A part of me knew it was
only a matter of time before someone came looking for me. So, when the knock
came at my door, it shouldn't have been a surprise.
I'd heard the movement
outside, first. I hadn't heard a vehicle pull down the drive, so I put the
sound off as merely an animal. The tingling sensation at the base of my skull
let me know otherwise. I knew it wasn't Marshall. Even with the wall up, I
could still feel his distance. The sensation differed from the one I could
remember of Innocence—when I'd finally realized what I'd felt was her presence,
all that time before.
I had a hundred thoughts fly
through my mind. One being to open the bond to Marshall and show him my
distress, but I quickly squashed the thought.
Should I run? Should I
fight? Should I give myself over willingly? How far would I get if I fled? Is
it an Inborn, the originals of vampire kind? Or a Wraith, the hunters and
executioners? Another Halfborn like Innocence and I? What did they have planned
for me? I've slaughtered nearly a hundred people since returning home, most of
them known and open cases, would that be a death sentence? Even if it wasn't,
would they find out what I was? The unnatural child that was supposedly killed
years prior?
I listened closer. The
footsteps approached, and I could almost picture the person nearing my front
porch steps. I could tell it was one person. They were alone, and I wondered,
if they were sent to take me out, why there weren't more?
I heard the first foot make
contact with the steps. I went to the window, unlatched it, and worked to
wiggle it free. It squealed in protest. The person approaching my door stopped.
“Well, that's just awesome,”
I said under my breath. “Man up, Coral. You've brought this on yourself.”
Several moments went by
before my uninvited guest began to move towards the door again. I listened as
they came closer, and I decided to walk to the door to greet them. Albeit, I
tiptoed, trying not to make a sound on my way out of my bedroom and down the
hall to the living room. It completely slipped my mind, until it was too late,
that if this Born was any good with their senses, they'd know I was getting
closer to them even if I didn't make a sound. That knowledge entered my thought
process right before I stopped in front of the door.
I briefly wondered why they
hadn't knocked. Then I heard a muffled noise coming through the door. It
sounded like they were whispering, but I couldn't tell what they were saying
because the language was unfamiliar to me and unlike anything I’d ever heard
before. What I could tell, though, was my visitor was male.
I stood and waited. I
thought about opening the door with a straight-forwardness, demanding what the
guy wanted, but the fear that my demise may very well be on the other side of
that door kept me from doing that.
Five minutes passed. Then
ten. I turned to go to the sofa and sit at fifteen minutes, and that's when the
knock rang throughout the living room. I jumped, nearly leaving my skin on the
floor if that was at all possible.
I froze for what
seemed like an eternity, gathering myself and steadying my heart. I wondered if
I still had time to flee, but instead, I drew in a deep breath and released it
in a calming fashion. Then I repeated the process until the muscles relaxed in
my shoulders.
Finally, I turned back to the door and gripped the handle,
turning it as slowly as possible. I pulled the door open, and my eyes fell on
the man in front of me.
*This is from the upcoming 'Halfborn' sequel 'Wraith'. Excerpt is unedited.
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