Read Online Between the Bleeding Willows (The Demon Hunters Series Book 1) by D.A. Roach - Free Book Online Page B

Ready?” The three youths nodded. I did not want to attack first, so I held my ground and waited to see their offense.
    Wicks ran at me full force and tried for several jabs to my stomach. He got a few past me and there was some strength behind them. I grabbed his next punch, twisted him into an arm lock behind his back, and held him against the wall, waiting for him to say the one word that meant you’d had enough, “mercy.” He said nothing, so I pushed harder, stretching his muscles to the point of pain. His face clenched, but he did not speak out.
    Fast footsteps weren’t enough warning to avoid being hit by a ton of bricks. It broke my hold on Wicks, and I found myself face to face with Ren—the little tank.
    “Nice,” I said. Without the right angle, he would have never knocked me off Wicks. Then Casper launched himself in my direction and I lunged to grab his leg. I needed to pin him and count him out, but he was too fast.
    “Looks like Casper’s too fast for ya, Gramps,” the Mackleberry-head said, egging me on.
    “‘Gramps’?” I scoffed back. Yes, I was in charge, but Jackson was almost twice my age, and I doubted he got that kind of talk. However, Casper had most of my attention, keeping me from knocking Ren upside the head. The skinny ghost evaded every move I made, as if he could predict my movements. I tried to fake him out by pretending to grab his arm but get his leg instead. My plan was foiled when I found myself face-down in the mat with Ren sitting on my legs. He’d been waiting for the right opening while mocking me. Wicks, who’d not called “mercy,” pinned my arms, and Casper stood in front of me.
    “I give.” The guys released me and helped me up. “Impressive. Are these fellows on squads for the Harvest?”
    “Already got them teamed up with seniors.”
    It was a shame to split them up since they worked so well with each other, but they had no experience in the field and needed the guidance of a seasoned soldier. I clapped each of them on their back in congratulations for their win.
    “Can I have Casper stay back to guard Cassidy or will that mess up your squads?”
    Jackson knew that if anything happened to Cassidy I would drown in guilt. He thought I was crazy for having Lena use my blood instead of anyone else’s for the tattoo. But she’d followed me here the first time, and I dragged her here the second time. If she died…I needed her safe until she could crossover—then she could forget about all of this. And although her ability to crossover without incident the first time remained a mystery, I hoped my blood would only heal her and not grant her full access to our gates. She had to stay away, even if that meant I had to push her away.
    “He’s yours. I’ll make adjustments.”
    “Send him to the med clinic tomorrow mid-day for instructions.”
    Jackson nodded and patted my back.
    The physical exertion helped me feel better, and it was reassuring to see how the trainees were coming along. Harvesting outside of our boundaries was risky but necessary. Our realm was like a young Earth—wild and untamed with the occasional demon lurking about. We rarely traveled past the boundary, and when we did so, it was in small groups because our spells could not cast out that far. With all our Harvesters traveling with us, we would need plenty of soldiers to guard each Harvester.
    I walked to Angeline’s quarters. “Knock, knock.” Her door was open, but I wanted to give her some warning.
    “Come in, Killian. Would you like some tea?”
    “Yes, thank you.” She poured us both a cup of hot tea from a silver kettle. I never knew what herbs Angeline put in there, but the tea always tasted good, and I always felt better after drinking it. “So, I came to tell you I don’t want you to go to the Harvest.”
    She paused and looked at me with shock on her face.
    “It’s too risky, and I need you safe so that you can keep the spells intact on the gates and binding