Deep in Crimson (Return to Sanctuary) by Gilman Sarah

Author:Gilman, Sarah [Gilman, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Return to Sanctuary, Entangled Publishing, paranormal romance, Sarah Gilman, romance series, romance, Entangled Select, Deep in Crimson
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: 2013-09-24T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Abandoning Sanctuary’s groomed trails just beyond the cemetery, Jett led Lexine through the forest, the elevation steadily climbing. Neither of them said much—their first priority was listening for unwelcome company as they ventured farther out. As he’d observed the colony that year, he noted that Guardians and civilians alike treated the woods with respectful caution, the way a human would walk into a large, silent cathedral that might be empty or might not, and any sound would fill the space. Even children fell silent without being told.

Never before had he observed his own kind. Lawrence had described aggressive, hot-tempered beasts. In reality, most were like Jett: they preferred quiet and peace to disruption of any kind.

“Did my father have trouble getting demons to form a colony?”

“No, why?”

He stepped over a fallen, broken branch, making no sound. “It seems to me being out here, alone, is more natural for us.”

“Devin and Lark haven’t taught you any history?”

“Not yet.”

She ran her fingers over the bark of a thick pine. “Demons have been on earth for thousands of years, mostly in North America because there were far fewer humans here at the time, plenty of uninterrupted forest. We had no trouble with the Native Americans and rarely interacted with the archangels. You’re right, we weren’t as sociable a society then, but we weren’t loners, either. Young adult demons left their parents and searched the woods until they found mates. Couples were then as they are now—bonded for life and inseparable. Adult demons who didn’t find mates eventually died, the loneliness the root of a physical disease that hasn’t been seen since the colonies formed.”

“No shit?”

“No shit.”

“How did they find one another? The forest was a lot bigger then than it is now.”

“An ability that has all but disappeared in generations like mine, but it’s said to remain strong in those with a Guardian bloodline. I bet you had little trouble finding us even though you were on foot in the woods, right?”

He paused, recalling the turmoil of his thoughts during that trip. Free for the first time, but with no place to go. Hatred for Lawrence, concern and loyalty toward Raphael. Despite everything, he’d crossed the state and gone directly to the colony, never once losing his way. “I sensed it, somehow.”

“Exactly, and I’m sure Lark or Devin will explain it better. Anyway, the growing number of human European settlers drove us to work together as a community. The violence aside, it’s been a good thing and everyone agrees.”

“Why not form communities long before that?”

“Change needed the catalyst. Like you said, it’s in our nature to be out here, alone—well, almost alone.” She brushed her fingers over his arm, the fleeting contact a tease that made him reach out. She hooked her arm around his and they kept walking.

Jett breathed easier than he ever had before.

He avoided the easiest route—the rough path which Jac had taken the kids along—and followed a small brook. When the terrain leveled off he turned south, along the mountain instead of up it.

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