Death's Mantle: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Revelations Book 1) Read Free Page A

really seemed to bother Ian. He liked the temperature downright frosty, almost relished it, in fact. This particular time, he had been sitting on the swings when Amy came over to swing next to him, and though he wasn’t sure why she had come to join him, her presence there in the darkness with him had been comforting. Unknowingly, they began to swing together in unison.
    “Uh oh, looks like we’ll be together forever,” Amy said in between sudden bursts of laughter.
    “Why’s that?” Ian called back his voice nearly catching in his throat as his heart beat excitedly in his chest. Sure, Amy was dating his childhood friend, and he wouldn’t have known her if Jesse hadn’t introduced them, but ever since they’d met he had felt drawn to her. Did she feel the same? What if she did? Could they do anything about it while she was dating his friend?
    “Don’t you know the rule? If you swing at the same time as someone else, you’re destined to be together forever.” Amy smiled at him, her flawless auburn hair flashing around her in the firelight cast by the fire pit several yards away. “That’s why little girls always struggle to swing at the same pace as the boys they like.”
    Was she admitting she liked him too? Ian almost asked. Hell, he almost leapt from his swing and took her in his arms. But he didn’t. She was dating Jesse after all. That would be wrong of him to do, no matter how he felt. Besides, he didn’t want to make her like Kim, always cheating on Malcom at every opportunity like she was the wind trying to sow her seeds across the land.
    Ian swallowed and looked away, shoving down the feelings swelling inside him. Part of him knew Amy was just flirting harmlessly with him, but another part sort of wished she would just ignore him completely. That would make things easier.
    Soon after, they both retired to the comfort of the fire where the rest of their group sat making s’mores, and Amy fell into Jesse’s embrace. The sight made him strangely jealous, though he wasn’t quite sure why. Except that wasn’t entirely true… Even though Caden was there too, Ian still always felt like he should be in Jesse’s place at these gatherings. He was never quite sure why Caden didn’t feel like a fifth wheel either since he didn’t have a girlfriend, but then again, the guy was so busy he didn’t always come to these gatherings. Maybe his busyness was an excuse?
    “Oh yeah! I almost forgot to tell you guys. Ian and I are going to be together forever!” Amy squealed as the fire popped and snapped in front of her, making her excited brown eyes shimmer.
    “You guys swing at the same time?” Kim asked a strange sort of giddiness in her voice as she looked in his direction and winked. Amy nodded in affirmation. “Well, it’s fact then. You can’t argue with swings.” The two girls laughed, and Ian felt his heart sink into his toes.
    Of course, it was just a joke, but still… sometimes he wished it wasn’t. As the fire burned in front of him, illuminating Amy’s perfect mouth in the dance of firelight, he wondered what it would feel like pressed to his own. He mentally smacked himself and forced himself to look away. Thankfully, it was dark enough that no one seemed to notice his cheeks burning.
    Jesse glanced up at Ian, shadows shrouding his face as he hugged Amy close. The look on his face was very clear. It said, “You’re going to have to pry her out of my cold, dead hands first.”
    And there was the rub. Even if he somehow were to date Amy, it would likely destroy his friendship with Jesse, and while the two weren’t as close as they had been during childhood, even looking at Amy sort of felt like a betrayal. No… no, it would be better for him to push his feelings down where no one could see them and be happy for his friend… right?
    The rest of the night passed without incident, but soon after both Malcom and Kim came to school no longer a couple. Neither would say what happened and even