Read Online Beautiful Salvation by Jennifer Blackstream - Free Book Online

horrible ways Aiyana could have been hurt in his absence. Coyote was not typically physically violent, but he was unpredictable. If harming Aiyana would advance whatever plan had come into his head, then he wouldn’t hesitate to do so.
     
    I’ll kill him , Saamal promised himself again.
     
    Footsteps sounded behind him, the brush of bare feet and the clicking of claws. Still annoyed by Adonis’ gaiety in the midst of a dire situation, Saamal didn’t bother to slow down. Etienne could follow him easily by scent, he had no concern that he would lose them.
     
    Saamal didn’t have to think as he trudged up the winding staircase, was too used to the path. Instead of concentrating on the uneven steps that led up to the tower, he was plagued with a soreness in his jaw, the horrible ache that came with wanting to attack his prey and being robbed of the opportunity. He could feel Coyote’s skull in his jaws, feel the bone crack as he bit down, spraying blood and brains to the earth. If that trickster had harmed Aiyana…
     
    He ambled up the stairs a little faster, his bulky form making it a tighter fit in the narrow stairway. Another growl trickled from his throat and he roared as he raced up the last half of the stairs and landed with a leap on the floor outside Aiyana’s chambers. He strode into the room, his attention immediately going to her bed, illuminated by the wall sconces that burned perpetually in her lonely tower as well as the growing light of the coming morning that spilled in through her window.
     
    Aiyana remained as beautiful as ever. Raven hair spilling in a silken sheet to her elbows, reddish brown features smooth in sleep like the face of a perfectly carved clay statue. High cheekbones cast delicate shadows on her cheeks, and her soft lips called to him, urged him to kiss her again. Perhaps this time it would work…
     
    His jaguar form melted away as the sight of her washed away his ire. Extra muscles, fur, and claws dissolved into energy and soaked back into his being, settling into the well of magic that remained at his center. The clothing that had been torn during his transformation went limp against his body, too damaged to fit properly again. He ran a hand through his hair. If she were to wake up, what would she think of him? A tired old man, dressed in rags, gawking at her like a sinner looking upon the face of a goddess.
     
    “Oh, thank the gods. Coyote didn’t hurt her.”
     
    Adonis’ voice stirred Saamal’s anger, but he shoved that emotion away. The demon was here to help him contact Aiyana, now was not the time to let his temper muddy the waters. “Coyote prefers games to war, trickery to violence. Just because he hasn’t caused her physical harm, doesn’t mean he is innocent. If he has been interacting with Aiyana, it is no doubt part of some game he is playing, and it is too early to guess what his goal is this time.”
     
    Adonis produced a small vial from a pouch at his side. “Well, we’d better get you to her then so you can find out.” He held up the brown glass, tilting it so the light reflected on the golden liquid glowing within. “You’ll need to drink all of this. I can make more, but it will take most of the day since the sun needs considerable time to infuse the herb. After you drink it, lie down and let yourself fall asleep. You’ll remain conscious of what you’re doing, but reality will shift around you. Don’t fight it, let your spirit rise to the astral plane.”
     
    “I will be here guarding you both, so do not worry.” Etienne tilted his head from side to side, cracking his neck. “If Coyote comes back, I will hold him for you.”
     
    Saamal clenched his hands into fists. “Keep him alive. If he comes back, I will kill him myself.”
     
    Adonis tensed, then held the vial away and fixed Saamal with a stern look. “Obviously I need to explain a few things about the astral plane. It isn’t reality. Nothing on the astral plane is written in