Read Online Hunter by S.J. Bryant - Free Book Online

they'd
been prepared. There was no way he could have foreseen their
weapons. Sawdust and toothpicks? He had no doubt that the
bitch-woman was behind it. Now she was responsible for not just his
dear Laticia's death, but seven of his companions' as
well.
    Corvus and
Selene ran along empty streets, blurring in and out of the glow of
street lamps. Corvus's mouth hung open and his sharp teeth glinted
in the moonlight. The black slug pulsated inside his mouth,
shimmering.
    Selene looked
good when she was running. The hunched shoulders she normally
sported were gone, revealing her long neck and sleek muscles. The
sight was enough to draw Corvus away from his thoughts, at least
for a few moments.
    An hour after
running from the restaurant they came to the front of the large
Helliot hotel. It was one of the classiest on Boullion Five. The
tower rose up into the night sky, lights sparkling. The golden
balconies gleamed amid the darkness and the parking garage was
filled with the most expensive ships money could buy.
    "Pamielle and
Gregor are here," Selene said, bowing her head to a dark area at
the left side of the hotel.
    "And Winton
and Annabel," Corvus said, nodding to another deep shadow near the
parking bay. He grabbed hold of Selene's hand and walked with her
towards the second pair, deliberately away from Pamielle. Selene's
hand was warm in his when he grasped it and he enjoyed the feel of
it. It would never be the same as Laticia's, but it was better than
nothing.
    A few minutes
later the rest of his coven arrived, running from different areas
of the city. They swept into the shadows of the building on silent
feet. Their eyes glinted in the darkness and each of them nodded to
Corvus before taking their place behind him. He looked out at the
hotel lobby. There were lots of cattle out tonight, moving from
place to place. He drew in a deep breath and stepped out of the
shadows.
     
    ***
     
    The lecheons
crept single-file to the side door of the hotel. Selene went first;
her eyes scanned every inch of the stairway before she moved up.
The others followed behind. They moved with barely a whisper of
noise, climbing higher into the hotel.
    Corvus cursed
the need for secrecy. He would have preferred to burst into the
hotel lobby and feast on every fat meal sitting there. But he
couldn't, not yet at least. These humans were better prepared than
he thought. He needed to get rid of the hunter bitch, and the fat
inspector. After that, he and his coven would own Boullion Five.
Then he wouldn't be reduced to climbing through service stairs like
a common whore. He owned the damned penthouse of this hotel and yet
here he was climbing dusty stairs that smelled like a dead
rat.
    There had
been a time when just the sound of his name would have brought
every worker in the hotel to their knees. They used to grovel at
his feet, begging for a favour or a job. He clenched his hands into
fists. Those days would return; he'd make sure of it.
    The dark
stairs continued up for what felt like an eternity, even with the
lecheon's fast steps. They leapt the stairs, two or three at a
time. Sometimes they stopped to listen but it was too late at night
for anyone to be using the service stairs.
    They climbed
all the way to the very top where a non-descript white door met
them with a single lock. Corvus had seen the door a hundred times.
He lifted his necklace and inserted a thick black key. It clicked
into place and the door swung open.
    It moved
silently on well-oiled hinges. Beyond the door lay an empty
corridor. Rich, red carpet lined the floor and every few metres the
walls had been decorated with paintings in expensive gold
frames.
    Corvus took
the lead and marched down the opulent corridor. He ignored the
paintings. There were too many memories in them. How many times had
he admired the artwork with Laticia at his side? Now all they held
was pain.
    Halfway down
the corridor was another door decorated with a single gold letter:
C.
    Corvus took
another key