Read Online Band of Demons (The Sanheim Chronicles, Book Two) by Rob Blackwell - Free Book Online

dead. She found you, you know that? I knew you were here—I’ve known where you are for a long time. But I had no intention of telling her, had no way of knowing you were around the Prince of Sanheim. But the minute our attention focused here, she turned you up.”
    “Should I be flattered?” Carol asked.
    “No, you should be scared,” Kieran said. “They want you to give me information, then they want me to kill you. But I don’t always give them what they want. I can give you another option. Work for me. I need a liaison.”
    Carol stared at him. What game was he playing? She knew who he worked for now, but this couldn’t possibly be part of their plan. Did it really matter? Was she prepared to work for him? Whatever he was up to, she knew the two people he was after would pay a steep price.
    She had always believed that when push came to shove, she would sacrifice herself rather than betray her principles. But now that the moment was at hand, she faltered. She didn’t want to die. More importantly, she wasn’t ready to die. There were still so many things she wanted to do.
    Kieran searched her face as if he knew what she was thinking. Some faint flicker of hope sparked inside her. He meant it. He really would let her live.
    As for working for him… she could do that, couldn’t she? She had gladly worked for him before.
     “What is it you want?” she asked. She was stalling and they both knew it. But he could also read the temptation in her eyes.
    “I know that they’re here,” Kieran said. “I need to know who they are.”
    “I…” Carol stopped. She saw it in his eyes. “Why? You already know who they are.”
    Kieran looked surprised, even pained. She thought he was going to deny it, but he didn’t.
    “Maybe,” he said. “But I wanted to see if you did. And you do, don’t you? You’ve talked with them? How much did you tell them?”
    Carol thought of Kate Tassel. Not her real name, she knew. In truth, she was Kate Blakely. But the fake name suited her better, especially now. Carol had lied to Kate last year. Not at first. At first, it had just been a Tarot card reading. But when she saw the word “Sanheim” written on the card, she had known. She could have told Kate everything: what she would face, how to beat it, and what price she would pay. Instead, she had done nothing. No, that wasn’t right. She had lied. She had told her she knew nothing about the matter.
    It was a kindness. If she had told Kate her destiny, she would not have believed or accepted it. She might have run from Quinn and that would have been disastrous for them both. You can’t fight fate. Carol understood that the second she saw Kieran at her door.
    She also knew what she must do now.
    “Will you work for me?” Kieran asked.
    “No,” she said, and looked at Kieran’s eyes. Did she see a flicker of disappointment there? Did he, somewhere, still care for her?
    He calmly picked up the knife from the table.
    “Did you give them any warning we were coming?” he asked.
    “No,” she said truthfully enough. She hadn’t given them a warning—yet. She only hoped and prayed the letter would reach the right hands now. There was no guarantee, of course. But destiny is a funny thing. It may be working against her now, but she thought it might help Quinn and Kate when it mattered most.
    Kieran stood up. He held the knife out.
    “Any chance I can change your mind?” he asked. “They may not have to die, you know? There are always other… possibilities.”
    Carol heard the protest in her heart, begging her to change her mind. She could live! She could be free!
    “Maybe,” she said. “But I don’t trust you.”
    “I’m hurt, Carol,” Kieran said. “I really am. You know me. You think I would be doing this if I didn’t have an agenda?”
    “What’s your agenda, then?”
    “I’m sorry, I can’t say,” he said. “I’d like to, but there’s too much at stake here.”
    “So trust apparently only works one