Ravenous (The Ravening #1)(3)
Author: Erica Stevens

I let the thought trail off; there was no use in dwelling on it. Not until I knew.

I pushed off the wall, breaking into a brisk jog as I hurried down the alley. Turning a corner, I began to move faster, nearly sprinting as I raced down the sidewalk. I was breathing so rapidly that I almost didn’t hear the distant rumbling noise until it was too late. As it was, it just barely caught my attention in time.

I pressed flat to the wall, my fingers curled into the wood as the ground beneath my feet began to tremble. My head bounced rapidly back and forth as I searched for the cause of the strange sensation and noise. Creeping forward, I kept my hand pressed against the glass window of a store. The noise grew louder, the quaking increased as the sidewalk beneath my feet began to tremble even more.

I didn’t know where to go or what to do. My throat was clogged, my body thrummed with tension. I continued to creep steadily forward, but I had to get off the street. I had to find a place to hide. My hand slipped into nothingness, I nearly fell sideways as someone grabbed hold of my arm. A startled cry started to escape me, but a hand slammed over my mouth as I was yanked against a solid chest.

CHAPTER 2

“Shh Bethany,” someone hissed in my ear.

My struggles eased at the sound of my name. The grip on me loosened, the hand fell away from my mouth. I turned quickly, my eyes widened on the person that had grabbed me. Cade stared back at me, his midnight eyes hooded, and his black hair falling across his sculpted face. His full mouth was compressed into a firm line.

We’d gone to high school together, but those two words were the most I’d heard from him in over a year. Though, there were times I’d caught him staring at me questioningly, or watching me with an intensity that never failed to steal my breath and cause my pulse to race. With just one look Cade could make my skin tingle and my toes curl in a way that no one else had ever been able to. Though I knew he had no interest in me romantically, there had been a time when I’d harbored a crush on him. I was pretty sure nearly every girl in school had.

He was a year older than me, having just finished his senior year, but that wasn’t the reason I hadn’t talked to him in awhile. The main reason was that I’d been too intimidated by his brooding nature, and striking looks to approach him. To intimidated by the rumors and innuendo that ran rampant through the school about him. The gossip claimed that he was involved in everything from gangs to Satan worshipping and even the mob. I didn’t believe the rumors, but Cade did nothing to disprove them, and at times I thought he enjoyed letting them spin wildly out of control.

He placed a long finger against my lips, gesturing for me to stay quiet as his hand slipped into mine. I stared at his strong fingers, amazed by the way our hands seemed to fit seamlessly together. I was losing my freaking mind. The world was falling apart around me and I was marveling over the fact that our hands were a perfect fit, and the fact that he was actually holding my hand.

He bent over me, a shiver raced down my spine as his full lips brushed against my ear. “This way.”

My fingers clenched around his. I wasn’t alone anymore and judging by the set of Cade’s jaw, and the determination in his eyes, he had a plan which was much more than I’d had just seconds ago. He tugged me down an alley, moving with a grace that was both astonishing and captivating. I was nowhere near as graceful, a fact I was acutely aware of as I made sure not to trip over my two left feet.

I wanted to ask him where we were going but I didn’t speak as he led me down another street. The rumbling sound became distant, but I knew we wouldn’t escape it for long. It would find us, and I was terrified of the consequences of what would happen when it did. Cade held a hand behind him, halting me at the edge of an alley. He turned briefly back to me, holding up a finger as he peeked around the corner of the building. His fingers unfolded from mine as he stepped out of the shadows.

My heart kicked harder as he disappeared from view. He was the only person I’d discovered, I couldn’t lose him now. I was getting ready to follow him when he reappeared. His eyes, black as onyx and cold as ice, flickered briefly over me. I felt the force of his gaze all the way to the tips of my toes. I thought I would see disapproval flicker over his features as he was a calm and reassuring presence, while I was a trembling mess, but there was none.

His fingers entwined within mine again. Turning away he began to pull me down the street again. I nearly collided with him as he turned suddenly and tugged me into the shadowed doorway of a store. My legs were shaking as the rumbling noise grew closer again. I could feel vibrations in the stoop beneath my feet. Whatever was hunting us, whatever was out there, it was getting closer.

A sense of urgency filled me as Cade opened the door and slid noiselessly into the antique store. I followed behind, biting on my lower lip as I fought back the scream welling within my throat. Cade slid the door shut; the faint click of the lock was barely audible over the growing noise outside.

He turned toward the shaded windows and pulled down a slat to peer out. Even his profile was perfect, I realized as I stared at his square jaw and sculpted nose. His teeth clenched as he pulled me back a step. Seeing him now, hearing him now, I was struck by the memory of the last time we’d spoken nearly a year ago.

I’d been standing on the street, watching with my mom and little sister as one of the massive alien ships first arrived. It slid over top of us as it moved toward the city, blocking out the sun, and emitting a low humming noise that had been barely discernible over the normal sounds of the day. I had clung to my mom and sister, my heart hammering, awe and apprehension filling me as we watched it.

In the movies UFO’s were usually depicted as silver and shiny, this was not. It was pitch black, dull, and cold in appearance. It was only later that we would learn it was black because it was powered by solar energy and the black captured the powerful rays of the sun better. The ship was tubular in design with two large engines attached to each side of it. Though there was a hazy disturbance trailing from the engines, it was clear enough that the sky beyond could be seen through the fumes. The ship was so quiet that it seemed impossible that the sizeable engines attached to it were actually powering it forward.

Twenty five alien ships had arrived that day to encircle the earth. Five settled over the U.S., three over Canada, and four throughout central and South America. Five more moved in over Europe, five more over Asia, two over Africa, and one hovered above Australia. Their arrival had signaled a short period of chaos and uncertainty. But over time things had settled down as no imminent threat emerged to kill us all, and the aliens repeatedly proclaimed peace.