Resisting The Alpha (Werebear Shifter Romance) (The Crane Curse) by Liliana Rhodes Page A
Authors: Liliana Rhodes
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two electric poles. In the distance Faith recognized the faded red brick building as soon as it came into view and felt her heart jump into her throat.
St. Elizabeth's was originally a hospital, then later a school, then a home for children. On the top of the wide building was a white wooden widow's walk. The glass paned windows were pitted and broken and their once gleaming frames showed their age with every peel and crack of the paint. The oversized door was gone, making the sad building look surprised.
"There it is, up there," she said as she pointed ahead.
Despite being in the foster care system growing up, Faith considered herself lucky. Every family she was placed with had been kind to her. Unfortunately the older she got, the less people wanted to take her in. That's where St. Elizabeth's came in.
She was in high school when she first started living there. Even then the building sagged into the ground beneath it. The only part that seemed to withstand the natural destruction of time was the widow's walk where a small brass bell had been installed when the building was used as a school.
The car jostled and jerked as it drove over the broken pavement of the parking lot. Erich jumped out and came to Faith's door before she got out and held his hand out to her.
"I don't need your help," she said as she pushed his hand away. That's all she needed, like she didn't have enough guilt from just looking at him.
"You forget who you're talking to. I've seen how graceful you can be," he teased and took her hand anyway.
Her hand felt so small in his that for a moment she forgot about Abel and his now paw-hands. Following Erich into the abandoned building, she tried to keep Abel out of her mind but it was useless, everything reminded her of how he used to be.
With the bricks steps leading to the front entrance destroyed, Erich easily lifted her into the building before climbing in after her. Inhaling, she could still smell the mixture of ammonia and mildew that marked her time there.
"My room was down this hall," she said as she walked along the dusty green formica floor.
"This place looks like a hospital," Erich said.
"I think that was its first life. Its been through a lot of reincarnations. There's so much history here its sad they're tearing it down, but I'm sure its too damaged to save."
Pushing aside a broken door that blocked the path into a room at the end of the hall, they entered a large room with broken desks scattered about. An old blackboard on wheels sat in the corner and the little sunlight that streamed in through the windows was speckled with dust.
"It was six to a room. They tried to keep us around the same age but it never really mattered. We were all so hopeful we'd have a real home, none of us became friends. If we got to know each other that would be like admitting we knew we were going to be there for a while. I sometimes wonder what happened to everyone else. There were a few people who were left the same way I was."
"What do you mean left?" Erich asked.
Faith realized she said too much. She never talked about this kind of stuff with anyone but Abel. It was too personal, too painful. She shook her head at him hoping he'd drop it then beelined to an old radiator in the corner.
"My bed was right here, next to this radiator. It never worked and right next to it was a loose floorboard."
Kneeling in the corner she banged the floor with her fist and the tile wobbled. Erich stepped closer as she banged it again, caught a corner of it and slid it over, exposing the wood underneath. Faith slipped her hand in and to the side then smiled as she pulled out a shoebox.
"I can't believe its still here," she said. "I had no choice but to leave this behind when I went to live with Abel. I didn't want anyone looking through it and they watched me to make sure I didn't take anything that wasn't mine when I packed.
As she sat cross legged on the floor, she balanced the shoebox in her lap and removed the top.
St. Elizabeth's was originally a hospital, then later a school, then a home for children. On the top of the wide building was a white wooden widow's walk. The glass paned windows were pitted and broken and their once gleaming frames showed their age with every peel and crack of the paint. The oversized door was gone, making the sad building look surprised.
"There it is, up there," she said as she pointed ahead.
Despite being in the foster care system growing up, Faith considered herself lucky. Every family she was placed with had been kind to her. Unfortunately the older she got, the less people wanted to take her in. That's where St. Elizabeth's came in.
She was in high school when she first started living there. Even then the building sagged into the ground beneath it. The only part that seemed to withstand the natural destruction of time was the widow's walk where a small brass bell had been installed when the building was used as a school.
The car jostled and jerked as it drove over the broken pavement of the parking lot. Erich jumped out and came to Faith's door before she got out and held his hand out to her.
"I don't need your help," she said as she pushed his hand away. That's all she needed, like she didn't have enough guilt from just looking at him.
"You forget who you're talking to. I've seen how graceful you can be," he teased and took her hand anyway.
Her hand felt so small in his that for a moment she forgot about Abel and his now paw-hands. Following Erich into the abandoned building, she tried to keep Abel out of her mind but it was useless, everything reminded her of how he used to be.
With the bricks steps leading to the front entrance destroyed, Erich easily lifted her into the building before climbing in after her. Inhaling, she could still smell the mixture of ammonia and mildew that marked her time there.
"My room was down this hall," she said as she walked along the dusty green formica floor.
"This place looks like a hospital," Erich said.
"I think that was its first life. Its been through a lot of reincarnations. There's so much history here its sad they're tearing it down, but I'm sure its too damaged to save."
Pushing aside a broken door that blocked the path into a room at the end of the hall, they entered a large room with broken desks scattered about. An old blackboard on wheels sat in the corner and the little sunlight that streamed in through the windows was speckled with dust.
"It was six to a room. They tried to keep us around the same age but it never really mattered. We were all so hopeful we'd have a real home, none of us became friends. If we got to know each other that would be like admitting we knew we were going to be there for a while. I sometimes wonder what happened to everyone else. There were a few people who were left the same way I was."
"What do you mean left?" Erich asked.
Faith realized she said too much. She never talked about this kind of stuff with anyone but Abel. It was too personal, too painful. She shook her head at him hoping he'd drop it then beelined to an old radiator in the corner.
"My bed was right here, next to this radiator. It never worked and right next to it was a loose floorboard."
Kneeling in the corner she banged the floor with her fist and the tile wobbled. Erich stepped closer as she banged it again, caught a corner of it and slid it over, exposing the wood underneath. Faith slipped her hand in and to the side then smiled as she pulled out a shoebox.
"I can't believe its still here," she said. "I had no choice but to leave this behind when I went to live with Abel. I didn't want anyone looking through it and they watched me to make sure I didn't take anything that wasn't mine when I packed.
As she sat cross legged on the floor, she balanced the shoebox in her lap and removed the top.
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