Read Online Dr. Wolf, the Fae Rift Series Book 2- Demon Spiral by Cheree Alsop - Free Book Online Page B

until the sun was directly overhead.
    Aleric crossed the floor, his steps leaden. He sat down near Dartan, his gaze on the light.
    Dartan cleared his throat. “So, Wolfie, what’s with you getting all intense when I mentioned your father before?”
    “I don’t want to talk about it,” Aleric said.
    “I didn’t imagine I would die in a cement cell with a flea-bitten mutt as my only friend,” Dartan shot back. “I win, so get talking.”
    “I don’t know if I’d call it a win,” Aleric said. He glanced at Dartan. The vampire’s gaze didn’t move from the sunlight. Aleric sighed. “Fine. I didn’t get along with my dad.”
    “Didn’t get along as in, ‘I dye my fur to express myself and my father just doesn’t understand?’” Dartan pressed.
    Aleric traced a scar on the back of one of his hands. “Didn’t get along as in, ‘My father blamed me for my mother’s death and tried to sell me to Grimmel before her funeral.’”
    “Grimmel the Grunt Troll? Owner of the Sludge factories?”
    “That’s the one,” Aleric replied, keeping his voice level.
    Dartan was silent for a moment, then said, “That’s harsh.” He glanced at Aleric. “Did you kill her?”
    Aleric stared at him.
    Dartan cracked a smile. “I’m kidding. Seriously. You couldn’t kill an imp if you tried, let alone your own mother.”
    Aleric shook his head. “You’re ridiculous.”
    “Your father selling you to Grimmel is ridiculous. Even my father would rather just poison me and leave me to die in the sunlight. Going to Grimmel’s is harsh. I hear the orphans who don’t work hard enough are fed to those who do.”
    “That’s disgusting,” Aleric said.
    Dartan lifted his shoulders. “That could’ve been you. You’re kind-of a wimp.”
    Aleric let out a sound of disbelief. “This from a vampire who can’t stand an hour in the sun without dying.”
    “That’s all vampires,” Dartan replied dryly.
    “And your father thinks you’re the superior race,” Aleric said with a snort.
    That brought a weak smile to Dartan’s face.
    Aleric scrutinized him. Dartan’s eyes were so red they practically glowed. His face was so pale Aleric could see the outlines of the bones beneath. The fact that there was no color to the skin to reveal the veins said a lot about the state his friend was in. “You look terrible,” he said.
    “Oh, good,” Dartan replied. “I was beginning to worry I wasn’t a real vampire.” He hunched over and a groan escaped him.
    “Are you alright?” Aleric asked in alarm.
    Dartan shook his head. His voice was tight when he replied. “For some reason, my body devouring itself isn’t a pleasant sensation. I can feel my organs shutting down.”
    As Aleric watched, the vampire pulled his knees close and rested his forehead on them. His hands clung weakly to his legs.
    “Dartan, stay with me,” Aleric said.
    The vampire didn’t answer.
    Aleric watched the sunlight draw closer. With each hour, the sound of Dartan’s breaths became weaker as though even the light reflecting off the cement was enough to progress his deterioration. Aleric knew that if he offered for Dartan to drink his blood, the vampire would refuse. The only chance he had to save his friend was to wait until Dartan was too weak to refuse. Aleric concentrated on what passed for the vampire’s heartbeat. The steady whooshing became fainter until Aleric couldn’t take it any longer.
    “Dartan, drink my blood,” Aleric said.
    He thought the vampire wouldn’t respond. The dry rasp of Dartan’s voice sounded like a fall breeze through the last leaves that clung stubbornly to their branch and refused to join the others on the cold, hard ground.
    “Don’t…tempt…me.”
    Aleric held out his wrist. “Do it. Now. I’m not going to sit here and watch you die.”
    “Yes…you are,” Dartan replied without lifting his head.
    Aleric waved his hand in front of the vampire. “Come on. You know you need it.”
    Dartan moved his head