Read Online Collide by Ashley Stambaugh - Free Book Online

lives—”
    The elder who'd spoken piped up again, cutting him off. “Yes, that’s Henry’s charge.”
    Walter gave him a funny look. “You act as if you knew who I was going to ask about before I even said her name.”
    The elder on the left spoke up. “That’s because you’re not the first one to ask which guardian angel is assigned to her.”
    “Who else was here and when?”
    “Last evening,” the elder replied. “He’s an elder of yours. I believe he said his name was Phinneas.”
    Walter rubbed his chin. “Did he speak to Henry?”
    “Yes. He gave him the details about the situation Melina’s in and then he left with him. We haven’t seen Henry since. Didn’t Phinneas tell you?”
    “No,” Walter murmured. He noticed the strange looks the elders were giving him, so he quickly forced a smile onto his face. “It must’ve slipped his mind. Thank you for your time.” He bowed his head and tried to walk out as casually as he could.
    Once he was outside and several feet away from the guardian’s temple, he stopped and shook his head. Something was going on. Something wasn’t right. He started to walk back toward his own temple with the intent of confronting Phinneas, but halfway there he realized the most important thing right now was Melina’s safety. And that meant finding Henry first.
    He spun around and started in the direction of the summoning stone, a small crystal like stone that sat on a small pillar in the middle of all the temples. He had never had to use it before but had been instructed on how it worked. Once he reached the stone, he placed his hand on top of it and hoped he could perform the process correctly. It was his best chance at finding Henry.
     

Chapter Eight
     
    “We should go to the Fall Festival after we take care of my wrist,” said Melina as they walked up the stairs to her apartment.
    “That’s a good idea,” replied Tessa. “Almost everyone in town will be there.”
    “My thoughts exactly.”
    Melina cradled her left arm close to her body as she used her good hand to open the door. Her wrist had been through a lot in the last two days with the pain from the vision and now these burns from the demon. She headed straight for the bathroom and, after shrugging off her coat, immediately put her wrist under the sink faucet and turned on the cold water. The initial sting made her wince, but it eventually faded.
    “Where’s your first aid kit?” Tessa asked.
    “It’s in the closet on the top shelf,” replied Melina.
    Tessa reached up and grabbed the kit from the shelf and then laid it on the sink. She opened it up and took out the burn ointment and some large bandages. “These will do for now, but we should really get you to a doctor to be on the safe side.”
    Melina turned the water off and gently patted her wrist with a towel. “Tess, I can’t go to a doctor. Look at these burn marks.” She held her wrist out to her friend to examine again. “They’re clearly finger marks. I can’t explain that to a doctor.”
    Tessa inspected the burns for a second and then raised her eyes up to Melina’s. “I guess you’re right. But are you sure the ointment will be enough?”
    Melina looked down at her wrist and slowly turned it from front to back. “It looks as if the demon burnt down just enough to make them second-degree burns. Ointment and proper bandaging will be good enough. Lucky for me, he was in his human form.”
    “I bet they won’t make that mistake again, though.”
    Melina’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
    Tessa reached for her friend’s wrist and gently applied the ointment with a cotton ball. “Well, you’ve gotten away from them twice now. I’m sure they’re more than ticked off and more determined than ever to catch you. I wouldn’t be surprised if they just stayed in their demonic forms from now on so they’re stronger.”
    Tessa was right. They had warned her to not use her light shield again. And they were probably livid that