Read Hollowed for Free Online

"If you will be staying with us, I'll see about getting you a room first thing in the morning."
    My hand flits to my pocket. "A room, uh, I don't..."
    He holds up a hand. "Don't concern yourself with the cost."
    I nod once, silent, sinking down in my seat. Maybe I should insist on sleeping on the floor or something, rather than put him out of the cost of an additional room, but I'm still not keen on the idea of letting my guard completely down.
    "A cell phone, as well," Cole says thoughtfully, taking a seat again.
    " I have a phone, but the screen is broken..."
    " Probably for the best. At this point, I feel it is imperative you discard your current phone in favor of something new." He props his elbows on the table, fingers steepled together. "Were you to make or receive any calls, law enforcement would be capable of tracking your approximate whereabouts."
    I hadn't thought about that, but I know from numerous crime documentar ies that he's probably right. But get rid of it? No. All my numbers are on that phone. Maybe I can't access them with the screen broken, but it ought to be on the SIM card.
    Before I can ask him if there's anything else I need to worry about, the door beeps and swings open.
    Oliver ' s presence washes over me and makes my skin prickle. Heavier than Cole's. Colder. Not a threat to me, no, but if I were a human and felt this way, I'd probably cross the street to avoid him.
    Cole doesn't seem bothered in the least. He smiles. "I ' m afraid I don ' t have any more to give you, but Oliver can take you out later. I imagine you're still hungry."
    Oliver shoves his hands into his pockets, studying me with a lopsided I told you so smile and a smug glint in his gold eyes . He never once doubted I ' d come crawling to their doorstep, did he? Going out with him is so not my idea of a good time.
    I grit my teeth and force a smile. " Goody. "
    Suck it up, self. If I'm going to be spending any length of time with these guys, Mr. Grumpy-face and I need to learn to get along.
     
     

 
08 . Tuesday – 4 :48pm
     
     
    Oliver ' s bed is a piece of heaven, each pillow a tiny cloud I can bury my face into and sleep like a baby, chasing away any dreams of Sherry and Noah . Judging by his grumbling as he marched off to Cole ' s room last night, I ' m guessing the couch in there isn't nearly as comfortable.
    When Oliver kicks the edge of the bed to wake me up, the room is awash with sunlight. It makes my eyes hurt.
    " Get up. It ' s almost five . "
    I could sleep forever. Feels like all I ' ve been doing since this started is sleep. " Why? " Muffled, thanks to the pillow I pull over my head. " We can ' t go out yet anyway. "
    There ' s a long enough pause that I think — hope — Oliver is going to leave me alone . Obviously too much to wish for. He wrenches the pillow away. " Oh, right. Because the sun... the whole turning to ash thing. "
    I grunt in response but otherwise ignore him. Even though I ' ve always been a night-owl, I don ' t feel like being reminded I can ' t go out during the day anymore.
    In one swift movement, Oliver yanks the blankets off me. He ' s damned lucky I had the foresight to pack pajamas, ‘cause at home I would have been sleeping nearly naked. I suck in a breath, reflexively curling into a tight little ball. He catches one of my ankles, effortlessly dragging me off of the bed while I claw desperately at the sheets.
    " What the hell are you doing?! "
    " Something I should ' ve done earlier. "
    Despite my thrashing, he handles me like I ' m nothing. I ' m picked up by my waist and carried for the double doors leading out to the balcony. It ' s not until he opens on e of the doors that I realize he ' s going to throw me into the sunlight.
    I shriek , hoping Cole will hear from the adjoining room, beating my fists against Oliver ' s chest to try to get free. He sets me down, spins me around before I can so much as blink, and shoves me outside and shuts the door. I wait for it— the burning