Read Online Sunrise(Pact Arcanum 2) by Arshad Ahsanuddin - Free Book Online Page B

I routinely add that spell to any jumper block I cast.”
    Takeshi stepped closer, balling his fists. “Antonio,” he growled, “where are the others?”
    Antonio sagged with sudden exhaustion. “After you three opened your eyes, I added you to the spell. It was just habit, Takeshi. I never even noticed I cast the spell or I would have added them to the parameters. I swear it.”
    “You left them there to die?” Rory whispered.
    “I told you, Sentinel, there is little room in our lives for fairness.”
     
    April 2020; House Jiao-long Stronghold, Grand Mesa, Colorado
    Jiao-long Firstborn put down his brush and studied the eight portraits he had painted. The four Sentinels from the Denver quad he dismissed. Antonio, he knew from Alexandria. He focused his attention on the last three portraits: Rory, Ana, and Take.
    Turning to one of his Consuls, who was standing at attention, he pointed to the latter paintings. “The one in the center is named Takeshi Nakamura. Find him, and the other two, if they still live. Learn everything there is to know about them.”
    The Consul bowed. “Your will, Father.”
    Jiao-long reached out along the bloodline to the remaining vampires of his house. “My Children, we have lost much, but there will be a reckoning. Come to me, all of you, and together we will craft our vengeance.”
     

 
    JIAO-LONG FIRSTBORN
     

CHAPTER 7
     
    August 2020; Seattle, Washington; Four months later
    Rory filled his plate from the dinner buffet and returned to the private room of the hotel restaurant. God, it’s been a long tour, he thought. Between their stage show and their secret coordination of Sentinel activity in Asia and the western United States, it was no wonder he was tired. So far, no one in the vampire community had figured out who they actually were, thanks to Antonio acting as intermediary between Takeshi and most of the other Sentinels. Both the tour and this phase of the war were ending, however. Maybe now our lives might go back to being somewhat normal .
    “Mind if I join you?”
    Rory’s thoughts were interrupted by a teenager with an infectious grin. Not waiting for an answer, the kid sat down beside him, completely confident of his welcome .
    Rory smiled. “Of course.” He liked Nick Jameson, whose band, Prussian Blue, had joined the tour as an opening act. The young musician was a flirt, though, and as the tour had wound to a close, he had become more aggressive in pursuing Rory. Rory didn’t mind. It was harmless. If I can’t have Takeshi, why not play along? I’ll probably never get up the courage to tell Take about my feelings, anyway. Under normal circumstances his relationship with Take would have been resolved years ago, but while his best friend still gave him mixed signals, neither had time—especially not with their double lives—to make commitments. It’s just one more way the Gift screwed up everything. Snapping out of his reverie, he asked, “How are you doing today, Nick?”
    “Can’t complain. Tonight’s show went great. I’m looking forward to the end of the tour, though. How about you?” Nick dug into his salad as he waited for an answer.
    “It’ll be nice to go home for a while,” admitted Rory. “Less than a month and I can see my family again.”
    Nick raised his eyebrows. “You guys are the headliners. You couldn’t bring your families on tour with you?”
    “Unlike us, they’ve got ‘real’ jobs. They come out when they have time, but it isn’t often.” Rory took a sip of his beer. “Doing anything to celebrate the end of your first national tour?”
    “Not yet.” A sly expression crossed Nick’s face. “Would you care to join me for a private party?”
    Okay, enough is enough. “Nick, I like you.” Rory leaned forward. “Really. You’re cool.” He noticed Nick brighten at the unexpected compliment but pressed on. “But you’re seventeen years old, and I’m twenty-seven. Surely you realize nothing’s going to happen