Read Online Demonstorm: Heart of a Vampire #6 by Amber Kallyn - Free Book Online

himself.
    “So what does something like that have to do with the current state of things?” he asked, hoping her answer would be “nothing”.
    She flattened her hands on her knees, staring at them. “Demon lore, kept hidden in our realm from prying eyes, speaks of a group of… beings… I guess. Sort of like gods, but not really. They’re just really old—Before Time old.”
    “Like the Titans of Greek mythology?”
    “Something like that, but older. They’re represented by two factions. Light, and dark. And every so often, they grow bored and once more begin their game of war.”
    “How often?” he asked.
    “According to legend, about every eight to ten thousand years. During the last war, Atlantis was decimated, all their knowledge and technology essentially lost. Some believe we’re repeating history, but that this time, the brewing war may wipe out all Arcaine, all of humanity. All realms.”
    “Why would they do such a thing?” he asked, incredulous. “Are both sides pure evil?”
    She blinked, shooting a startled gaze at him. “Evil? No. Like I said, they are old. So very old. We are beneath their consideration. Just as you would view a toy, they see us as such.”
    His mind couldn’t wrap around that. Gods, entities, that thought all of humanity and Arcaine to be played with?
    “So these… things are behind the breaking of truces lately?”
    “Essentially. They pick their players from both Arcaine and humans. Those who are already evil,” she shivered, “like Brüs, align to the dark. Others align to light.”
    “And then what? They gather us up and make us fight to the death?” As if they were toy soldiers rather than living beings, forced to maneuver on the fake battlefield of some child.
    “It’s not quite so simple. This is not a war where the two sides will meet any time soon. Rather, it’s more like chess. A match in which each side must successfully complete many, many tasks. Quests if you will. Gather people and items, both sides hoarding great power. Only after all that is done, do the factions as a whole come face to face.”
    Which left him where? Based on what Mayah said, they were in a shitload of trouble.
    How did one try to reason with entities older than time itself? They’d be looked at as annoying flies, not worth the bother.
    A war was brewing, and his clan was trying to stop it.
    But, with this new information, Sean was beginning to think it might be futile.
    * * *
    As the sun rose to a new day, Mayah woke, surprised she’d fallen asleep so easily with Sean nearby. She’d only known him for a handful of days, though they’d been stuck in his truck together. Alone.
    The only thing filling the endless drive was talking to each other. Mostly, of superficial things, but sometimes, she found herself relaxing. Sharing things that should be kept hidden.
    He too had opened up on occasion, giving her a glimpse of the man he was inside. A man who was beginning to draw out her admiration and respect. Dangerous feelings.
    She blinked at the scenery outside, a wide expanse of barren rolling hills, with towering snow-covered mountains so far in the distance they looked tiny.
    Since deciding to use his help and their earlier talk, it was as if something inside her had eased a little. Maybe it was the invisible note from Jezamine, telling her to trust Sean. Or maybe it was the way he’d treated her during the entire period she’d known him.
    He’d never once acted like he thought her beneath him. And the only time he’d tied her up had been when she’d fought him. Most men she’d known would have beaten her for daring to lay a hand on them. Would have shackled her the moment they found her trying to escape, if they’d waited that long.
    Not Sean.
    He truly acted like he was only there to help. Not command, not use for her abilities.
    Not yet, anyway.
    She couldn’t stop the whisper inside her saying that, just perhaps, he truly was more like her father and brothers than like