Read Online From the Ashes (Witches of The Demon Isle Book 8) by Rachel Humphrey-D'aigle - Free Book Online Page A

places, but alive to fight another day.”
    Mack attempted a warm smile, but inside, it was upside down and frigid.
    The Howards may have prevented dark magic from consuming the Isle, but another sort of darkness settled over them that didn’t feel as though it would lift, anytime soon.
    She showed them out.
    “Keep me posted.”
    “As always,” said Charlie. “We’ll contact you as soon as we find anything.”
    “Oh, I almost forgot. The cleaners finished emptying out the Jordan house. There’s a few things I’ve asked Josh to deliver directly to you guys.”
    “Like what?” Charlie wondered stiffly.
    “You’ll see when it gets there. Nothing that needs to be dealt with immediately. But potentially eye-opening.”
    “Sounds fun ,” Melinda retorted with a testy groan.
    “Let’s leave it at they were a couple of interesting people.”
    “That’s not the word I’d use,” muttered Charlie.
    They left the sheriff’s office and headed toward home.
    “Any thoughts on how to track a vampire?” asked Melinda quietly.
    “No. We’ve never had to before.”
    “Really bad timing for William to disappear. He could be of great help on this one,” she stated, no less determined to prove his innocence.
    “We will figure it out,” assured Charlie. “I’m just not sure where to start.”
    “If William were here, he’d start with…”
    “Research,” finished Charlie.
    “Books and stuff. Can you handle it?” she needled her brother, trying not to crack a grin.
    Charlie wasn’t known to have opened a book, possibly ever. He rolled his eyes, already bored and irritated at the idea.
    “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Lizzy you read a book. I hate to bring it up, but we could ask Lizzy and Lucas to help,” Melinda suggested.
    “Um, no. Let’s not. Yet…”
    “You’re going to have to face her, Charlie.”
    “But it doesn’t have to be today,” he insisted tersely.
    Melinda gave a start and stopped her brother. “Take it from someone who’s used that line more than once, the outcome is never the one you want.”
    He glowered and grumbled all the way back to the mansion.
    Melinda followed him into William’s study.
    So many books. No idea where to begin.
    William had always done the text selection. She often read and researched with him, but rarely ever picked out the books herself. Pathetic really, she thought now. She grazed her hand along the spines like a caress. Touching these books was almost like touching William. He’d read every single page in this library. Held each of these volumes in his hands, cool fingers shuffling through the pages. He’d assisted them with their jobs and saved their hides time after time because of his knowledge and countless hours spent researching.
    A thankless task.
    They never properly even thanked him, did they?
    William might not be standing in the study, but his presence covered everything. This space was William Wakefield. His body such a stable, comforting sight in this room. His strength like a powerful aura. Too bad not powerful enough to magically take her to the book she needed.
    “What are we even looking for?” Melinda queried her brother.
    “Let’s see, books about vampires, I guess. What we really need is a way to track or hunt a vampire. Books written by vampire hunters… is there such a thing?”
    How utterly ridiculous. Neither of them had enough knowledge about what their own damn library included. Or how the books were cataloged on the shelves.
    “Hey, maybe we should hire one of those?” Melinda was thinking aloud.
    “What? A vampire hunter?”
    “Yeah. They exist don’t they?”
    “Yeah, but, I don’t know. I mean, if it does happen to be William we’re hunting for, we don’t need a crazy one-minded vampire killer on the Isle.”
    “Ugh. Yeah. Good point.”
    “We’ll keep it mind as a plan Z,” decided Charlie. “If all else fails. Besides, we’re already capable of subduing a vampire once we find one.”
    “It’s just