Read Impulse for Free Online Page B

next room, and yet I felt further away from him now than when we’d been oceans apart.

    Perhaps hours later, I opened my eyes to the dim glow of the light-crystal lamps on the bedside tables. With a clear, drug-free head, I scrambled out of bed and approached the main door to my room. Maybe I’d catch Anne in the corridors on her rounds. From the day I met her, when she brought in my first meal during captivity, I had instinctively known she was going to be someone I could trust. It would be so good to see her again. I hadn’t even gotten the chance to say goodbye in my rushed exit last year.
    The heavy wooden doors creaked and groaned when I pushed against them, the sound echoing down the vast hallway. A draft of cool air tickled the sweat-dampened tendrils of hair that had stuck to my neck.
    Someone coughed and I froze. A huge, muscled guard sat in a chair right in front of Marko’s double doors. He raised his head and fluttered sleepy eyes at me before suddenly leaping to his feet, daggers in each hand.
    I nearly screamed, but recognised him before I did.
    â€˜Jordon,’ I whispered, before swearing beneath my breath. ‘You scared the hell out of me.’ He was dolphin-loving Henrietta’s brother. A guard I could trust. I felt immediately better about Marko’s safety now that I knew Jordon was looking out for him.
    â€˜What’s wrong?’ he nearly shouted. ‘Is it Marko?’
    â€˜Shhh. No. He’s gone to bed, I think.’ We locked eyes and I grinned at the way his blond hair stuck up in different directions. ‘Nice to see you again.’
    He scowled at me. ‘You got me into big trouble the last time I saw you, running off into the city like that, on my watch.’
    â€˜Oh. Sorry.’ I stared at the ground, at my bare feet, which were freezing on the smooth, stone floor. Jordon seemedgrumpier than I’d remembered. I turned to retreat to my room when I heard a low rumble of laughter. Henrietta’s brother was grinning at me, his light-blue eyes sparkling with humour.
    â€˜I’m just messing with you, Miranda. It’s good to see you again.’ He bent forward and sheathed the two daggers on the inside of his long, black boots, the muscles in his arms flexing as he did so. ‘I’m not sure I can forgive you for stealing what should have been my room, though. I have to share with Jonathan and one of the older guards, and they both snore. There are only two beds in our room so I have to sleep on the floor.’
    I shrugged, unsure what to say, but then he grinned, revealing straight white teeth.
    â€˜No, seriously, Marko kept this room for you since the day you left. Nobody has touched it. And I wouldn’t know if Jonathan or Brent snore because we each take turns guarding Marko as well as the castle entrance, so there’s only one of us sleeping in the room at a time.’ He winked.
    Shaking my head, I finally smiled. He was such a dork.
    A door closed somewhere far off in the castle and Jordon immediately straightened his spine then nodded his head. ‘That’s just Sylvia turning in for the night. You develop a keen sense of hearing when you spend most of your time in silence.’
    â€˜That’s good to know,’ I said, reassured by his heightened senses, before realising that it wasn’t actually good to know this. I didn’t exactly want him listening to my every move or eavesdropping on my and Marko’s conversations. He must have realised what I was thinking, because his cheeks coloured a little and he laughed.
    â€˜I don’t hear everything; just the important sounds. Everything else gets filtered out. I’m here to protectMarko—and you—that’s all.’ The chair scraped against the stone floor as he sat down.
    I nodded and gnawed on my bottom lip.
    â€˜So…does Marko have many enemies?’ I asked hesitantly. A sudden cold draft sent goosebumps up my legs and