Shadowed Ground Read Free Page A

monsters like the one that petted his sister now, crooning to her as she sobbed over the unconscious, unmoving exotic pet of her dreams.
    Alexander knew he couldn’t wait any more. He knew the time for trying to strategize, to outwit them, was over. He was going to have to act, and soon.
    He would find Carson and make plans to get them out. His mind raced through a list of cash and portable valuables, of places to take her. He realized she was so far gone she might try to fight him. Father has a closet full of sedatives, he thought, if that’s the case. No matter what, he vowed, he and Charlotte would be gone by morning. He shoved the Smith clone off his sister, but she didn’t even notice as she sobbed over the ball of white fur.
    Later that afternoon, Rajah died.

Chapter Three: Hurricane Chloe
    She stood in the middle of the living room, watching him push a heavy beige couch against the wall. End tables and a bookshelf followed. When he struggled to pick up a huge mahogany roll top desk by himself, she automatically grabbed an end of it.
    He put the desk down and leaned towards her, forcing her to drop her end. “You’ve only been out bed for a couple of days. You wouldn’t eat or drink for days before that. In fact, you only remembered my name more recently than I like to think about. So step away from the desk, Chloe.”
    She crossed her arms and glared. “You said you were going to teach me to fight.”
    He picked up the desk alone, with effort. “This isn’t about male pride.” He dragged it a few more feet, the muscles in his arms tensing. “Just want to save your strength,” he panted out, “for the important stuff. Trust me. Wait an hour.” He leaned against it, breathing hard. There was no trace of humor as he looked her up and down.
    He didn’t look like the Eliot who wouldn’t let her move furniture anymore. He looked like the Eliot that had smashed a man twice her size and weight into a wall. Her adrenaline spiked.
    “What did you do to your hand?” Her voice came out all wrong, high pitched and rushed. Silver duct tape bound two of his fingers to the thumb of his right hand. He held it out to her. A single silver needle protruded about two inches between his two fingers, braced by his thumb. Surprise deepened quickly into dread. “What are you doing, Eliot? Exactly how are you planning to teach me to fight?”
    “I didn’t say I was going to teach you to fight. I said I was going to teach you to defend yourself. I taped my fingers so the needle won’t get stuck in you.” He looked uncomfortable. “Please believe me when I say I don’t want to hurt you. But we don’t have much time, and people want you hurt, or dead, and I can’t take you out there, into the real world, with no idea how to defend yourself.” He eyed the needle taped to his fingers. “This is just going to sting a little. When Cass first started training me, he used a real knife.” She suppressed a shudder. His face closed, and he became a different person, a harder person, right in front of her eyes. Gone was the Eliot who’d been there when she didn’t know his name, and cared for her anyway. “Now take off your shoes and socks.”
    “Um. Ok.” Her mouth went very, very dry. She tried to tear her eyes away from the silver needle but couldn’t. She kicked her tennis shoes and socks into a corner, fast. “Why?”
    “Defense is the most important thing I can teach you right now. Hopefully, it’s all you’ll need. It’s also the foundation of attack. Barefoot, you’ll have better grip and balance. Plus I’ll need to study your feet.” He swept his eyes up and down her critically. “At least you put your hair up. Next time wear something tighter.”
    “What? Why?” she squeaked, horrified.
    “It’s not like that,” he exhaled impatiently. “I need to see exactly how you move your muscles, how you breathe, where you tense up. Plus it gives an enemy less to grab. That’s why. And that’s two