Page 7 of The Book Reader
I hear nothing.
Spinning around on the spot, I try to peer through the rain; it’s still coming down heavily, sounding like a thousand pins dropping onto glass. But it’s not loud enough to block out the evil sound of another growl, one that makes my body tremble with fear.
Pulling in a breath, I bend down towards the woman. “Okay, it’s time to go.”
I try to pick her up, but with the rain and her weight, she is slipping out of my grasp. I work out, but I’m no bodybuilder—I can hardly lift my own body weight. Trying again, I pause at the sound of another growl. It sounds like some kind of beast, one big enough to make a meal out of the both of us and think nothing of it.
I stand up straight, narrowing my eyes as I call out, “Please, she is badly hurt, and I need to get her help. Just let us go.”
I hear nothing for a moment, only the sound of my breathing, pairing with the rain like some sick song at the end of a scary movie. A whipping sound has me frantically looking around. I see a flash of something out of the corner of my eye and feel a pull within me, an awareness, and I just go with it. A dagger comes towards my chest. My eyes see it in slow motion, spinning closer to me. My powers pull me, and I jump out of the way and roll hard on the ground; if it had hit me, this would have allbeen for nothing. I close my eyes tight and pray hard to whoever might be listening that this will be over soon.
“Come on Ari, you are made of more than this.” Opening my eyes, I crawl through the soaking wet mud, my hands and feet sliding as I move as fast as I can over to the woman, covering her with my body. I whisper in her ear, “I hope that whoever it is that wants me to find you will save us right now, or we are both going to die.”
Footsteps squish through the mud, getting closer. My body shakes so hard now that I’m sure whoever is walking towards us can see it. I look up, and the pair of red eyes I see sends a shock through me from head to toe. Those eyes are not human, nor are they kind. They look like the kind of eyes that belong to a killer. The kind that makes you want to crawl into a hole and hope that you will never have to look at them again.
But something in his expression makes me pause. He isn’t looking at me like he wants to kill me. He isn’t looking at me at all. He stares at the blonde like he wants to devour her. I frown down at her and whisper, “Who are you?”
Chapter 4
ARIANNA
The four men step closer to us. They’re stunning. Ranging from female fantasy biker in leather to a guy in a suit looking like someone straight out of GQ mag. But it’s their eyes that tell me they are far from normal human men.
I try to look away from the dangerous beauties, but one of them steps closer, making me hold his gaze as he speaks.
“Give her to us, and we will not harm you. She does not belong with you,”he declares.
His voice sounds like a light caress. It makes my heart race—the inner battle between running or staying. But I can’t run now. I lift my chin, trying to pull on what little bravery I have and whisper, “You’re not having her.”
He throws his head back and laughs. It’s a sinister sound that makes me wince, wishing for some help. The rest of them join in, like this is the funniest thing they’ve ever heard. Real fear starts to set in, making the female fantasy vanish. The air seems to grow colder and, if possible, the night gets darker.
Another step forward; this one dressed in leathers that hug his body tight. When he crouches down, I jump back a little and close my eyes, ducking away from him, but his voice still reachesme. It’s not as sexual as his comrade. This man’s voice screams murderer.
“You think a little human like you can stand up to us? I will kill you if I have to. Mark my words, it would be as easy as taking a breath for me.”His tone is deadly.
To make his point, he reaches out with a claw and scrapes the edge of it along my cheek. I can feel the sting of my skin ripping, and as he pulls it back, my blood drips from the tip.
“Ari. Fight this, little one… You know how.”
The voice in my head--my grandfather’s voice—one that I hear so often, offers me no comfort. But it reminds me of a time before, a time when I was this scared, a time that fear left a mark on me to make sure I would never forget. My grandfather is the one who always used to tell me to justfeelit, to let the power flow through me like air, but I never understood what he was talking about… until now. Taking a deep breath, I lift my head.
“That’s it, Ari. Let us help you now.”the voice is determined and strong.
I can’t see what this daemon is seeing, but he stands up fast, taking a step back. “What the fuck are you?” he growls out.
That same voice from earlier—the one that is many and not my own—echoes from me as a grin spreads across my lips. “You are not meant to be here. You know this is not your time or place. She is with us now. You cannot and will not take her.”
My hands move as if someone is lifting them, my back arching. I cry out in shock as electricity runs through my body, igniting me from within. I see flashes of light, and the wind picks up, my body vibrating. I open my mouth and scream out into the dark night. My head snaps back down, and I start to whisper words I don’t understand, but in my heart, I know them.
I have spoken to them many times before. But when?
A sudden feeling of lightness, almost floating, fills my body. My voice is still the voice of many, louder and so much stronger.
“In hoc tempore, et in hac hora’ dico magnam potestatem. Tu nos protege, nos protege, Abice nos ab hoc malo, Pelle penitus, longe pelle. Ita, fiat.”
In this time and in this hour, I call on the great power. Protect us as we protect you, rid us of this evil, banish it deep, banish it far. So, mote it be.
The men stalk forward, trying to catch me off guard. The one in front makes to grab me, but freezes in place and begins to shake. His skin tightens, contracting around his muscles and skull, as if he has been vacuum sealed. His hands clutch at his stomach, but it’s too late for that. Red lines form like seams on his body and he splits open.
