Unlocking Adeline (Skeleton Key) Read Free Page A

the recognition erupting inside of me. His eyes. Why do I know those eyes?
    Then, like a raging force, it hits me.
    It can’t be .
    Just like my dad’s stories.
    The man with a crescent moon embedded into his iris. But there is no way he’s… he’s…
    I fight harder to pull my eyes away from him, but I’m trapped in his visual hold. My body begins to gently tremble and without knowing it, I lift my hand to the man’s cheek.
    And I poke him.
    There is no way he can be real.
    Oh God. That feels like real skin. This sends my back dead stiff.
    No.
    It can’t be true.
    I turn and grab for my purse. His hand surges outward wrapping around my wrist. The moment he cloaks his hand around my arm, I feel my skin heat.
    “Stop, what are you doing?”
    “I think ye know, Adeline.”
    “Wh—what? How do you know my name? Let go of me.”
    “I don’t think that’s going to be happening.” His deep voice sending a spike of something through my body.
    “I’m… I’m not sure who you are, or how you know my name, but this seriously was a bad idea.” Super bad idea. I’m not sure what I was thinking. His eyes; they are just like in my dad’s stories. The crescent moon. The eyes of the prince who comes to claim his princess. Which is strange, because unlike in my dad’s stories, when he rescues his princess, this guy looks like he wants to kill me with just his stare. And right now, I think he is trying to. I try to pull my arm away from him, but his grip tightens.
    “Ye know who I am, Adeline. I can tell. The way ye look at me. The way yer skin tingles with acknowledgement. Ye were told about me. And now that I have found ye, it’s time ye return home.”
    “Let go of me!” My voice rises, almost in hysterics. No matter how hard I pull, his grip only tightens. I’m starting to get scared. Scratch that. I’m already scared. I turn to beg the bartender for help, just as a fight breaks out in the bar. Two large men are thrown into us, and to avoid the collision, Hot Guy releases my wrist to block us. That’s when I jump off my chair. A full-blown brawl erupts, and I find myself diving to the floor, crawling through the herd of legs to get to the door. Oh God, oh God, oh God. Popping up by the back door, I look around and I see him. He is pushing people left and right. No, he is tossing people to get to me, and he looks pissed.
    Oh shit.
    Hot Guy just went from hunk to hulk.
    I turn, pushing a drunken girl into the wall and run toward the back door. Don’t be locked, don’t be locked, I pray as I slam myself into the lever, and thankfully, pushing the escape door open to the back alley. I waste no time and bolt down the alley to the street. I’ve never been a good runner, but when you add adrenaline to the mix, it’s amazing how fast one will go. Sadly, it seems that is the same with my angry new friend. I exit the alley, take a quick left, and run into the open coffee shop. I run through the back, scaring customers and being yelled at by the employees. I just need another back door to throw him off, and then I’ll backtrack back by the diner. I’ll wait a little bit, and then I need to get home to Dad. He has a lot of explaining to do. That man is not supposed to be real.
    Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me and I just thought I saw the mark. I mean, I did want him to be real my whole childhood when dad told me those stories. He’s not real. That’s my final answer. Out the back door I go, I take a sharp left, slamming into an unexpected huddle of bodies. I bounce off them and slam onto my ass.
    “Damn ese` what do we have here?” a male voice asks, sounding like a big time gangbanger.
    “Fresh meat tonight yo. Dayum!”
    I shake my head and look up to see a group of guys. The fresh scent of pot lingers in the air, and I take notice that they’re smoking a blunt. Wiping off my dirtied jeans, I get to my feet. “Yeah, so sorry about that. You guys sure do make a better door then a window.” What? That