Read Broken Shadows for Free Online Page B

starting over was supposed to look like.
    I finally fell asleep with memories of my family still crowded in my head. I shouldn’t have been surprised when I had the dream again.
    It always started with silence. When you could hear people’s thoughts, the world was never silent. I suppose that was why so many of us liked to go camping or hunting—it was the only way to easily get away from stray thoughts. Total quiet was something you had to work for, so in the dream, when the silence hit, I panicked. After the silence came the pressure of the mud on my chest. It oozed its way into my ears and nose and mouth. I couldn’t breathe. I tried to scream, but it just went deeper while slick, many-legged things crawled over my skin. I tried to thrash, but the weight of the mud had me paralyzed. Someone laughed as the rotting wood of the shack crumbled around me, pressing me deeper into the earth. The insects worked their way into my ears, my mouth...
    “Mina!”
    I came out of it in a rush. The soft, cream-colored comforter was on the floor, and the sheets were twisted around my legs. Jackson was holding my wrists, and I’d clearly been trying to hit him. Actually, judging from the marks on his chest, I’d succeeded.
    There was a moment where I believed it wasn’t real. The empty place where Jackson’s thoughts should’ve been reminded me. My arms went slack.
    “You’re okay, now.” Jackson released my wrists and put his hands on my shoulders and kneaded. “It was just a dream.”
    He’d clearly been dragged out of a dead sleep. He was still in his plaid pajama pants, shirtless, his hair sticking up. I shook my head and tried to push him away, embarrassed, but he wouldn’t let go.
    “I’m sorry. It was just a nightmare. I’m sorry I woke you up.”
    “Don’t worry about it. Was it a flashback?”
    “No—I’m fine.” I extricated myself from his grip, curled my knees up to my chest and piled the blanket on top of them as if I were cold. The panic of the dream was still with me, even stronger than it had been in my sleep. Jackson leaned forward and laid the back of his hand on my cheek. Light from the living room illuminated the plane of his cheekbone and the rasp of stubble on his jaw.
    “You’re burning up.” He leaned back, resting on his heels on the bed. I’d been right about the muscles I’d felt under his dress shirt. Even in the low light, I could see the definition in his abs, the way the muscles disappeared into his drawstring pajama pants. His biceps were bigger than any architect had a right to. I realized I was staring and closed my eyes.
    “I’m fine,” I said. The reason I was overheated had nothing to do with a fever.
    “Right.” Jackson sounded uncertain. God, I hoped he hadn’t been in my thoughts. Who was I kidding? Of course he’d been in my thoughts. Fuck. He was probably reading them right now. Fuck fuck fuck.
    “I’ll just...go, then.”
    I opened my eyes. “I just want to get back to sleep. I’m really sorry.” For lots of things.
    “Well...I’m right here if you need me.”
    I nodded without looking at him, and he finally left, shutting the door silently behind him. I let out the breath I’d been holding. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d known just how not fine I was.

Chapter Four
    I woke up embarrassed.
    It was morning. The shower was running, and the red-lighted alarm clock on the bedside table said it was 7:00 a.m. I groaned and debated the possibility of pretending I was still asleep until he left for work. Unfortunately, I had to pee. I waited as long as I could, but the situation was getting critical. I pulled on a robe and went out.
    The bathroom door was closed, but I didn’t hear the shower running. I took a step closer, hopeful.
    The door opened and Jackson came out, a dark blue towel wrapped around his trim waist. I yelped and skittered back, flattening myself against the wall. He gave me a sheepish look.
    “Sorry. Forgot my