Demon Day Penelope Fletcher (which ebook reader TXT) 📖

my mouth to lash him withwords, I took a moment to think on it. I gritted my teeth becausehe was right. Damn it to hell. I nodded sharply.

Alec returned the nod, went to speakbut his mouth opened, and stayed there, his whole body locked uptight. His fingers dug painfully into my shoulder and he closed hiseyes. His head snapped round and he wrapped his hand around myupper arm to hold me still. I shifted, crunching leaves under footand he snarled at me quietly, eyes glowing, the pupils becomingslitted. His canines lengthened as I watched. His nose flattenedeven as his chin lengthened and his ears pulled back, smoothlycurving to triangles. He snarled again, crouching.

He did not need to tell me trouble wasclose because I heard a sharp intake of breath on the wind anddropped to the ground myself. Instinctively I reached to theSource, a sun of brilliant light and heat that seemed nowhere andeverywhere, a power that was mine to grasp despite how foolishly Ihad used it in the past.

Alec sniffed deeply, tasting the airand shuddered. “How did they get so close? Sentries are postedacross the Pride border.”

A hoof fall was within normal humanhearing distance, and the warm smell of hay and horse curled intomy nostrils. I listened carefully and heard the steady clomp,clomp, clomp of horse hooves.

My heart rate pumped double time and Istruggled to come to terms with what was happening.

Clerics were on Pride land.

I stilled, my mouth dry, and heartheavy, “Unless they died before they could raise thealarm.”

The rumble that thundered from Alec’schest was not human. “I’m going to Change,” he rasped and hunchedover, stripping off his trousers and leaving them in a crumpledheap.

The shrubbery crackled, and throughthe tree line, I saw them. They were too close. I glanced at Alec,back already snapping, and joints popping. His spine exploded outwith the extra vertebrate of his tail, and was covered over with asweep of skin and hair. His mouth was closed and he quivered withthe effort of not crying out.

They could not find him here likethis. If they did….

In a burst of speed, I darted forwardquickly locating the two Clerics trawling the undergrowth from thebacks of two freakishly large stallions. Snuffling the floor attheir feet were bloodhounds. None of them reacted to me. I hadmoved so fast they hadn’t seen me, nor had their dogs scented meyet.

Behind the backside of one horse –entangled in a net and dragged carelessly across the floor – wasthe body of a young shifter, a tiger. The bubble of disgust andanguish started in my stomach, rolled up my torso, forced its wayout my throat, and exploded in my mouth. I screamed, long and loud.I was so horrified by the dead shifter youngling it was easy toproject the fear and terror into my voice.

The Clerics heads snapped to me, gunscoming up to point in my direction. I bolted. The dogs sprang atme; barking, and jaws snapping.

I kept my speed fast enough to avoidcapture, but slow enough so they would be tempted to give chase.Hearing them urge their steeds into gallops I kept going, knowing Iwas headed somewhere high, somewhere near water.

Damn it, yet again I was running fromthe Clerics, and yet again, I was terrified, but gods help me Iwould not let them take Alec like they had taken Maeve.

Leaving the forest treeline, I spedout of the tall grass, smelt the lake up ahead. Chest heaving frompanic rather than physical exertion, I scowled when I saw Clericswere posted along the opposite bank. I careened to a stop, spinninground. The crimson red of the blazers were visible behind me,bouncing up and down wildly, so I changed direction and darted backinto the grass.

A fierce growl pierced the morningair, Alec calling for help.

Fueled by the need to get to him andensure his safety, I ran faster, no longer worried whether thosepursuing me would not be able to see me let alone catchme.

Alec launched himself on a Cleric,ivory teeth bared until they disappeared into the man’s exposedthroat, throwing his head back to rip it out. The horse prancedmadly as the Cleric rolled from his saddle and was dead before hehit the floor. Alec was already a pace away, leaping on the nexttrespasser who was a woman, mounted on a huge black stallion. Herhood was up and cast a shadow over her profile. She raised her gunas the horse danced beneath her, neighing loudly, and kicking hisforelegs when Alec pounced back and forth, snapping at hisfetlocks.

There was a loud crack, the smell ofgunpowder. Alec screamed – the sound oddly human.

“No!”

I threw myself toward them when thehorse kicked Alec away and sent his body hurtling through the air.He twisted and landed on his paws, but his legs buckled and hisbrawny body hit the floor. He scrunched his eyes shut andshuddered, blood on the ground from his wounded side.

Falling to my knees, I clasped hishead in my hand and patted him softly. I was relieved when his eyesslitted open then focused, jeweled irises trained on the Clericbehind me.

I shot a glare over my shoulder andthe Lady Cleric pulled on the reigns so the horse backed up, hergun was pointed at Alec’s face. I froze, but my tail thrashedbehind me like a whip.

“Back away from him and getdown on the ground,” she said calmly.

I did not move trying to think fast,but coming up with blank spaces and images of Alec’s brainsplattered all over the floor. I let go of his head and pushed himdown when he struggled to stand. He whined, fearful for me, and Irubbed him behind the ear.

“Don’t worry,” I mutteredin a voice too low for the Cleric to hear, but by the way his earsswiveled forward Alec heard. “I’m thinking of a plan.”

Standing I stepped away from Alec,eyeing her distrustfully. “I’m not your enemy.”

Another horse trotted up behind me,with a haughty faced Cleric. Neither of them looked familiar to me,nor particularly memorable in any way.

“Leave Brother Ryan’s body,it’ll just slow us down,” he said tonelessly. “Leave the shifter,the tiger specimen is enough for now. And we have the other two.Take