Demon Day Penelope Fletcher (which ebook reader TXT) 📖

“She’s a hatful bitch whowants me dead. You’ve brought me here to die.” His shouldershunched with every word I yelled at him. “You might as well havedrained me and had done with it.” My chest heaved and I foughttears. “Why did it have to be you? Why couldn’t it have been Daphneor Gwendolyn that came for me? Why did you make me think you–” Ichoked off and refused to finish.

Tomas spun on me, face livid. “It hadto be a male because that is what Gwen saw would sway yoursympathies. It had to be me because the other males were not saneenough for the task. And it had to be done in secret in case Caelfound out!” The moment the words were out of his mouth hefroze.

I froze then tilted my head at himslowly. “The he-witch? You are working for the BlackthornCoven?”

His shoulders slumped and his facetook on a look of the beaten. “Cael’s witchcraft has held our Nestunder his thumb for some time now.”

Scoffing a disbelieving laugh, Ipushed the hair out of my eyes and my talons scraped my circletreminding me of whom and what I am. “How long is ‘sometime’?”

Tomas made a dismissive gesture withhis hand. “Less than two hundred years. Cael is older than me yethow he has managed to prolong his life and keep his youth isunknown. Witches have a human lifespan. He is a mystery.”

I took a step back, purely in shock. Ifumbled for the wall behind me until my fingers pressed against thecool, damp stone. I leaned against it heavily andgroaned.

Tomas was at my side in an instant butrefrained from touching me.

“The Rupture,” I gasped.The leaps of understanding taking place in my mind were immense,and the room spun. “Vampirekind didn’t start it.”

“No. We were forced into acorner and had no choice but to do as we were told.”

My head whipped up to pin him with aglare. “Ana told me–”

Tomas held up his hand and hisexpression rippled with what would have been on a human face milddispleasure. Since he was vampire it looked like a nervoustwitch.

“The white witch can telllies, Rae. You forget she is not fairy like you. She is aBlackthorn, a powerful being born of Cael’s bloodline the mostinfluential Coven in this region. Though she’s different from herkin the white witch will bow to his authority if he catches her inhis snare. It is their way to follow the word of the Coven Father,instinctive. Unlike us vampires where loyalty must be earned inblood.” He paused thoughtfully. “No doubt when she saw me comingshe would have warned Breandan and you. Even then she would havetried to turn you against me.” He laughed without any real humor.“The fairy and I were destined to loathe each other.”

I whimpered and pressed a hand to mythroat, feeling physically sick. Could Ana have lied to me toprotect her family? Was she swayed by a need to defend her Fathereven as she tried to fight for what was right and good? She hadlooked me in the eye and told me the vampires had started theRupture. The global event in which everyone believed the vampiresattacked the humans first and the rest of demonkind were forced tofight since the humans turned on them too. Did she know the truth?That they were under her Cael’s influence? I knew she had keptthings from me on Breandan’s request, but surely, he could not knowabout this?

I dry heaved and bent over, resting myhands on my knees as I fought to regain my equilibrium.

More questions with no answers tohand. Everything I learned took me one step closer to nothing. Iwas moving sideways, darting through shadows of half-truths andlies. How was I supposed to know what I was supposed to do when Icould not trust the actions of those closest to me? Was everyaction a cover for a nefarious end? No wonder Devlin had turned toblack magic in desperation, for protection. It seemed there weredaggers cloaked and waiting to spear you at every turn.

Satisfied I was not going to toss upany nectar I said, “This changes things.” I stood and shook my hairback. It had finally stopped growing, and reached the middle of myback. It made my head feel heavy, but it smelt like the forest, andwas a comfort in this dank place. Tomas’ expression was curious. Mytongue burned as I added, “This makes your kind worth fightingfor.” I looked him in the eye and squashed the knee tremblingpleasure I felt when I did, afraid he would see the way he made mefeel. “Tell me everything.”

The door burst open. Daphne bolted inand closed it behind her.

She spun and plastered herself againstit, arms flung wide. “Gwendolyn,” she whispered before the door wasflung open pushing her with it until she and the door slapped intothe wall.

The vampire Queen strutted into theroom, ringlets bouncing, bare feet slapping the dirty floor. It wasmeant to be a casual entrance but it reeked of quiet desperation.Vampires had a liquid movement that went beyond mere grace. Theydidn’t strut, they glided, and so her flippant attitude lookedforced. Her hands were in the back pockets of her ragged jeans andher collarbones jutted out painfully. Gwendolyn looked underfed.Her eye sockets were sunken and her skin ashy pale, even for avampire. Though none of this diminished her breathtaking naturalbeauty, and it took a great deal of will not to pull my glamour onin a pitiful attempt to cover my scars.

Daphne grunted and slipped out frombehind the door, rubbing her cheek.

Gwendolyn took in Tomas’ closeness tome in a lingering gaze, her thin brows rising with exaggeratedslowness even as a fire burned in the depths of hereyes.

Rather than step away from me, Tomasmoved in front of me and cocked his head in a show of respect.“Love?” he asked with a hint of impatience.

She smiled and held out a grubby handwith nails bitten into ragged stumps. “We have a visitor,” shepurred.

Tomas went stiff and Daphne’s headwhipped round to stare at him. Her entire body shifted into battlemode, even her braids appeared rigid, but with the