Read Forest Fire (#2 The Legends of Regia) for Free Online Page B

blood, hybrid! How dare you? You're mine . You've always been mine! You'll always be mine! I own you!"
     
    The instinct to cower, to beg, and apologize pulled at her.
     
    "Who is he?" Leith demanded.
     
    She ignored the question.
     
    Leith laughed humorlessly. "A filthy werewolf, I'll bet. No! No, a human. You ensnared a human with your witchy eyes."
     
    Forest refused to be baited. "Are you ready to die?" she asked calmly.
     
    Leith changed tact. "Forest, I love you! Don't you know that? No one else loves you. No one else could love a Halfling like you. I marked you to put you under my protection. I knew how unkind the world would be to you. I had to shield you. Whomever this person is that you've tricked into being your lover will hate you once they learn the truth about you. He'll leave you. Forget him. Let me loose and we'll reaffirm our love. We'll go back to Regia together. We can go public. I'll let everyone know, I promise. I know you've wanted that."
     
    An unexpected pain sliced through Forest at his words. Had she ever wanted that? She knew clearly there was nothing she wanted now more than to be with Syrus. But what about before she met Syrus? Leith had used the word love many times, usually after inflicting pain. But if he had ever used it and meant it, what would she have done? After everything that happened and everything he had done to her, could she have forgiven him?
     
    She mentally slapped herself. All blinders fell from her eyes and locked on Leith's. There was nothing there to salvage. Her heart had expired long ago where Leith was concerned. It was time to move on. Leith compared to Syrus was like choosing a busted old lemon over a brand new Mercedes AMG.
     
    "There's nothing I want from you, except your death."
     
    The fear of God came into his eyes. "No please, don't kill me, Forest! You're better than me. After everything we've shared—"
     
    "Don't go there!"
     
    "I'm sorry. My methods of love were wrong. I didn't know another way. I had a bad childhood. My father was harsh on me. Forgive me. Please, Forest, I'm sorry."
     
    "It's too late for those words, Leith. They mean nothing to me."
     
    She moved in. Leith began to sob loudly. She wished now she had kept the tape.
     
    She looked around and picked up a tank top from the stuff strewn across the floor and shoved the fabric into Leith's mouth. His eyes bulged, and he let out a muffled scream of pain as Forest jerked his head to the side and laid the silver chain on his neck in exactly the same place her scars began. The stench of his burning flesh filled her nose. She worked slowly, intending to recreate the look of her scars on his skin.
     
    She reached the collar of his shirt, pulled out a pocketknife to cut away the fabric, and then he was gone. Vanished into thin air right under her hands, leaving the chair covered in torn tape. Forest jumped back, her mind tripping. What just happened? No! No! NO!!!
     
    Forest screamed and threw the chair across the room, breaking a lamp. Why? Why was fate so cruel to her?
     
    She focused on her breathing. What was going on in Regia? Something was happening. She picked up the busted chair and put it back where it had been. Tears of fury rolled down her cheeks as she dropped two hundred dollars on the counter to cover the cost of damages and left.
     
    She drove recklessly through Austin with no destination in mind. Zigzagging through traffic, she let the roar of the Demon's engine soothe her. She drove all the way to Huston before turning around and going home.
     
    The lights of the city punched holes in the blue velvet darkness. When Forest pulled into her one-car garage, she was hungry and tired and felt as if she'd been beat up. It hadn't been the very worst day of her life but it definitely made the top five. She had to try to find out what was going on in Regia. Maybe after dinner she'd call Kindel.
     
    She entered her condo, locked the door behind her, hung her bag on the doorknob, and