Revenant Read Online Free Page A

the metal from seeping through and into us. I position myself with a clear view of the partially open door, eyes locked on the horizon rolling past. Sage rummages through the bag Iosif gave him, snuffling at the foil-wrapped bundle he pulls free before his eyes light up.
    He manages to control his hunger long enough to offer me some of his roast beef sandwich, the bread thick and homemade, fresh cut from the smell, but I wave him off, amused by the relief in his smile as he devours his meal. I’m certain another sandwich hides in my own bag, but I’ll save it for later. I’m far too tense to enjoy food right now and Sage might need it later.
    Sage finally slips back, resting his shoulders against a box, pressed against me, sighing softly as he brushes crumbs from his jacket. “Man, I’ve never been so starved.”
    I don’t comment, though worry pings. Young werewolves are often voracious eaters. I then have to remind myself he’s not a werewolf at all, but a human turning revenant. That just adds to my anxiety.
    I hardly needed the reminder.
    Sage’s hand slips around mine, fingers warm through the leather of my glove despite the cool evening. I slip my fingers free so I can touch his skin, heart aching for him as I suddenly realize my family and my problems aren’t the only consideration.
    “I’m sorry,” I whisper into the dark, the rattling of the train almost swallowing my words. But his ear is very close to my lips and he turns to face me, a little frown on his brow.
    “I am, too,” he says. “I’ve ruined your life.”
    I squeeze his hand, leaning my head on his shoulder. “Your parents,” I say. “I’ve been so focused on getting us to California, I forgot you have family.”
    Sage stiffens, clears his throat. “I don’t know what I’d tell them,” he says, voice thick. “I guess I should try to call them or something.” His thumb traces circles over the back of my hand. “I’ve thought about it, but I don’t know what to say.” His free hand runs through his dark hair. “They're used to me rambling around, but this? 'Hi, Mom, Dad, I'm turning into a supernatural creature and could be executed for it?' How do I explain this when I don't truly understand it myself?” Sage’s lips brush my forehead. “At least they will still have Zach and Peach.” Sage’s twin siblings, a boy and girl, half his age. I wish now I’d had a chance to meet his family. He’d offered, several times, but I resisted, knowing we couldn’t be. Would it have made things easier for me, if I’d gotten to know them? Or harder?
    It doesn’t matter now, either way. And this conversation isn’t about me, anyway.
    “If something happens to me,” Sage says.
    “You’re going to be fine.” The words snap out of me, growled in the voice of a wolf.
    Sage doesn’t say anything for a moment before his body rises and falls in a sigh. “Just, please, tell them something. Make up a story, an accident, something. Don’t leave them wondering if I’m alive or dead.”
    Tears sting my eyes, my mouth tight as I fight off the quiver in my lower lip. “I promise.” I won’t have to fulfill that promise, so it’s easy to make. “Tell me about them?”
    He seems surprised. I’ve never asked before, and, in fact, I’ve shut him down in the past when he’s tried to share. Sage doesn’t need further encouragement. I close my eyes and picture his family as he tells me stories about family adventures, like the year they spent in Guatemala volunteering and building schools, his mother’s first skydive, his father’s passion for snowboarding. They are an incredible family, I can tell from every word he speaks, and his love of them washes over me as I absorb Sage’s memories.
    “You’ve been away from them for a long time.” I can’t remember the last time he went home to visit, though it’s possible he didn’t tell me because he stopped asking me to join him.
    “A year,” he says. “I meant to go home for