Read Online Bound by Shadow by Anna Windsor - Free Book Online Page A

energy vibrated across her skin until her teeth chattered. The floors shook. The remaining mirrors on the walls shook, too, and glass fell from the cracked ones.
    Cynda cursed as she dodged a big shard. Merilee stood on the other side of the table without moving, bowstring taut, arrow aimed at the other ’s head. The being smelled eye-wateringly sharp, like the air just before a devastating thunderstorm.
    It wanted to kill her. Riana could tell. It wanted to tear her apart, eat the pieces, then clean house. Completely. Before its presence could overwhelm her, Riana drew one dagger and kept the signet ring tight in her other hand.
    “Get back.” She gestured with the dagger. “Now!”
    To her immense surprise, the other shot backward as if she’d shoved it. Well, as if some giant three times her size had shoved it. It flowed more than leaped onto the table and changed size—first smaller, then taller, then thinner, then wider. In seconds, it became fully manlike again, tall and muscular, like some artist’s marble sculpture of Apollo, bathed in electric sunlight. Only, Riana could tell by its almost-expression that it still wanted to tear her head off.
    Something held it back.
    But what?
    Merilee adjusted her aim, keeping the deadly tip of her arrow trained on the thing’s shimmering head. “It acts like an Asmodai,” she said.
    “With no human body, and lots bigger.” Cynda positioned herself beside the table, sword raised for a lethal strike. “Honestly, Merilee, have you ever seen a golden Asmodai?”
    “It’s not an Asmodai,” Riana said, though in truth, she wasn’t sure. It did have some features in common with the demons.
    And a little while ago, it was Creed. And a little while before that, I had my hand on its cock.
    “I think it’s doing what you say because you have the ring.” Cynda shifted her weight back on one foot. “Tell it to do something, or let me cut its head off.”
    “Sit,” said Merilee. “Stay. Roll over. Nice demon.”
    The other, still godlike in its form and size, let out a wall-shaking roar.
    “Shut up, all of you!” Riana kept the dagger in front of her. Based on what Cynda said, she held out the ring, too.
    The room had gone silent at her command.
    To the other, she said, “Can you speak?”
    It made no response.
    “I should shoot it now,” Merilee said. “It’s dangerous.”
    Cynda stiffened. “Beheading’s more certain.”
    Riana glared at them for a moment, then returned her attention to the other. “Sit down on the table.”
    The glowing god-thing hesitated, gave her another murderous almost-expression, then lowered its powerful shape to the table’s surface. Hatred emanated from it as it stared at her hand, the one holding the ring. She sensed other emotions, too. Jumbled, indistinct—confusion? Fear? Resentment?
    Cynda and her sword flamed and crackled. A breeze stirred constantly in Merilee’s hair, aggravating the damaged wind chimes. Riana found herself holding her breath and counting to keep from allowing any of her power to escape. If the brownstone shook any more, the walls would crack. The neighbors might have called the police already, or the news media might be surging toward them to explore the earthquake focal zone at Sixty-third and Central Park.
    She had no idea what to do next, and that pissed her off. She was never without answers. She couldn’t be. She had to lead. She had to think of something before Cynda and Merilee killed the other —if they even could—or before it killed them.
    I will not lose my triad. I will not lose my family.
    The crescent pendant felt like a lead weight on her chest, and she felt the harsh, wary eyes of Mother Yana evaluating her, prodding her, even now.
    The signet ring dug into her palm.
    She glanced at her hand, then at the godlike golden creature.
    “Put out your right hand,” she commanded. “Let me see five fingers.”
    It seemed to glare from its constantly shifting eyes, but it complied.
    Riana