An Authorized Excerpt
“Has Drizzle become
the nervous type?” Drayco asked.
“No. He’s the most
rock steady creature I’ve ever met.”
“Well, something
sure has him jumpy. I don’t ever remember seeing him this
edgy before.”
Shyanne looked
inside toward the big cat. “You’re right, something sure has
him uptight. I wonde…”
A strange noise
started coming from the area near the entrance of the
building, a sort of rustling sound. The mercenaries missed
it, at first. Finally, one of the men close to the front
heard it. He walked over and looked around, attempting to
locate the source of the sound. It seemed to be coming from
overhead, in the ceiling.
“What’s that?” he
asked, trying to see into the dark holes above.
Ruben straightened
up. He was looking at Drizzle, not the man speaking. The cat
was going wild, struggling against his bonds with all his
might. His mouth was tied shut, leaving him unable to bite
at the restraints that held him. He yowled in frustration.
Joseph watched the struggling cat, as well.
A bad feeling
settled in the pit of his stomach. The odor had reminded him
of something from the past. Unfortunately, he still could
not put a finger on what it was.
The rustling sound
grew louder, as if many, many things were brushing against
each other. Men and women around the room stopped what they
were doing to look first at the cat, then at the man near
the front.
The man standing
under the holes shouted, “Someone bring a light over here. I
want to see what’s up there.” He had his arm extended toward
the fire.
Drayco glanced at
his sister. He could tell from the look on her face that she
was uneasy. He understood; he knew he was wearing the same
look. He turned his attention back to what was happening
inside just as someone got up with a torch. It was the same
woman who had argued on the porch earlier. The blood still
dotted her clothes.
Lela was by the
reaching man’s side when Ruben finally remembered what
caused the disturbing smell.
“No! Wait! Get away
from there. NOW!” He started to move toward the pair. It was
too late.
