Read Wraith's Awakening (Para-Ops) for Free Online Page A

and male. I glance at Colt, wondering if he'll be jealous. He looks completely indifferent to the fact that A.J. is entertaining.
    “What are we-” I manage, just as the door opens again.
    A man walks into the room.
    He's young.
    He's gorgeous.
    When he passes by me, our gazes meet and I feel a shiver sweep through me. For the first time since waking up, it feels almost like. . . pleasure? Peace?
    But before I can study the feeling too closely, he's past me and walking through the door.
    “Wait-” I murmur.
    “Wait!” A.J. calls from behind me.
    The man turns.
    “C, wait.” A.J. throws herself into the man's arms. He returns her embrace, looking at me over her shoulder, then pulls back.
    “Be careful. I don't trust the Army one bit. . .”
    He chucks her chin. “I'll be saving lives-”
    “Just make sure you save yourself first.”
    He nods. He gives me one final look-there is an odd expression in his eyes, something like curiosity or confusion, but then it's gone-and then he leaves.
    A.J. stands there looking after him before Colt clears his throat.
    She jolts. Glances at us. Then shakes her head as tears fill her eyes. “I hate where this world is going.”
    Colt just shrugs. “That makes both of us.”
    Whirling around, A.J. returns to her room and shuts us out again.
    For a second, I want to go after her friend, but I can't remember why. Or why I'd called out for him to wait in the first place. I wonder what the C stands for. What his name is. But I'm suddenly weary. I want to lie down. Close my eyes. I turn to the vampire.
    “Do you think A.J. would mind if I take a hot shower?”
    “A.J. Annie Jessica.” He snorts and shakes his head. “You've got quite a mind for pop culture. Broadway. Cartoons. And no, I don't think she'll mind. A hot shower won't do much to warm you up, however.”
    I sigh and go in search for the bathroom. “I didn't think otherwise.” But I had. I was tired of being cold. Of being hungry but not being able to satisfy that hunger. I wonder if I have the fighting spirit after all.
    As I pass the kitchen, I catch sight of a butcher-block knife holder. I veer toward it. In a flash, Colt is there, blocking me.
    For someone too weak to teleport, he had moved with inhuman speed.
    Why?
    “I wasn't going to hurt myself,” I say.
    “You couldn't if you tried.”
    “Then why?” Narrowing my eyes, I try to see around him. Had I missed something? Was he trying to hide something behind him?
    But he doesn't budge. “It didn't seem to hurt you when I touched you at first. Then after you tried slicing your wrists with that rock-”
    I suddenly don't care. “I'd like those kitchen shears, please,” I say quietly.
    He studies me for several seconds, reaches behind him, and unerringly pulls out the kitchen shears. He hands them to me, handle first.
    So polite, I think.
    “I try,” he says.
    Nodding, I turn. My steps are slow. Again, weary.
    I want to cry, but no tears form.
    Locking myself in the bathroom strikes me as cowardly but I'm relieved to be alone. I glance down at the tee and shorts that Jonah had given me and wonder where he is. If Candy is with him. If they're alive. My joints feel stiff as I strip, being sure to lock the door first. I know it's a useless precaution. If Colt or even A.J. want to attack me while I'm naked and unaware, I know a flimsy hollow-core door and cheap lock won't stop them. But the soft snick of the lock gives me some sense of comfort. At that moment, it's just me inside the room.
    Who am I? I cry inside.
    I stare at my reflection in the mirror above the sink. The white hair is still a shock to my system. I look old, older than my unlined skin suggests. Suddenly furious, I snatch up the scissors Colt gave me. Soon, strands of hair fall to the worn linoleum floor. I keep going until my hair stands out in short tufts around my head, reminiscent of Billy Idol.
    The lyrics echo through my head.
     
    Hey little sister what have you done? Hey little sister