Demon Day Penelope Fletcher (which ebook reader TXT) 📖

Breandan caught my gaze and his ownwarmed, caressed my face even as his thumb rubbed the inside of mypalm.

Stomping boots broke our moment ofpeace as Conall darted up to us to stand a few paces away. His gazeroamed over me in concern, mouth pulled down into a scowl. He wascovered in patches of gore, and long wisps of dark hair from hisponytail trailed down his face and neck.

I assured him wordlessly that I wasokay, and touched the back of his hand gently, an apology evidentin my eyes for scaring him so deeply.

Pale faced and exhausted, Ana hunglimply over his shoulder like a sack of grain. “Can I get downnow?” she squeaked.

Breaking eye contact with me, he sether down carefully, and the first thing she did was stick hertongue out at him then me. She dusted herself off and crossed herarms over her chest, still looking hot, bothered, andembarrassed.

Before I could apologize, Lex stumbledinto sight. Her chalk white skin was splattered with crimson fromchin to waist and she held Ro up. One of his arms was flung overher shoulder, and he looked like he’d been to hell and back. A deepgash over his eye seeped, and his shoulder looked dislocated by thefunny angle he held his arm. With each step, he grunted in pain andgritted his teeth.

She set him down on a chunk of wallthat had survived some of the blast, and he winced, eyes closing inpain. She shot me a bloodied smile over her shoulder then made Rocomfortable. When he was relatively settled she yanked on his armand pushed his body back. There was a loud crunch and Ro howled inpain. Lex rolled back onto her heels as he cursed at her thensettled down to cross her legs. She placed her chin in her upturnedpalm as he jumped up and down cursing all manner of gods andcreation.

Safe. All of my friendswere safe and well. My eyes closed briefly and I sent up a smallprayer of thanks. The gods had to be listening for us to have comethrough this relatively unscathed. We had removed a dangerousthreat and were alive to fight another day. Yes, my prayers hadbeen answered. The shifter twins were free and back with theirfather like I had, ah, planned, and we could get back huntingDevlin. This time the weight of an entire Pride behind us. First, Ihad a few loose ends to clean up.

I jerked my chin toward the far cornerof the courtyard. “What shall we do with them?” I askedBreandan.

The dust covered Disciples had ralliedtogether and cowered in a far corner. A few unconscious, or worsefor wear Clerics had been dragged into their midst, and were beingshook or slapped awake. Squinting, I was relieved to see Samuel intheir midst, seeing to his comrades wounds. The Disciples were tornbetween staring at Breandan, me, and the rubble that used to betheir home.

I felt guilty all over again. Had theTemple been destroyed a few days ago and I was still clueless likethem I would have been devastated, frightened. My confusion nodoubt would have turned to anger at the demons that had done it.How scared they must all be. The Priests and younger Disciples hadbeen long evacuated by the order of Cleric Tu, so the deaths wouldonly be those who had fought my friends, and been unlucky enough tobe gouged in the wrong place with a claw or blade. I did ask themto go easy, but Conall, Breandan, and Maeve had not heard myspeech, and had released a whole world of pain uponthem.

The Disciples watched me as if I wasgoing to chomp their head off at any moment. I sighed. Was it worthtrying to talk to them as an equal? Maybe if I explained what wasgoing on they would understand. They must have felt the hex settlethen lift off them.

Breandan’s eyes had clouded withconfusion and concern. “Rae-love…”

“Are you going to murder usnow demon,” a pissed voice called across the space. Zoe sat uprubbing her head and glared at me as if all her troubles were mysolely fault.

And it wasn’t fair.

I’d been through hell to protect theDisciples, her included.

By gods, I stomped my foot,and shrieked at her, “Okay, so I gave you a black eye. Yes, myfairy and vampire had destroyed half of Bayou. Sure, I flattenedSanctuary,” I paused. “Okay fine the entire Temple, but really,everything is not entirelymy fault. Technically I saved your ungratefulass,” I held up two fingers, “twice!”

Zoe’s heavily freckled face lookedanxious, but her eyes sparked with anger. Lex had dropped her holdon Ro, and the look she shot Zoe had the girl’s complexion jumpingfrom pink with anger to pale with fear.

The look of hunger on Lex’s face hadme drawing in a deep breath.

“No,” I said and drewmyself up tall, daring anybody to defy me. “Lex, we’re letting themgo.”

“They wouldn’t have left usalive,” Ro wheezed.

“It doesn’t matter. Theyshouldn’t have been out here in the first place.” My eyes roamedthe Temple grounds. “Gods, what were the Priests thinking allowingCleric Tu to bring them here.” I pushed my hair out of my eyes, andmy tail thumped the floor once in finality. “We’re sending themaway.”

Lex scowled at them, at me, but noddedthen crouched down beside Ro, licking her lips. I shivered,nauseated. I was still having a hard time accepting her newbloodthirsty nature, and it was upsetting she could not extendsympathy for the Disciples. She used to be one. I sighed. I haddone this to her, and did I truly know all the ways hertransformation had affected her?

Breandan clasped my chin and made melook at him. It looked like he was the only one brave enough tochallenge me. I knew all the arguments he could use. All the logicand battle strategy that said leaving enemies trained to hate usalive and well was reckless, risky. That it would cause moretrouble later, and I would regret it in the end.

All these arguments, logical as theywere, did not detract from the fact killing them would be barbaric,something we needed to change.

As a human, I had been shunned andmocked, never