Read Hell's Gift for Free Online Page B

was, in fact, a nightmare; Murry hadn’t really visited her, but it was Kendra’s intuition or her strong bond with Rhyan that had led her to believe he was no longer with her, hence bringing on a bad dream that flat out told her the truth about where he was. And to Josselyn’s disappointment Kendra believed it and was demanding answers.
    And Josselyn could tell the girl wasn’t going to give up until Rhyan or someone answered her cries. She had been jumpy and paranoid all morning, looking over her shoulder at every little noise, never getting more than arm’s reach from Benjamin.
    Josselyn was seriously beginning to worry the girl would throw herself into a heart attack. But then she would be unconscious and not shouting in her head for Rhyan to answer her, so…
    Josselyn shook her head, ashamed by her thoughts. She was surprised she could even hear her own thoughts over Kendra’s mental racket.
    Kendra deserved answers. Anyone that had seen what she’d been forced to see merited some sort of response to her pleas. Kendra already knew about guardians, so she didn’t see the problem in contacting her.
    Still, as yet, the request to have a meeting with her new charge had been denied by the guardians. They didn’t see how telling Kendra would help the situation; they feared it would only upset her further.
    She allowed her thoughts to drift to Rhyan, and painfully wondered what he must be going through at that moment. A tear escaped her eye; must have been the hundredth one she’d cried for him, and she was certain there would be many more.
    She knew the knock would come before Malcolm even tapped on the door. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone? None of this was his problem. She huffed, then growled out her frustration with a simple word, “What?”
    “I have an idea,” he said.

Chapter 7
    Rhyan
    The visibility was only at about 5% as I glanced out from under the bridge Pogo had led us to. I couldn’t see three feet past the bridge’s opening because of the thick acid-ash that fell like huge flakes in a snow storm. The gray sky had darkened like night had fallen. I wasn’t quite sure why that had happened. I mean, it wasn’t like Hell was a planet that revolved around a Sun. The environment confused me immensely. I had a lot to learn about my new home.
    I could feel a slight burn in my lungs every time I was forced to take in a breath. There was no way to get away from the acid ash from what I’d noticed of my surroundings, and the stuff was floating in the air. Even the small huts in the village we’d walked through after I found my door had holes in the walls big enough a small animal or large rodent could climb through easily enough.
    Our little cranny under the bridge appeared inhabited. And with the way Pogo had made himself at home with the few necessities a homeless person would have acquired, I’d come to the conclusion it was his home. No doors, no privacy; I choked back the urge to ask him how he could possibly live like that. It wasn’t any of my business how he preferred to live. I knew I wasn’t going to.
    It was definitely Hell, but there had to be a way to live better. The demon woman that had kindly deposited my assets on the ground for me, seemed to be getting along better than any of the others I’d come across. I was almost positive Pogo didn’t have a black satin Grim Reaper’s cape stashed away in the trash he was using as a makeshift bed.
    I glanced over at my temporary roommate, snuggled deep in a tattered sleeping bag that looked to be made of the acid resistant material. “You sleep here?”
    One eye opened lazily and he responded, “It appears that way, doesn’t it? I’d share, but the space is limited. You will have to make do with the ground until you can collect enough stuffing to make your own.”
    I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying hard to fight off what I was sure humans called a migraine. “No, what I meant was I