Demon Day by Penelope Fletcher (best novels in english .TXT) 📕

This boy – who a mere few days ago wasmy fellow Disciple – started at his name and gazed up at me. Takingin my tail, wings, he sneered before his eyes bulged. Tomas’ gripon his throat tightened as he lifted him one handed high into theair and stared in his face, daring him to sneer again.

Overcoming my shock, I placed my handon Tomas’s cold arm. “Don’t kill him. We’ve gotten what we camefor, so just drop him, and let’s get out of here.”

My vampire’s eyes blackened out, thedarkness of his pupils spilling over to stain the whites. His fangsshot down and buried into Jono’s neck.

Covering my mouth with my hand tearswelled in my eyes and I shook my head.

Lex crouched and made a keening noise,slapping at Jono’s spasaming body. When Tomas was done he threw thetwitching body at her. She half caught him and fell, rolling out ofsight behind some shrubbery. Then the tearing and guzzling soundsstarted. Jono screamed, but it was cut off by a sickening crunch.Squelching, and greedy murmurs of appreciation came before asucking noise that drifted over the sound of my horrified gasps.The wet sound of flesh tearing had my stomach rolling.

I plugged my nose and ears at thehorrible smells and sounds.

Ro looked ill. Bashing the back of hishead with his palm, he shook his head. Swallowing hard his hazeleyes fell to the floor.

Lex stumbled out of the bushes, herchalk white skin soaked in blood. Looking between Ro and meguiltily, she tried to wipe away most of it, her expressionpleading. Again in her attempts to clean up she smeared more goreover herself. Most upsetting was the faint rosiness of her skin andthe relaxed set of her shoulders … the look of fulfillment on herface.

Tomas watched me blankly then his gazeswitched to Ana. He regarded her dispassionately for a while thenlooked away his mouth pressed into a thin line. The witch lookedhorrified, and seemed to have shrunken in on herself. She turnedher wide eyes to me and opened her mouth to speak.

The klaxon blared.

My hands flew to my ears, as didNimah’s and Tomas’. Amelia grumbled and rubbed her head into hertwin’s legs, irritated. The alarm was bloody loud, and I was notthe only one squinting in pain.

“We can’t leave. Breandanis coming,” I yelled.

Ana shot a cautious look at Tomas thenshook her head. “Rae, whatever is happening inside those walls isone of the foulest things I’ve ever felt. We should not be here.Trust me. Breandan won’t come here if he can feel you’regone.”

“But he knows the Clericstook me, and he knows that I wouldn’t leave without the shifters.He’s coming here.”

“The bond–”

“It’s fuzzy. I can’tpinpoint him like I usually can the pressure is too great. It’slike trying to grasp a single drop of rain in a downpour. I justknow it’s the same for him. He can’t feel where I am just thedirection, and he’ll pass straight through whatever danger islurking inside Temple. I can’t risk not being here. What if heneeds me and my power?”

She pressed the heels of her palms toher eye sockets. “Rae….”

“I agree with the witch,”Tomas said. “We should not linger.”

“We’re staying,” I saidloudly with finality, resisting the urge to stomp my foot. “He’scoming here. I can’t leave.” I don’t think they understoodphysically I could not leave. It hurt to even think about going inany direction that was not toward him. “Besides, if something badis happening we have to help the Disciples.”

“The same people who wouldhunt you down and put a bullet in you?” Ro pointed outangrily.

I sent him a cold look. “They’re notall like that and you know it. You’re not like that.”

His chest puffed out. “I’m Vodoun, notthe same thing.”

I inhaled deeply praying for patience.“They’re worth saving,” I argued vehemently. “We can’t abandonthem.”

Ana’s hands flew up in the air.“Perfect timing for you to grow a backbone,” she spatsarcastically. “Really, just perfect. What do you have inmind?”

“Well, uh, it would beuseful to know what kind of spell was being cast.”

“It feels like a summoning.The power here is being fed from afar and poured into someone,” shepaused, “or lots of someone’s. That would explain why thereverberation is so vast.” She made a frustrated noise. “Why isn’tclear. Why are the witches looking down here now? It’s like they’relooking for something.”

“Or someone,” Tomasmurmured.

Despite their seeming dislike of eachother they shared an alarmed look. Then all eyes turned tome.

“They know,” Ana whispered.“Somehow the witches know about you, and where you are. It’s theonly thing that makes sense.” She turned to Tomas accusingly. “Whathave you done?”

“Nothing,” he hissedback.

I held up both my palms. “Well, thisisn’t my fault. The only witch I’ve been near is you Ana, and whyblame Tomas for this? He’s been down here the wholetime.”

Ana lifted her chin. “Do not presumeto know everything about him, Rae.”

“Don’t push me, witch,”Tomas snarled.

Ro took a bracing breath then held outhis hand to Lex who grabbed onto it and pressed it to her face. Hegrimaced, but did not pull away. “Listen, we need to move. We beexposed here and they will search the wall perimeter and theprisons. The Clerics we killed will be found in a few minutes atbest.” He looked at me pointedly. “You know how it works,Rae.”

I kind of yelped an agreement at him,my emotions suddenly clutching my airways in a vice like grip. Myhead snapped round in the direction of the siren call, and Igasped, trembled.

“Rae?” Ana called over theklaxon sounding worried.

I breathed out and flushed. My skinfelt too small for my body, tight. I ran a hand over my lowerstomach, letting my fingers slowly brush the soft fabric. Mybreaths increased until I panted. I pushed my hair back andremembered the feeling of Breandan running his hands through myhair.

Amelia’s nose lifted and she sniffedthe air a few times. Her eyes roamed before they settled on me andshe purred.

Nimah stuck her nose up and sniffedtoo then she watched me strangely. “I thought only my kind hadmating cycles … but she smells like she’s in heat.”

Hearing this, my hands dropped to mysides and my mouth swung open, but