Golden Blood (27 page)

“Yes you are. You’re the only one left.”

His intense gaze had her stepping back. She
felt the salt water lick around her ankles, but couldn’t tear her
eyes away from him. Who was this man? And how did he know about the
electus, the original pure ones
? Fear coiled in her stomach
as she waited for the sense of danger to swamp her, but she
couldn’t reach past a quiet caution. There was something so calm
about him and she found it attractive.

She resisted his pull and stepped further
into the water. Her mind ran with distant thoughts of stranger
danger and she urged them to the forefront.

Her parents’ horror stories of their kind
being harmed by people just like this, fired through her brain.

“Leave me alone.” She managed to say the
line, feeling a small sense of relief as she built a wall between
them. “Stay away from me.”

The water swallowed her feet as she raised
her hands and backed away.

A flash of deep sorrow lit across his face,
but it was so fleeting Gemma wasn’t sure if she had seen it or
not.

“I haven’t come here to hurt you.” He raised
his palms in a gesture of peace. “But it’s time you knew the truth.
Bad things are brewing and if you want to survive them, you’re
going to need to be prepared.”

Reaching into his pocket, he extracted a
small flip phone. Her heart was thumping like a boom box as she
caught the phone with shaking fingers.

“Mine’s the only number on there. Try not to
use it in front of an audience.”

His easy manner was calming enough to make
her nod, but she could feel the slow pulse of shock beginning to
thread into her system. The idea of a carefree summer crumbled to
dust as she struggled to keep her legs from buckling.

“I’ll be waiting for your call.”

His eyes caressed her face before turning and
walking up the beach, his feet negotiating the lumpy sand as if it
were flat glass.

#####

Acknowledgements

I have so much support from family and
friends that pursuing my dream is made easier. I want to
specifically thank a few key people who have helped me get through
this project.

Brenda - thanks for making me start writing
in the first place and for all your technical support, you're a
wiz. Pete - thanks for listening to all my doubts and constant
dribbles as I worked and fretted. Mark - thanks for encouraging me
and giving me the idea to self-publish.
Amanda
- thanks for
the stunning book cover. Louise - thanks for the proofing, what
would I do without you? You guys are all amazing.

About Melissa Pearl

Melissa Pearl lives in Auckland, New Zealand with her
husband and two sons. She trained as an elementary school teacher.
She has always had a passion for writing and finally completed her
first manuscript in 2003. She has been writing ever since and the
more she learns, the more she loves it. Keep an eye out for future
projects.

Connect with Melissa Pearl

You can contact Melissa Pearl online:

Blog:
melissapearl.blogspot.com

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Melissa-Pearl/230335437021600

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MelissaPearlG

Smashwords:
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/melissapearl

Other Books by Melissa
Pearl

Black Blood (Book 2 of Time Spirit Trilogy)

December 2011

Pure Blood (Book 3 of Time Spirit Trilogy)

February 2012