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but hadn t had the chance.
 Then I suppose that s where we start. Jamie closed the old
tome and placed it into a secured box in the wall. They both rounded
the desk as Graeae opened one of the thresholds Jason had seen them
escape through the night they met.
Ios and Jamie stepped through together without thought.
Graeae urged Jason through, but he d never entered one before and
felt nervous. A hand slipped into his and he looked down at Elia s
firm grip.
 Come on, sheriff. Let s go.
****
Low rays from the setting sun cast the old abandoned shack
and barn in shadows. The place already had an eerie ambiance to it
before the lack of illumination added to the charm. Elia could feel the
sensation of forgotten power emanating from the barn, where Jason
had since told him he d witnessed a gruesome ceremony of some sort
occurring.
Walking toward that direction, Elia felt the power pulling at
him. He stopped just feet from the door.  Jamie, the night Molock
caught us, he rushed in here for something, but I couldn t find him or
anything out of place once we were done. There may be something I
missed. I want to give it the once over, but we can cover more ground
if we split up.
 Ios and I can check out the house while the three of you
check the barn.
Elia watched as Jason s teeth clenched. He assumed Jason
was used to being in charge and was struggling taking the passenger
seat right now, but they knew a hell of a lot more about demons and
vampires than he did. He needed to let them do their thing. Elia
smiled inwardly as Jason seemed to relax with each passing step.
The sheriff might anger easily, but he calmed just as quickly
and didn t seem to hold grudges. He d seemed to be taking almost
everything that was occurring in stride, accepting all the craziness
around him and doing what needed to be done instead of screaming in
madness. Hopefully, he would join them once they d put a stop to
whatever Molock was doing here. He d already shown a glimpse of
what his power could be. With training and guidance he could be an
incredible asset.
Graeae rolled open the large bay doors and they all entered the
space. Musty hay and the scent of mildew permeated the place, along
with the remnants of animal scents from the past. No creatures,
Earth-bound or not, were in the barn now. Elia reached out, searching
for the source of the leftover power he felt surging there. Something
remained and it could be the clue they needed to find Molock.
 Elia, the power here is odd. Graeae looked above them at
the rafters.
 I feel it, too. The demons left something here.
 The power I sense isn t demonic. It s Fae.
 Fae? What the hell is Fae? Do you mean fairies? Jason
stopped in the middle of the barn, his face incredulous. He turned to
Elia.  I know you gave me the run down earlier, but I didn t put two
and two together. Really? Fairies? I ve had to accept good and evil
demons, as well as vampires in the past week and now you tell me
we ve got to deal with fucking fairies?
A noise above them had all three looking up. Elia dropped
into a fighting stance, trying to locate the reason for the noise. He
saw nothing, but as he checked the others, he saw Jason leveling his
gun and Graeae had an energy ball in his hands, at the ready. He
pointed to the ladder then motioned for either of them to go to
opposite sides of the barn to watch for an uninvited guest.
Elia had barely risen four rungs when a shot rang out and an
energy ball whizzed past his head. Looking up, Elia cringed as he
watched a male slide down the ladder, heading straight for him.
Blackness swamped him on impact.
Chapter Eight
Jason rushed to capture the man but was nowhere quick
enough to apprehend him. The guy hauled ass, running out of both
his and Graeae s reach easily. The figure looked human enough, but
moved with an ethereal grace and speed that was pointedly not
human. No man on Earth could run that fast. Graeae leapt at the
figure before he could get out of the door and tackled him to the
ground, surprising Jason. The Captain landed atop the guy. Pinned to
the ground, the male settled, a stream of curses coming from his lips
in a language Jason didn t understand as Graeae settled more of his
weight on him.
Jason holstered his gun and ran over to Elia, who seemed to be
rousing. Kneeling beside him, Jason helped Elia sit up and checked
him over. Worry had filled him as he d seen the man heading straight
for Elia. His initial concern had been for Elia not to be hurt versus
worrying about the stranger getting away. The reaction humbled him
for a moment. Elia was starting to get under his skin.
Raising three fingers before Elia, he eyed the male.  How
many fingers am I holding up?
 I m fine, Jason.
Jason eyed the bruise and cut on Elia s forehead. He brought
a hand to it to dust some of the hay and dirt from the spot. His eyes
met Elia s at the touch and heat spread through him as fire was
returned in the gaze looking back at him.
 I m not fine, Elia. I haven t been since I met you.
He watched Elia swallow roughly.  Is that good or bad?
Jason was quiet for a moment.  Good. I think. But the jury s
still out.
 Jason! Graeae screamed as the man below him began to
fight again, flipping Graeae on his back and straddling him. The man
landed a punch to Graeae s face before jumping up and running out
the open barn door. Jason gave chase through the failing light. A few
paces in, the man disappeared into thin air. Slowing to a stop, he
heard Graeae running to meet him.
 Dammit! Graeae began to open a threshold, as if he were
connecting to whatever it was that the man had vanished into, but the
portal wouldn t open completely.  I wasn t close enough. I lost
him.
 What was he? Jason was so new to this world. Men didn t
just disappear into thin air. At least none of the ones he knew so far.
 He appeared part Fae. But he didn t dress or speak like a Fae
being, so I m not sure.
 So, you just got your ass beat by a fairy? Jason said the
words aloud before thinking and looked to the demon, hoping he
hadn t pissed him off. Jason really didn t want to contend with that
energy ball they seemed to be able to manifest whenever they wanted.
The stoic demeanor Graeae seemed to carry around was intact. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]