The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5) Read Free

and the race was on. I was laughing too hard to watch my steps and ended up in the river. It was only ankle deep, but it was ridiculously cold. Still playing, I kept splashing through it to the next rock when suddenly Scott grabbed my arm, and I lost my balance. I fell back against his chest, laughing and flailing my arms. He was laughing too as we stood catching our breath. And then he stopped. Our faces were inches apart, and I suddenly realized how close he was holding me. I was molded against him so tightly I could feel the snap on his jeans. Something creepy flashed in his eyes. Flushing, I tried to step back. Rubbing his thigh against mine, he tightened his grip on my shoulders. His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. The creepy expression was back.
    “Scared yet?” he murmured.
    I stuttered an uncomfortable laugh as I tried to put some space between us. “There are people walking up. Let me go. This is embarrassing.”
    He didn’t relax his hold, but he looked towards the people who had just pulled up. There was a group of about six men and women. Two of the bigger men were eyeballing us with interest. Surely they would step in if things got out of hand? Scott released an insincere chuckle as if he was just playing around.
    “Come on. Let’s go.” All sense of play evaporated as he snatched up the blanket.
    Heavy grey clouds buried the sun, the temperature plummeted, and I shivered with more than cold. Scott was pretending to look at me, but I could see him still watching the two big guys. His stance was not protective, but more territorial. I didn’t like it. It didn’t feel right. Scott’s face seemed different to me. His hooded eyes didn’t seem deep or sexy now; they seemed cold and calculating. His hard mouth didn’t seem mysterious; it just seemed cruel. I was definitely afraid now.
    I tried to keep my voice casual as I said, “I think maybe we should leave. I’m soaked and freezing my butt off. Let’s head back.”
    Expression stony, he shrugged. “Sure, babe. I don’t like the looks of those guys anyway.”
    As I settled on the motorcycle, I realized I had a big problem. I really didn’t want to touch him now. The earlier feeling of adventure was gone. I just wanted to get home--preferably in one piece. Scott took the curves at a ridiculous speed. The sky was dark with a building storm. It was getting more and more ominous. We were going so fast my lips were numb. I was pretty sure he was going to kill us. I yelled for him to slow down, but he just laughed and pushed the bike harder. At this point, prayer seemed like a good idea. Oh, please God! If you get me out of this, I would be so grateful. I swear I won’t go near this guy again. He’s crazy! Please get me home alive!
    The bike slowed enough for us to turn onto a gravel road that I didn’t recognize. I didn’t know what to think until I saw an old house looming up in front of us.
    “What are you doing?” I yelled over the roar of the engine.
    He ignored me.
    Where were we? What was he doing? All my instincts were screaming that this was BAD. Running through escape options, my brain went into overdrive. There weren’t many. Could I jump off and run? No, we were still going too fast. I didn’t see any other signs of people. No place to run to. Shit. This was not good.
    Fat drops of rain pelted us as we rolled up to the wraparound porch. On cue, Mother Nature unleashed her fury. Screaming winds drove the rain against the house like a hurricane. Before I could object, he yanked me through the door. Thunder boomed so close I jumped out of my skin. Lightning lit up the windows, turning Scott’s face into something sinister, demonic. Visions of horror movies raced through my head. This was so bad…
    “Looks like we made it just in time. Lucky for you I knew about this place.” He smiled, teeth gleaming whitely in the darkness. Another flash of lightning turned them into fangs.
    “Get away from me.” I was trying to sound fierce,