MARKED (Hunter Awakened) Read Free Page A

Harrison, I didn't know. One
of the reasons I liked Paul was his ability to know when I wanted
him to talk and when it was best to be quiet. Our morning run was
one of those quiet times. After we'd finished, he went to shower
and change while I did my ninety minute training session with
Kevin. My trainer enjoyed my story about Rufus, his amusement and
pride lightening some of my dark mood.
    By the time I was ready to run my usual
Monday morning slash mid-afternoon errands, I was feeling much
better about the day ahead. Even the paparazzi didn't faze me as
Paul drove me to the grocery store. I ignored their questions and
let them take all of the pictures they wanted. As Harrison had
requested, I'd kept with my usual tradition of not wearing make-up
and the purplish-black bruise on my cheek showed up starkly against
my pale skin. It actually looked worse than it felt.
    I knew that word was traveling fast when I
arrived on set and was met by three of my four main co-stars,
Simon, Amy Childs and Bryson Jackson, all of whom were worried if I
was okay. It was no surprise that Summer Cooper wasn't present.
Saying that she and I didn't get along was like saying vampires had
a mild distaste for the sun. My three friends fussed over me as we
went into make-up, and then it was Katie and Sarah’s turn to make
disapproving sounds and lament over how this was going to be
covered for the show.
    Despite the attention I received when I first
arrived on set, I was quickly able to put aside everything that had
happened the night before and focus on work. I even turned off my
phone after Harrison called twice more to nag me about hiring a
night bodyguard. I was tired of reminding him that Paul had
double-checked with set security, and even made sure they promised
to walk me to my car when I left at the end of the shoot. I didn't
bother telling Paul or Harrison that I'd only do that if someone
was readily available. I wasn't tracking down someone or waiting
around for someone to be free. I wasn't helpless. I thought I'd
proved that last night against Rufus.
    By the time I was done for the night—well,
the early morning actually—I'd all but forgotten that I was
supposed to have someone go with me to the parking lot. The idea
was there, but I just left it buried behind all of the other stuff
that had accumulated through the day. The set was perfectly safe
and no one was going to be out and about at four-thirty in the
morning the week of Thanksgiving.
    I kept telling myself that as I walked
through the dimly lit parking lot towards my car. Since the time
when Paul had parked it earlier before taking a cab home, one of
the lot's lights had gone out, leaving it darker than I liked.
Still, I refused to go back and ask for someone to come with me.
That would be like admitting I couldn't handle it myself, and that
wasn't going to happen.
    Not even if I was certain that I saw shadows
move in ways that shadows had no business moving. I told myself
that I just had an overactive imagination. That was the same reason
I gave when I heard footsteps behind me. I was just imagining
things. I walked a bit faster, fumbling for my car keys. I was just
eager to get home and get some rest, that's all it was. My pounding
heart said otherwise.
    I was still trying to convince myself that
everything was fine when I felt a hand grab a handful of my hair. I
cried out, a sound of surprise and pain rather than any real words.
Before I could yell again, call for help, the person who had my
hair slammed my head against the side of a nearby car.
    If I'd thought a backhand to the cheek had
hurt, it was nothing compared to the pain shooting through my head.
My legs gave out and I was sure that this was it. I was going to
pass out and be completely defenseless. Suddenly, the hand in my
hair was gone and I dropped to the ground. Just as the world
started to go dark, someone began to scream.

 
    Chapter Three
     
     
    The first thing I noticed was that my head
felt fuzzy. Not