Read Online Guardians (Chosen Trilogy Book 2) by David Leadbeater - Free Book Online
Authors: David Leadbeater
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fingers and toes. An elongated snout , high brows and fangs altered her face beyond recognition. The change gave her superhuman strength. Ken fell back as a powerful leg swatted at him. The wolf straddled Lilith, breathing hot air into her face. The message was clear.
Don’t move!
With jaws gnashing and ripping, Felicia ripped the thick limbs to shreds. Such was their sudden agony that they retreated reflexively, zooming back toward the house and filling the air with their protracted agonies. Felicia sat back and howled, a sound of gratification and victory, and pure with the thrill of freedom. Wild, untamed, this wolf-woman would never accept slavery. Ken helped Lilith to her feet, his heart suddenly taken by another.
“Th . . . thanks,” she whispered. “I . . . I don’t know why they picked on me.”
“Never mind that.” Ken waved the way ahead. “Let’s go.”
Felicia loped beside them for a minute then gradually began to change back into human form. Ken quickly moved to help her tie some of the rips in her clothes together to keep her modesty. Felicia swatted him away.
“Stop that. I’m used to it. I can do it quicker alone.”
The vamps were waiting. Ken watched their faces carefully, wondering if any of them would come up with the inevitable put-down— good dog. If they did he was ready to step up to her defense.
What had they done to help?
But Eliza briefly inclined her head before nodding over the blasted expanse of the playground. “Shall we continue?”
Lilith brushed herself off. “Another half day and we should reach the secret way. The fifth hell.” She shook her head. “Well, they only get worse from here on down.”
“I can hardly wait.” Ken shrugged.
“The scent left by Dementia does not extend this far,” Felicia told them. “When we were by the grand staircase I sensed it strongly. She definitely descended below the fifth hell, but beyond that we should try to regain her spore.”
Ken noticed Lilith’s eyes light up. It seemed that she was about to say something, maybe give them a clue as to where Dementia might go, but then the dark clouds descended over her eyes and she clammed up. Ken said nothing. In time, he knew, she would learn to trust them.
He just hoped they lived long enough to see the day.
SEVEN
I walked back through the lobby of our hotel, unable to speak. The journey back had been made in a terrible, heavy silence. All except for Natalie Trevochet, who wept uncontrollably. I still couldn’t get out of my head the fact that I had once left her to die, to be strangled by a rope, as I leaped to save Belinda. Of course, I had assumed someone else would save her—and they had—but that was far from the point. Johnny and I had come to an uneasy truce. Now, we had not only lost Johnny, but the demon Asmodeus and the artefact. Another of the Chosen had fallen, one of the major players, and we were lagging far behind in this apocalyptic race.
I entered our rented conference room. One whole side was laid out with an American buffet breakfast, many bowls lined up along a white-sheeted table. I headed for the water cooler, not trusting my stomach to keep the food down. Not surprisingly there were bottles of Budweiser and miniatures of Jim Bean and Southern Comfort lined up near the corner and I stopped as if recognizing an old friend, mesmerized.
Lucy tugged my arm. “No. Not now. They need you more than ever.”
I grimaced, not moving. I latched on immediately to the word she hadn’t spoken. She hadn’t said I need you. She’d said they need you. I felt sadness swamp me and thought irritably that Ceriden and Ethan must be close by. Damn it all. If the whole world didn’t need the Chosen right now I’d take my daughter and get well away. Take her to some place where all this madness was a distant memory, a nightmare. But I was trapped.
Wasn’t I?
The gleam of the bottles seemed so much brighter, that much more enticing. Before I knew it I had
Don’t move!
With jaws gnashing and ripping, Felicia ripped the thick limbs to shreds. Such was their sudden agony that they retreated reflexively, zooming back toward the house and filling the air with their protracted agonies. Felicia sat back and howled, a sound of gratification and victory, and pure with the thrill of freedom. Wild, untamed, this wolf-woman would never accept slavery. Ken helped Lilith to her feet, his heart suddenly taken by another.
“Th . . . thanks,” she whispered. “I . . . I don’t know why they picked on me.”
“Never mind that.” Ken waved the way ahead. “Let’s go.”
Felicia loped beside them for a minute then gradually began to change back into human form. Ken quickly moved to help her tie some of the rips in her clothes together to keep her modesty. Felicia swatted him away.
“Stop that. I’m used to it. I can do it quicker alone.”
The vamps were waiting. Ken watched their faces carefully, wondering if any of them would come up with the inevitable put-down— good dog. If they did he was ready to step up to her defense.
What had they done to help?
But Eliza briefly inclined her head before nodding over the blasted expanse of the playground. “Shall we continue?”
Lilith brushed herself off. “Another half day and we should reach the secret way. The fifth hell.” She shook her head. “Well, they only get worse from here on down.”
“I can hardly wait.” Ken shrugged.
“The scent left by Dementia does not extend this far,” Felicia told them. “When we were by the grand staircase I sensed it strongly. She definitely descended below the fifth hell, but beyond that we should try to regain her spore.”
Ken noticed Lilith’s eyes light up. It seemed that she was about to say something, maybe give them a clue as to where Dementia might go, but then the dark clouds descended over her eyes and she clammed up. Ken said nothing. In time, he knew, she would learn to trust them.
He just hoped they lived long enough to see the day.
SEVEN
I walked back through the lobby of our hotel, unable to speak. The journey back had been made in a terrible, heavy silence. All except for Natalie Trevochet, who wept uncontrollably. I still couldn’t get out of my head the fact that I had once left her to die, to be strangled by a rope, as I leaped to save Belinda. Of course, I had assumed someone else would save her—and they had—but that was far from the point. Johnny and I had come to an uneasy truce. Now, we had not only lost Johnny, but the demon Asmodeus and the artefact. Another of the Chosen had fallen, one of the major players, and we were lagging far behind in this apocalyptic race.
I entered our rented conference room. One whole side was laid out with an American buffet breakfast, many bowls lined up along a white-sheeted table. I headed for the water cooler, not trusting my stomach to keep the food down. Not surprisingly there were bottles of Budweiser and miniatures of Jim Bean and Southern Comfort lined up near the corner and I stopped as if recognizing an old friend, mesmerized.
Lucy tugged my arm. “No. Not now. They need you more than ever.”
I grimaced, not moving. I latched on immediately to the word she hadn’t spoken. She hadn’t said I need you. She’d said they need you. I felt sadness swamp me and thought irritably that Ceriden and Ethan must be close by. Damn it all. If the whole world didn’t need the Chosen right now I’d take my daughter and get well away. Take her to some place where all this madness was a distant memory, a nightmare. But I was trapped.
Wasn’t I?
The gleam of the bottles seemed so much brighter, that much more enticing. Before I knew it I had
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