Read Online Descending (The Rising Series) by Holly Kelly - Free Book Online Page A

her. The anger radiating off Xanthus was impossible to miss. Kyros stood to meet his angry glare.
    Xanthus made a beeline for Kyros, grabbed him by his shirt, and slammed him up against the wall. “Tell me she’s going to live!”
    Gretchen could hear a nurse call for security. One of Xanthus’s friends responded to the nurse’s concern and seemed to be trying to calm her.
    Kyros absorbed the blow and the anger. “She is ,” Kyros said. “The doctors say she’ll be fine. Nothing vital was hit. She’s expected to make a full recovery.”
    Xanthus loosened his grip, and his shoulders sagged. “What happened?”
    “Someone tried to shoot Gretchen. Sara pushed her out of the way and caught the bullet. As far as we could figure, the shooter came from a boat in the harbor.”
    “But Sara’s going to be all right? She’ll sustain no permanent damage?” Xanthus asked.
    “She ’s going to be fine.”
    Xanthus sighed, his breathing haggard. “How much longer until I can see her?”
    “They said it will be at least another hour,” Kyros said.
    Xanthus sank into a chair. “She was shot,” he said again, as if trying to wrap his mind around the situation. “Someone shot her. Who could have done this?”
    Gretchen stood. Her legs wobbled a bit . She felt weak. “Xanthus, I’m sorry. This is my fault…” Her voice caught, thick with emotion.
    “Do you know who did this?” Xanthus asked , his voice laced with anger.
    Kyros put out his hand to hold her back. She could feel the warmth of his body as he stepped behind her.
    She shook her head. “No.”
    “What about Hal?” Xanthus asked.
    She blew out a quick breath. “No way. He hates guns. This doesn’t make sense. Who would want to kill me?”
    “Could it be she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time?” Kyros asked Xanthus.
    Xanthus pursed his lips. “Could be.”
    “Until we find out for sure,” Xanthus said, “I want Sara guarded at all times. I’m having trouble getting a hold of her father . I’ve a feeling when he finds out, he’ll want her close to him and I’ll need to stay with my wife.”
    “What about Gretchen?” Kyros asked.
    Xanthus looked at her. “Until we know any different, we’ll assume she was the target. You and the others will take turns guarding her, and I’ll have Drakōn hunt down the shooter.”
    “Just make sure he doesn’t kill him too quickly,” Kyros said. “We need information.”
    Gretchen’s eyes widened as she turned back to Kyros. “Nobody’s going to be killing anybody.”
    Kyros raised his eyebrow as his eyes darted between Gretchen and Xanthus. “Right.”
    She turned to face him straight on. “No. Really. No one is killing anyone. What kind of people are you?”
    He gave her a hard look that chilled her to the bone. “You don’t want to know.”
    She believed him.

    Sara had sacrificed herself for someone she cared about, and she’d nearly lost her life doing it. The thought made Kyros’s head hurt. He padded down the hallway, through the darkness. The entire house slept. Well, except for Drakōn. Who knows where his investigation would take him? But Kyros knew his friend wouldn’t rest until he found the person responsible.
    Stepping into the library, he switched on the light and sat down at the desk. He pulled the ancient book out of the drawer he’d placed it in.
    He flipped open the pages, reading the headings. He paused when he came to “The Mer: Myths and Fallacies.” Maybe he could find some answers there.
    “Myth #1: The song of the Mer proceeds death.
    “The Truth: While this is often true, death is not necessarily imminent. The song of the Mer is used to control its victims. Oft times the hearer is not killed immediately. If motives of Mer are benign, the song may be used merely to entertain. The Mer may influence the hearer to perform various acts, depending on his or her whims. If the motives are more sinister, the Mer may convince the hearer to drown or kill themselves