Read Online Descendant by Lesley Livingston - Free Book Online

find his father and do damage control. The old man is going to be wanting to know just exactly what happened to his little girl, and why his bridge to Asgard suddenly vaporized.”
    “So I’m guessing we have no idea who would’ve wanted the bridge destroyed.”
    “Not a clue.” The ancient god shook his head. “Well . . . aside from everyone who knew that it was actually a secret gateway to another realm—and who didn’t necessarily want anyone else using it to go there. Iguess.”
    “Wouldn’t it have made more sense, in that case, to blow it up before anyone decided to use it as Bifrost?”
    Maddox and Rafe exchanged shrugs.
    “Right.” Fennrys eased himself off the edge of the table and stood.
    “Where are you going?”
    “I have to find Mason.”
    Rafe just raised an eyebrow at him as he wavered a bit on his feet.
    “Wait . . .” Maddox reached behind him and retrieved something from a sideboard that he handed to Fennrys. It was a knife. More like a short sword, really. The hilt was plain but with a good strong grip and, knowing Maddox, the blade was doubtless sharp enough to shave with. It was housed in a sturdy leather sheath that the wearer could attach to a belt and tie down to their leg for ease of movement if necessary—which Fennrys proceeded to do. “Thought you might need a loaner. Rafe told me you left your standby buried hilt-deep in monster brains.”
    “Yeah. I did,” Fennrys grunted as he tied the thong securely above his knee. “I liked that knife, too.” He checked the hang of the sheath, making sure the knife was secure but ready to draw. “What are you doing here, Maddox?”
    “Kind of a lucky coincidence, really.” The other Janus Guard shrugged. “Chloe’s been singing in the club, and I come to listen. When Rafe dragged your sorry carcass in tonight, he asked if I could find someone to get you fixed up. So I went down to the reservoir—the Faerie sanctuary in the park—and found Webber.”
    “Thanks.” Fennrys nodded, grateful and a little surprised. He and Maddox had never been close. But then, Fennrys had never been close with any of the Janus Guards. “Nice to see you again, Madd.”
    “Yeah . . . you, too.” The tall, sandy-haired young man with the open, trustworthy face grinned. “Um. Surprising , y’know . . . what with you being dead an’ all. But nice.”
    Fennrys noticed that Maddox was staring at the rapidly healing, but still bright-pink scar that marked the bullet’s point of entry into Fenn’s shoulder. He stood still as Madd’s professionally appraising gaze traveled over the puncture marks from Scylla’s teeth. Then over the bruises and various abrasions mapping Fenn’s torso, most acquired from his fall off the train car. Maddox winced a bit with the noting of each injury, but his eyes narrowed and his brows drew together when he noticed the scars,both reasonably fresh and time-worn, that circled his wrists.
    “So, boyo . . .” The Janus Guard shook his head. “Had a few adventures in your time away, I see.”
    “Could say that, I suppose,” Fennrys muttered.
    “You’ve never done anything by half measures, have you?”
    Fennrys sighed and offered up a weary, watery grin. “If I’d ever been given the opportunity to? I might have. But I sort of doubt it.”
    “True enough.” Maddox laughed.
    A moment of silence stretched out between the two, and then Fennrys asked, “How is . . . everyone?”
    Maddox gazed at him steadily and said, “Everyone is fine. Happy. Busy. Most of them are back in the Otherworld at the moment. Strengthening defenses.”
    Fennrys frowned. “Why would they need to do that?”
    “Because of the rift that’s opened up between the realms. There’ve been . . . incursions.” Maddox shrugged. “Remember North Brother Island?”
    How could Fennrys forget? It was the place he’d died. A forsaken lump of rock that had once jutted out of the East River—in plain sight of the Hell Gate Bridge, in