Chloe's Guardian (The Nephilim Redemption Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

the auditorium. Tricia and Jessie slipped into the first two seats of the back row while the last quartet finished. Chloe and Kaitlyn had to step over them to sit down. Tricia and Jessie wouldn’t even look at Chloe.
    After the last quartet, the crowd talked in hushed whispers and the judges tallied their scores. When the emcee went to the microphone, he tapped out a few amplified thumps. He leaned in close and boomed through the sound system. “Students, performers, and guests, without further ado,” he said in a thick Scottish brogue, “I will present the finalists and winner of this year’s Aberdeen’s International Festival of the Arts string quartet competition. When I call your name, please come up and stand with me on stage and accept your award.”
    The auditorium went silent except for a couple of coughs and a door clunking shut.
    “Our second runner up is…” He opened an envelope. “…from the United States…”
    Kaitlyn grabbed Chloe’s hand. Chloe searched the auditorium for Todd.
    “Philadelphia’s Dynamic String Quartet.”
    A flutter of activity not far away got Philadelphia to their feet and blocked Chloe’s view of the two far sections. Sit down, would you? They went up on stage and Chloe could see again to scan the room for Todd.
    “Our first runner up, all the way from Hong Kong…”
    Chloe stopped listening. She hadn’t liked them much.
    When the emcee prepared to announce the grand winner, Chloe saw the top of Todd’s head on the far side of the auditorium. Her heart pounded. He saw me play! Now he could see her take the stage to accept first place.
    Applause erupted around her. She missed what the emcee had said.
    “What’d he say?” she asked Tricia and Jessie, but Tricia jumped up and left her seat. “We won?” she asked Jessie, who was turning away, too. Chloe pivoted back to Kaitlyn with a smile, excited to share the moment with her.
    “What did he say? Did we—”
    “I’m sorry, Cello. The group from Australia won.”
    Jessie spun back and narrowed her eyes at Chloe. “If you see Todd, tell him he better keep far away from me or like he’s going to find out what it feels like to swallow a trumpet.” And she snapped around and followed Tricia out of the auditorium.

CHAPTER 5
     
    Chloe sat on her hotel bed not packing. Kaitlyn folded her long black skirt and put it next to her yellow sequin dress in her suitcase on the other bed.
    “What’re you thinking about?” Kaitlyn asked.
    Chloe couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh, even though it felt pathetic. “Todd. I just wish we could talk. He’s so busy. His phone must be dead. It keeps going to voicemail. I’ve left him a million messages.”
    Kaitlyn stopped packing, sat next to her, and gave her a side hug. “You were so happy yesterday.”
    “I wish I could see that flying glowing thing again. It was incredible. When it touched me, I just knew everything would be okay.”
    Kaitlyn dug in her purse and pulled out car keys. She dangled them in front of Chloe.
    “How’d you get those?”
    “Tricia told me to move the car. She’d parked in a double yellow zone. I haven’t returned them yet.”
    “But won’t her mom want them? Her name’s on the lease.”
    “She doesn’t care. She got the car for Tricia.”
    “You think I could go back to the castle? Look for that thing I saw?”
    “Maybe it’s still there.”
    “But we take off in four hours.”
    “It’s not that far away.”
    True. It wasn’t. She had to go. Right then. It would be good. “I can drop you off at the airport with my stuff.” She jumped up and started jamming everything into her suitcase. “I should go alone. You can tell everyone I’m coming. I’ll buy you a chai soy latte and a good paperback. I’ll be back in plenty of time.”
    “It will be great for you to see it again.” Kaitlyn went back to folding her clothes into her suitcase.
    “And I need to get my sandals,” Chloe said as if to justify the idea.
    “Those