Page 28 of Kindred Lies
Cooper loved her. Hell… He actually was full blown completely head over heels for this girl. How had that even happened in such a short time? It was as if they had always been destined to be together. “All right,” he acquiesced. “You’ve convinced me of the error of my ways. May I have one of them?”
She tossed the wrapped bar at him and he caught it the air. He ripped open the package and took a bite. The granola and chocolate goodness made his taste buds happy. Amethyst opened her granola bar and was eating it. She chewed in silence and stuffed the wrapper into her pocket. Cooper followed her lead and pushed his into his pocket. Once he finished his snack he wished he had another one. He stared at the entrance to the cave and prayed not for the first time the storm passed quickly.
Amethyst came to stand next to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder. He placed his arm on her shoulder pulling her closer to him. Thunder echoed outside and the cavern shook a little from the impact. The storm must be overhead.
“That sounds too close.” Her voice shook as she spoke. “God I hate thunder and lightning. Why couldn’t it have been a light summer rain?”
“I wish I could make it go away,” he said softly and pulled her tightly into his embrace.
Tiny pebbles and dirt fell from overhead sprinkling around them. He wanted to cover her with his entire body to keep her safe. The storm last night had been nothing. They had been safe at the inn. On the island and in this cavern… Anything could happen. Cooper would do whatever he had to in order to keep Amethyst safe. She meant too much to him.
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “I’m being silly.”
“You’re not,” he disagreed. “Storms are dangerous.” He pressed his lips to her temple. “But I promise I’ll keep you safe.” No matter what he’d keep that promise too.
The ground shook beneath them and more thunder rumbled in the distance. The storm seemed to be moving away from them. Cooper held back a sigh of relief not wanting to jinx anything. A flash of something caught his attention. He turned and his mouth fell open. Surely he had to be seeing things.
“What is it?” Amethyst asked and unraveled from his embrace. She glanced behind him and shock filled her face. All the color she had left washed away and left nothing but translucent skin. “It can’t be…”
In the back of the cave an ethereal figure stood with his head held high. He wore a black suit remnant of an age gone by. His white collar was open wide and his tie hung loose around his neck. He had dark hair and eyes as green as Amethyst’s. Cooper had never seen a picture of Easton Hill, but he believed the apparition before them was him. Well, not exactly in the flesh, but there none the same…
