Contents
Cover
FRACTURED
Copyright
MorebyALN
Dedication
Prologue
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
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29
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31
32
33
34
35
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37
38
Epilogue
ConnectwithALN
NextintheSeries
TemptedbyEvil
AbouttheAuthor
Acknowledgments
FRACTURED
By
AmberLynnNatusch
FRACTUREDVersion1.0
Copyright©2013AmberLynnNatuschAllrightsreserved.
Thisbookoranyportionthereofmaynotbereproducedorusedinanymannerwhatsoever withouttheexpresswrittenpermissionofthepublisherexceptfortheuseofbriefquotationsin abookreview.
ISBN-13:978-0-9891023-1-5
Thisbookisaworkoffiction.Names,characters,organizations,businesses,places,eventsand incidentseitheraretheproductoftheauthor'simaginationorareusedfictitiously.Any resemblancetoactualpersons,livingordead,oractualeventsisentirelycoincidental.
PublishedbyAmberLynnNatuschCoverDesignbyJamieRosen EditingbyJenniferRyan
www.amberlynnnatusch.com
MorebyAmberLynnNatusch
TheCagedSeries
CAGED
HAUNTED
FRAMED
SCARRED
FRACTURED
Novella1
STRAYED
Novella2
BETRAYED
TheUNBORNSeries
Comingin2013
UNBORN
TheLightandShadowTrilogyByShannonMortonandAmberLynnNatusch TemptedByEvil
MoreIncludingReleaseDates:amberlynnnatusch.com
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Tweetyourthoughtsthroughthebook
Tomyhusband,
whomendsallthatisbroken,rightsallthatiswrong,andlovesallthatis unlovable.
Prologue
Silence...
Itsurroundedme,permeatingtheairwhileitclungtothetrees.I felthemmedinbyit,claustrophobic.Thesunwasfallingjustbelowthe canopyofautumnleavesfarabovemyhead,creatinganeerieglowof fierycrimsonandgold.IsatconfusedasIstaredupattheceilingof foliage.Thetreeshadn'tstartedtochange,notthatIremembered.
Aflashofmemoryjarredmetomyfeet:myfear,Scarlet'spassion, Sean'sanger,Matty'sdeath.Iwassuffocatedbyit,relivingthemoment whenScarletshovedmedown,downsodeepinsidemyselfthatI drownedinthedarknessofmysoul,tuckedaway.Nevertobeletout.
Nevertobefoundagain.Shetoldmethisherself,toldmeIwouldpay.
Ihadlivedinastateofblacksuspensionfromthatmomenton.No senseoftimeorplaceorexistence,lostinaperpetualtunnelofnight.
Therewasnoescape.Scarlethadwarnedmeseveraltimesthatshewasn't tobetrifledwith,thatherretributionwouldbeepic.Aliarshewasnot.
Sowhyhadshesuddenlyletmeout?Whyleavemestrandedinthe woods,naked,lefttotheelements,helpless?Becausesheknewitwould bringbackthepersonalhellI'doncelivedthrough,whenmyparentswere murderedandIChanged,mywerewolfsideemerging.Outofallmy nightmares,itwastheonlyonethatIhadonarecurringbasis.She wantedmetoliveitagain.
Asifoncue,threedarkenedfiguresslowlywoundtheirway towardsme,weavingthroughthetreessofluidlythattheynearlylulled meintoatrance.Nearly.
MyfightorflightresponsekickedinwhenIheardthescreamsthat wererippedfrommyparents'throatsthatfatefulnightechothroughmy brain.Itookoffinaflat-outsprintintheoppositedirectionoftheir approach.Myskinstungasthethickunderbrushbitmerepeatedly,but thepainmotivatedme.
Iheardtherhythmiccadenceoftheirrunninggettinglouderand louderbehindme,butIdidn'tdarelook.Irecognizedthesound.They weren'thuman.Iwas.
Knowingthatmyattempttoescapewasfutile,Ipanicked,hoping thatScarlet,angrythoughshewas,wouldcometomyaidasshealways hadinthepast.Ifnotforme,thenatleasttosaveherself.Shehada reliablesenseofself-interestandanundyingcommitmenttostaying alive.Iscreamedather,bothinsideandaloud,searchingthroughmy mindforher,desperatelyseekingmyotherhalf.
Thehitfrombehindmedrovemefacefirstintoafallentree.The painwasimmediateandfierce.Asmyvisionnarrowedanddarkened,I hadaverysoberingrealization.
Scarletwasgone.
1
Istaredblanklyattheintercominfrontofme,afraidtoringit.Ishould havewantedtorunstraightintomyhomeandresumemylife,butI didn't.Instead,IwanderedthestreetsofPortsmouth,NewHampshire aimlessly,soakinginthefinalfewraysofsunlightthatduskwaswilling toaffordmeuntilIfoundmyselfstandingoutsideSean'sbuilding.It seemedIcouldn'tbringmyselftoringthatbuzzereither.
Istillwasn'tsurehowlongI'dbeengone,andIwasevenlesssure abouthowwarmthereceptionwasgoingtobefromthosewhowerehurt bymyabsence,especiallySean.He'dnearlydiedbecauseofme―orat leastI thoughthehadnearlydied.Thejurywasstilloutonhiswhole invincibilityschtick.Cooperwouldhaveonlybeeninformedaboutwhat hadreallyhappenedifSeanfeltitwasnecessaryinordertofindme,and thatwasabig“if”consideringhemaynothave wantedtofindmeatall.
ThatleftCoopercompletelyinthedarkastomydisappearance,andI knewhowmadthatwoulddrivehim.
Deepdown,Ididn'twanttobelievethatSeanwouldhavewithheld thatinformation,butIjustwasn'tcertain.Ialsowasn'tconvincedthat Seandidn'twanttofindme;itwaswhathe'ddotomewhenhedidthat hadmeworried.Mygutsaidhewouldn'tharmme,butmyguthadbeen provenwrongbefore.IhopedIwasn'thavingarelapseofthatbehavior.
Withasigh,Ifocusedmyattentionbackonthebuzzerbesidethe frontentrancetothebuilding.Inmymind,Irepeatedthephrase justlift yourfingerandpressitoverandoveragain . ButIcouldn't.Iwasn'tready forwhateverdramaticscenethatwassuretofollow.
Instead,Iwalkedawayasthedarknessofnightbegantosettlein, andcutbackthroughtowntomyplace.AllIwantedtodowasslinkinto myapartmentunannounced,crawlintomybed,andsleepfordays, withouthavingtoexplainmyselftoanyone.NotthatIcould,evenifI hadwantedto.
Afterachillywalkhomeinthecrispfallair,Iarrivedhomeand reachedmyarmoutforthedoorhandle.Iknewitwouldbelocked,butI justhadtocheck.Muchtomysurpriseandextremedelight,itwasn't lockedatall.Cooperhadapparentlypickedupthesameabsentminded habitthatI'dhadofforgettingtolockthedooronceitclosed.Ormaybe he'djustleftitopeninthehopethatI'dwanderintotheapartmentone day.Eitherway,Iwasgoingtofindout.
Icreptupthestairsslowly,tryingtodetectwhetherhewashome.I sawnolightsfromthestreet,butthatdidn'ttellmeawholelotsinceonly mybedroomfacedoutontotheroad.Ifmydoorwasclosed,nolight fromtherestofthehousewouldbeseen.
OnceIreachedthelanding,I putmyeartothedoor,lookingdownatthefloor.Stillnolight,and definitelynosound.
Anxiously,Itriedtheknob,whichtoowasunlocked.Ifrozefora moment,wonderingifsomethingwaswrong.Itwassuchaknee-jerk reflextoassumetheworst,thoughmyhistorywarrantedthatbehavior.
Withadeep,cleansingbreath,Iquicklytalkedmyselfdownoffofthat ledge,remindingmyselfthatallknownthreatshadbeeneliminated beforeScarlethadrunoff.Feelingmoreateaseaboutanypressing danger,Ipushedthedooropenintoadarkenedlivingroomandmademy wayquietlytothekitchen.
Thefridgewasfullofleftovers;Cooperhadclearlybeenhome.He alwayscookedasifhewasfeedingtwelve,butheusuallyatetwo-thirds ofithimself.Igrabbedabowlofnoodlescoveredinsauceandstartedto inhaleit,shovingfistfulsatatimeintomymouthwithmybare―and questionablyclean―hands.Itwasn'tuntilIsawthecontentsofthefridge thatI’drealizedhowhungryIactuallywas.
WhendidIeatlast?Wasshetryingtostarvemetodeath?
Istoodup,closingthedoorasIsteppedbackoutoftheway.WhenI turnedaround,Islammedintoaverymuscledandextremelytense Cooper.Thecontainerofnoodlescrashedtothefloor.
Myeyesslowlyworkedtheirwayuptomeethis.Hishandswere balledintofistsathissides.Hischestpumped,risingandfallingat breakneckspeed.Hiseyesglowedadangerousyellow.Hewascloseto Changing,hiswolftryingtotakeover.Mytearswelledandspilledover, butImadenoattempttowipethemaway.Ikeptmygazefixedonhis.
“Cooper,I—”
“Threeweeks,”hegrowled,eyesstillblazing.
“What?”Iblurtedinvoluntarily,totallyconfused.
“You'vebeengoneforthreeweeksandyoujustwaltzinherelike everythingisnormal?”HeinchedtowardsmeandIbackedawayfromhis anger.
“Threeweeks!”Iexclaimed.“Howisthatpossible?”
“Isearchednightanddayforyou,”hecontinued,completely ignoringme.“Ididn'tsleep.Ifoundyourcar,yourphone,yourclothes...”
“I'msorry,Coop—”
“Butnotyou,”hesaid,soundingsuddenlymournful.“Neveryou.”
Ireachedforwardtotouchhim,butdroppedmyhandimmediately.
Hisragewaspalpable,andIdidn'twanttostokethatfireanyfurther.
“Ididn'tknow,”Iprotestedsoftly.“I stilldon'tknowwhat happened.”
Idroppedmyeyestothefloor.Seanhadn'ttoldhimabouttheattack orScarlet'sinvolvementinit.Itseemedcruel,evenforSean,toleave Coopersofaroutoftheloop.
IrackedmybrainforanythingIcouldpossiblysaytosmooththings overabitwithCooper.Haditbeenuptome,Ineverwouldhaveleft withoutfillinghimin,butithadn'tbeenmychoice.Scarletdidwhatshe didagainstmywill,leavingmewithamesstocleanup.Ihatedknowing howdistraughtIhadmadeCooperwithmydisappearance.Nothingfelt rightwhenhewasangrywithme.
Andhewaspissed.
JustasIopenedmymouthtooffersomeplacatingremark,he snatchedmeintohisarmsandhuggedmeviolently.Arushofemotions emanatedfromhim,reliefbeingtheprimary―angerandlovewereright behind.AshappyasIwastoknowthatmyempathabilitiesfrom childhoodstillremainedintacteventhoughScarletwasmissing,Iwould havepreferredamuchmorepleasantwaytotestthewaters.
Asquicklyashe'dtakenmein,heletmeloose,turningonhisheels towalkawayandgrabhisphoneoffthekitchenisland.Heroundedthe cornertothehall,dialingashewent.Oncemyheadstoppedspinningand myvisionsorteditselfout,Ifollowedbehind,mute,stillunableto formulateadefenseofanykind.Ididn'tthinkclaimingheadtraumawas goingtohelpmycaseforverylong.
“She'sback,”hesaidgruffly.“Nope.Abouttenminutesago.”He pausedforamoment.Itriedtohearthewordsthatwerebeingshoutedat Cooper,butIcouldn'tmakethemout.Theownerofthevoice,however,I could.
“Shesaysshehasnoclue...well,Ithinkit'sveryinterestingtoo,”he said,drumminghisfingersalongthewall,hisbackstilltome.“She's skinandbones,butshedoesn'tlookinjured,ifthat'swhatyoumean.
She'srighthereifyouwantto—”
Hepulledthephonefromhisearandhungup.Thelinehadgone deadbeforehe’devenfinishedhissentence.Aknotimmediatelyformed inmystomach,twistingtighterandtighterwitheverypassingsecond.
“Seandoesn'twanttotalktome,doeshe?”Iaskedsheepishly.
Cooperturnedtofacemeslowly.
“No,hedoesn't,”hesaidwithapause.“AndI'mnotentirelysure thatI'mreadytoeither.”
Heatleasthadthedecencytolookremotelypainedwhilesharing hissentiment,hiseyesreturningtotheirhuman,hazelcolor.Amoment later,thedoortohisroomslammedshut,announcingtheofficialendto myhomecoming.Ihadn'tthoughtthatmuchabouthowI'dbereceived uponmyarrival,butIwouldneverhaveguessedthathostilityandthe coldshoulderwouldbetheoptionsofchoice.
Embarrassed,Ischleppedmywaytomyroomandquietlyclosed thedoor.Iturnedonthesmalllampjustinside,shyingawayfrom brightnessitemanated;myeyeswerehavingahardtimeadaptingtothe light.Threeweeksofvirtualdarknessseemedtohavereal-lifelasting effects.
Imademywayovertothebaywindowthatfacedthedowntown streetsofPortsmouthandlookedoutoverthem.Sinceitalsofacedthe apartmentoftheoneIwantedtotalktomost,Iquicklylocatedthegrand windowsonthetopfloorofSean'sbuilding.Itwasonlytwostreetsover frommine,andthoughdimlylit,therewasjustenoughlighttooutlinea figurehovering.Afigurethatimmediatelyturnedandwalkedaway.
Darknessfellonhisapartmentonlymomentsafter.Hehadrefusedto speaktomeonlymomentsearlier.Iguesshedidn'twanttoseemeeither.
Mystomachlurchedathisactions,butIcouldn'tanalyzethe situationanyfurther.Iwasthoroughlyexhausted,andallIwantedtodo wasclimbintomybedandsleepuntilthesunwokeme.Strippingoffthe clothesgiventomebymyrescuers,Ithrewtheminthetrash.Iscanned thefloorforsomethingtoweartobed,butfoundnothing.Someonehad tidiedmyroominmyabsence,preparingitformyreturn.Tootiredto riflethroughmydrawers,IthrewbackthecoversonmybedbeforeI ploppedmynaked,wearybodyontoitandwrappedtheduvetuptight aroundme.Ilikedthefeelingitgaveme―warmandsecure.Ihadn'tfelt thatwayforawhile.
Iplummetedintoadeepsleepinstantly,butregretteditalmostas quickly.Anauditorymontageofscreamsplaguedmydreams.Isaw nothing,butfelteverything.Thehorrorenvelopedme,comingtoa crashingcrescendooffearandpainthatIcouldnotescape.
WhenIfinallybrokefree,Ishotupoutofbed,onlytobegreeted withmoredarkness.Frightenedbeyondmeasure,Ilaunchedmyselftothe wallswitch,squintingtightlywhenthedelugeoflightassaultedmystill-sensitiveeyes.Mybreathcameshakyandrapidwhilesweatpoureddown myfaceandback.Irantomycloset,pulledoutawhiterobeandthrewit on,fasteningitsnuglyaroundmebeforeheadingoutoftheroom.
ItiptoeduptoCooper'sdoor,leaningmyearagainstitas soundlesslyasIcould.He'dtoldmeoncethatIhadthegraceofan elephant,andhecouldhearmecomingfrommilesaway.Ididn'twantto wakehim.WhatIdidselfishlywantwasthefeelingofsafetyhecould offerintimesofdistress.Justbeingclosetohimhelped,andthatwas exactlywhatIneeded.
Thedoorwasshuttightly,soIcarefullyturnedtheknob,creatingas littlesoundaspossible,andpushedslowlyinward.Cooper'sbackwasto me,litonlybythemoonlightpenetratingthegapinthecurtains.Ireally neededtogethimsomethatfitthewindowbetter.Hene
verstirred,soI continuedmywayin,stoppingattheedgeofthebed.Ieasedmywayon asgingerlyasIcould,thankfulthatfoammattressesdidn'ttransfermuch motion.
Onceontopofthecomforter,Iinelegantlyscootedmyway backwardtowardshimaninchatatime.He'dhavelaughedifhe'dbeen watchingme;I'msureIlookedutterlyridiculous.StoppingjustbeforeI madecontactwithhim,Iballedmyselfupintothefetalpositionandtried togobacktosleep.
“Didyougetlostonyourwaytothebathroom?”Cooperaskedover hisshoulder.Histonewascold,buthishumorwasback.
“Sorry,”Isaid,sittingup.“I'llgo.Ijust—”Icutmyexplanationoff atthestart.Hedidn'twanttohearmyexcuses.Infact,he'dbeenpretty clearthathedidn'twanttohearanythingfromme.Notforawhile.
Imovedtopushoffofthebedwhenhishandcaughtmywrist, turningmetofacehimasherolledtowardsme.Wesharedalong momenteyeingeachotherinthatlonesliveroflightthatshoneacrosshis bed.
“You'just'what?”heasked,hisvoicenoticeablysofter.
“Ican'tsleep.Thesoundsinmyhead...,”Isaid,trailingoff.
“Soundsofwhat,Ruby?Whathappenedwhenyouweregone?”
Iwantedtoofferhimsomethingconcrete,somethingtohelpendthe agonyhe'dclearlyfeltduringmyabsence,buttherewasnothingtogive.
WhateverhorrorsScarlethadinflictedontheworldwhileshe’dheldme hostagewereunknown.AllIhadwereoccasionalsoundbitesandaudio snippets,noneofwhichwereencouraging.
“Idon'tknow,Coop.Honest,”Isaid,tearsagainrollingoffmyface.
“AllIknowisthattwodaysagoIwassittinginthewoods,naked, freezing,andscaredshitless.Itwaslike—”IchokedonthewordsthatI couldn'tbringmyselftosay.Cooper,seeingmydistress,finishedthem forme.
“Whenyourparentswerekilled?”hesaidsoftly,wipingthetears frommyface.
“Yes,”Iwhispered.
“Andyoudon'tremember anythingbeforethat?”
“No. ”
Hisfacescrunchedupinconfusedfrustration.
“WhathappenedwithSean?Whydidyouleaveinthefirstplace?”