Read Online Sorceress Awakening by Lisa Blackwood - Free Book Online

his talons on the
male’s forehead and commanded him to sleep. The smaller male lost consciousness
a moment later. Quiet returned to the yard and he turned to seek his lady.
    Lillian watched him with an expression of
horror, like he’d expect to see if he’d eaten her beloved brother. He didn’t
know what he’d done to earn such a look. He glanced over his shoulder to the
body laying a few feet from where he stood. It continued its change, and was
quite hideous to behold. Surely not. She must realize this wasn’t his fault.
The fool had stolen his blood. It was out of his hands.
    Her look of horror changed to one of rage .
. . oh, perhaps she did believe him responsible. Stupid, magic-starved
unicorns. Unfortunately, killing this one would be a waste of magic so he let
the equine continue to drink from the well of his power.
    “Jason, no!” The old woman’s warning wasn’t
necessary. Jason’s progress was reminiscent of a wounded deer crashing through
thick undergrowth. Gregory whirled around, realizing as he did the human could
see him and was heading directly toward him. He was weaker than he thought if
the unicorn had already drank enough of his magic that he couldn’t hide himself
in shadow. Seconds later, the human was upon him, swinging a quarterstaff, and
Gregory didn’t have time to worry.
    Jason swept the quarterstaff at Gregory’s
legs, forcing him to leap out of the way. While still in the air, he snapped
his tail around the human’s quarterstaff. With an abrupt heave, he tugged the
human off balance. Jason cursed. In an agile move, the human twisted in midair
and landed a kick to Gregory’s ribs. Then the youngling released his hold on
the quarterstaff and lunged away.
    “There was no evil within him,” Jason
cried. “He was my friend.” Drawing his knife, he continued to circle.
    Gregory rubbed at his abused ribs and
tracked the human with narrowed eyes. So far he’d been gentle on this human
because the Sorceress would be angry if he damaged her brother, but he was
starting to care less about niceties as his annoyance of this strange land and
its people grew. First, he’d been attacked by the creatures of darkness, then
by a crazed unicorn, and now a cocky human child challenged him. This was an
odd realm.
    Jason came at him again.
    “Enough!” Gregory snarled. He grabbed the
human by the shoulders and lifted him into the air. He jerked the dagger from
Jason’s hand and flung it away. Then, uncaring if he clawed the fool of a human
to shreds, Gregory roughly turned him until he was suspended upside down above
where the unicorn rested, exhausted from the change, but whole.
    “ Not — my — doing .”
Gregory punctuated each word by shaking the human. “He stole my magic. To stop
him would have killed him. He did this to himself. But if you continue, I will
damage you. Mortal, do you understand me?”
    “Yes,” Jason moaned.
    “Are you sure?”
    “Yes.” He sounded weaker. “I think I’m
going to be sick.”
    Gregory deposited the human on the ground
next to his unicorn friend. They were both crazy. It might be contagious.
Turning, he ran into Lillian. She glanced beyond him to the unicorn, concern
drawing her eyebrows together.
    “What did you do to him, and why?”
    “I did nothing. He stole my blood so he
could return to his true form. Did you not know your brother’s friend was a
unicorn?”
    She mouthed his words, and then shook her
head, looking lost. Her skin was paler than before, and he worried shock was
setting in. His suspicions were confirmed when she started to shiver. He pulled
her closer until her smaller frame was a solid line against his side, and then
wrapped a wing around her shoulders. She leaned into his warmth and didn’t look
up at her grandmother’s approach.
    “Forgive my grandson and his friend,
ancient one,” Lillian’s grandmother said. An elegant bow accompanied her formal
greeting. “You may call me Vivian, and as you can guess by the evil