little confused. Last night . . . your actions made me think you wanted me . . .”
    “I need to talk to you about last night.” Pin pauses—for too long, and my palms become sweaty and clammy. My heart races as I think through what he will possibly say. We shared a kissed last night. A passionate kiss. Does he want to talk about that? Does he feel weak around me too?
    “It was a mistake,” he finally continues. “I never meant to implant in your head that I wanted you. You were upset and hurting, so I comforted you.”
    Pin avoids my eyes as he says this. He said the kiss was a mistake, that last night was a mistake. How could a kiss like that be a mistake—did he not feel the love it held, as I did? 
    “You’re lying! That was not a kiss of comfort. You were into it. I could tell.”
    “Apparently, you cannot tell!” He clenches his fists at his sides. “I feel nothing for you! At least not like that. You’re a child. I am your Guardian, Zola. I have a job I must do. And I’m sorry, but it doesn’t include cuddling up next to you.”
    Tears well up in my eyes. I don’t know what to do, or say. All I know is that I feel my heart breaking, and it is the worst feeling in the universe. Sucking in my bottom lip, I hold back the tears. Instead of showing how much his words have