Page 26 of Grave Revelations

“Hey. Get out!”

“You called me.”

“No I didn’t.”

“I felt you.”

She arched a brow. “I’m naked. Get out.”

He grinned. “You’ve seen me naked plenty of times.”

Rebecca’s cheeks flamed. “Not on purpose. You parade around with nothing on.” She glanced down at the pink, too-thin fabric stretched over his muscled thighs as if to make her point.

“Does my nudity offend you?” His question sounded genuine.

“I’m not offended, but it’s not normal.”

He gave her a skeptical look. “Finish your bath.” He disappeared, leaving her alone in the bathtub.

When she’d scrubbed every bit of dirt from her nails and scalp and washed her hair twice, she reached for her towel, stepped out, and wrapped the soft, fluffy fabric around her frame. She was growing thinner. All the weight she’d gained was gone.

She grabbed a hand towel, wiped the fog from the mirror, and stared at the dark circles under her eyes, the lines along her gaunt cheeks. She’d aged this week. Her normally bright, sparkling eyes were dull, the turquoise starburst pattern at the center dim.

The door to the room swung open, and she spun, afraid it would be housekeeping coming to prepare the room for its next guests. Her eyes fell on a nearly seven-foot-tall man dressed head to toe in white, and her mouth dropped open.

“Gabriel?”

Chapter 16

Sophia

Sophia stumbled back, landing on her butt, and stared up at the woman whose gold eyes were like twin flames flickering in the murky light.

“Who are you?”

The woman glanced down and to her left. Sophia saw her then, the small pale-haired girl she’d seen each day upon arriving, peeking around the woman’s long crimson robes. Elizabeth stepped out from behind her robes and slid her small hand into the woman’s.

“Elizabeth. Who is your friend?” Sophia asked.

Elizabeth turned large round eyes to the woman grasping her hand. “She saved me. She’s like me.”

Sophia glanced between them. They shared no familial resemblance. Where Elizabeth had pale skin with paler hair and bright blue eyes, this woman was tanned, like Sophia, with feline features, hair the color of blood, and the most striking otherworldly golden eyes she’d ever seen.

In some ways, they were like Simon’s, but his yellow eyes were dim by comparison. They stood out, vibrant and alive in a place where everything was drained of color.

Sophia stretched her hand out. “Come here, Elizabeth.” The girl darted nervous glances between the two women, and Sophia was struck once more with thethought that this child couldn’t possibly be the creature who’d ended her life. “Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you. Come sit beside me.”

Elizabeth searched the woman's face, and when she dipped her head, Elizabeth let go and crossed the space to hold Sophia’s outstretched hand. Sophia stood, backing up slowly.

Something about that inhuman dip of her head reminded her of the way the witches in her coven communicated—a nonverbal conversation between members. She continued backing up, and the woman made no move to follow.

When Sophia’s shoulder bumped the mouth of the cave, she looked down at Elizabeth. “I want you to run, okay?” She released Elizabeth’s hand and gave her a little shove into the cave.

The woman laughed. It was musical, reverberating through Sophia’s very soul.

“Elizabeth’s not going anywhere, and neither are you, Sophia. I have a job for you.”

Sophia tensed, preparing to run, but her muscles were frozen, locking her in place. The woman sashayed closer, taking her time. Sophia called for her gift, reaching for the black water sloshing in the river she’d left that morning.

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