Read Online The Peregrine Omnibus, Volume Two by Barry Reese - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Barry Reese
Tags: General Fiction
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watching him with teeth bared. “Back away from the girl,” the officer warned, pointing his gun at the monster. “Or I swear to God I’ll blow your head off.”
The Golden Goblin lowered his arm, panting. He smiled cruelly and leaned his neck forward, opening his mouth wide. A plume of yellow-black flame jetted forth, enveloping the brave officer. The man began howling in agony, staggering back and waving his arms wildly. His gun discharged, firing straight up.
The Goblin turned and ran, throwing himself up the side of a building in a jump that no human could have made. He slammed his fingertips into the brick, creating handholds for himself, and ascended until he was out of view.
Sally scrambled to her knees, pulling together the rest of her papers. It looked like the Goblin might have gotten away with perhaps two-thirds of her accumulated information, but that still left enough evidence for her to convince her employer of the danger they all faced.
She looked over at the police officer, who was being patted down with a heavy blanket by his partner. It looked like the poor man was dead… and Sally knew that, unfortunately, this was only the beginning.
She slipped away, not waiting to share her knowledge with the police. She had to find Max Davies before it was too late…
CHAPTER III
Prophecies Revealed
The Next Morning. 7:35 A.M.
William Davies was four years old and looked like the perfect combination of his parents. From his father he’d inherited the slightly olive complexion that marked their Mediterranean heritage, but his mother gave him auburn curls and sparkling green eyes. He was a handsome child with an easy smile and large amounts of energy. He stared down at his baby sister’s face with an awestruck expression on his face, his intelligent eyes gleaming. “She’s so little,” he whispered, afraid that he’d wake her from her nap.
Max stood beside his son, one hand resting on the boy’s shoulder. “You were that little once, too.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I remember it like it was yesterday.” Max heard movement behind them and he glanced over his shoulder to see Evelyn standing in the doorway to the nursery. She looked beautiful but tired. Her robe was tied loosely in the front and she had a wistful expression on her face. Max had turned forty-three earlier this year, and Evelyn was now almost thirty-six, but when he looked at her, he felt like a high school boy gawking at the prettiest girl in school. “Hi, honey,” he said, keeping his voice low.
“What are you two doing?” Evelyn asked, moving up close to Max.
“We’re watching Emma sleep,” William replied. He looked up at his mother. “When she wakes up, can I hold her?”
“Maybe if your daddy helps you.” Evelyn kissed Max on the cheek. She’d had a rough time with Emma’s birth, much harder than with William. In the week since their family had grown by one, she’d been informed by the doctors that it would be in her best interests to avoid pregnancy in the future.
“How are you feeling?” Max wanted to know.
“Better. Still a little tired.”
“Nettie says you didn’t eat much at breakfast.”
Evelyn rolled her eyes. “Nettie gossips way too much for a maid. I wasn’t very hungry. That’s all.”
William laughed as Emma turned in her sleep. The noise made the baby’s eyelids flutter but she didn’t wake up.
“C’mon,” Max said, tugging at his little boy’s arm. “We don’t want to wake her.”
The three of them had just stepped out and closed the door when Nettie appeared at the stairwell, having come up from downstairs. Nettie was an old, old woman who refused to divulge her true age, but her wrinkled skin clung to the bones of her body, outlining each and every one of them. Despite the fragility of her appearance, she had a core of steel that allowed her to survive in the often volatile Davies household. “Mr. Davies, there’s a woman here to see you. I ain’t never seen her before but
The Golden Goblin lowered his arm, panting. He smiled cruelly and leaned his neck forward, opening his mouth wide. A plume of yellow-black flame jetted forth, enveloping the brave officer. The man began howling in agony, staggering back and waving his arms wildly. His gun discharged, firing straight up.
The Goblin turned and ran, throwing himself up the side of a building in a jump that no human could have made. He slammed his fingertips into the brick, creating handholds for himself, and ascended until he was out of view.
Sally scrambled to her knees, pulling together the rest of her papers. It looked like the Goblin might have gotten away with perhaps two-thirds of her accumulated information, but that still left enough evidence for her to convince her employer of the danger they all faced.
She looked over at the police officer, who was being patted down with a heavy blanket by his partner. It looked like the poor man was dead… and Sally knew that, unfortunately, this was only the beginning.
She slipped away, not waiting to share her knowledge with the police. She had to find Max Davies before it was too late…
CHAPTER III
Prophecies Revealed
The Next Morning. 7:35 A.M.
William Davies was four years old and looked like the perfect combination of his parents. From his father he’d inherited the slightly olive complexion that marked their Mediterranean heritage, but his mother gave him auburn curls and sparkling green eyes. He was a handsome child with an easy smile and large amounts of energy. He stared down at his baby sister’s face with an awestruck expression on his face, his intelligent eyes gleaming. “She’s so little,” he whispered, afraid that he’d wake her from her nap.
Max stood beside his son, one hand resting on the boy’s shoulder. “You were that little once, too.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I remember it like it was yesterday.” Max heard movement behind them and he glanced over his shoulder to see Evelyn standing in the doorway to the nursery. She looked beautiful but tired. Her robe was tied loosely in the front and she had a wistful expression on her face. Max had turned forty-three earlier this year, and Evelyn was now almost thirty-six, but when he looked at her, he felt like a high school boy gawking at the prettiest girl in school. “Hi, honey,” he said, keeping his voice low.
“What are you two doing?” Evelyn asked, moving up close to Max.
“We’re watching Emma sleep,” William replied. He looked up at his mother. “When she wakes up, can I hold her?”
“Maybe if your daddy helps you.” Evelyn kissed Max on the cheek. She’d had a rough time with Emma’s birth, much harder than with William. In the week since their family had grown by one, she’d been informed by the doctors that it would be in her best interests to avoid pregnancy in the future.
“How are you feeling?” Max wanted to know.
“Better. Still a little tired.”
“Nettie says you didn’t eat much at breakfast.”
Evelyn rolled her eyes. “Nettie gossips way too much for a maid. I wasn’t very hungry. That’s all.”
William laughed as Emma turned in her sleep. The noise made the baby’s eyelids flutter but she didn’t wake up.
“C’mon,” Max said, tugging at his little boy’s arm. “We don’t want to wake her.”
The three of them had just stepped out and closed the door when Nettie appeared at the stairwell, having come up from downstairs. Nettie was an old, old woman who refused to divulge her true age, but her wrinkled skin clung to the bones of her body, outlining each and every one of them. Despite the fragility of her appearance, she had a core of steel that allowed her to survive in the often volatile Davies household. “Mr. Davies, there’s a woman here to see you. I ain’t never seen her before but
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