2 The Judas Kiss by Angella Graff Read Free Book Online Page A

B.”
                  “I think after what happened in Europe, she’s on to plan C, or possibly D,” Mark said miserably.  “She’s been quiet for the month we’ve been here, and it’s making me even more uneasy.”
                  “Have you called Greg?” Stella asked.  “It’s possible he’s heard something.”
                  “Greg doesn’t want any part of this, and Asclepius is following suit,” Mark said.  “I’m not going to ask him to put himself at risk.”
                  Stella checked her watch and then stood.  “Look, I have to go.  I only have a little time left, but I wanted to make sure you two were okay.”
                  Mark stood up to walk her to the door, and was surprised by the sudden hug she gave him.  “We’re fine for now,” he assured her, patting her back awkwardly.  “I’ll keep in touch.”
                  “Might be better if you don’t,” she said and reached for the door handle.  “Listen, Greg has something we call a God Portal.”
                  “We saw it,” Mark said with a nod.
                  “I’m not sure what he explained to you about it, but it might be helpful in contacting someone who might have information about Nike’s plans.  You might want to just give him a call and ask if knows or has heard anything.  Like you said, just the smallest information might help.”
                  Mark gave a short nod.  “I’ll see what I can do,” he promised, and locked the door behind her.  With a heavy sigh, Mark went to the cabinet and poured himself a brandy.  Jude was still in the room, and Mark hoped that he’d spend the rest of the night locked away.  He desperately needed some space from the apathetic immortal, and this was the most he was going to get, in reality.  He plopped down on the sofa and tried not to remember what life had been like just a year before.
                  Sure, he’d been living a lie, locked in a school, in a job he hated, but things were quiet.  He’d wondered about Jude, but he wasn’t this terrified, and part of him always thought that he’d run into his companion, set him right, and they’d be off again.  Just like they had done in the centuries before, no matter what had come their way.
                  Mark took a long drink and sighed.  “I guess I’ll call Greg tomorrow,” he said aloud to no one.  “What can it hurt?”
                  As he grinned to himself, he heard the noise.  He felt the crackling of electricity, but he didn’t have time to react as a boom sounded, heat rushed through the room, and the entire apartment went up in flames.

 
    Chapter Three
     
                  Ben woke sometime the next morning with the panicked feeling like he was missing something.  Rolling over, he saw it was nearly eight in the morning and for a moment thought he was late to work.  It took him a while through his post-alcohol daze to remember that his boss, Albert Ole, had insisted he take a four day weekend to recuperate from the stress of the funeral.
                  Rubbing his eyes, Ben attempted to ignore the pounding in his head as he stumbled out of his bed and into the bathroom.  He turned the shower on as hot as he could stand it, and let the water run over him until his skin was bright red and raw.
                  As he stood in front of the mirror, staring at his unshaven face, eyes surrounded by dark circles, he wondered if he was actually going to get better.  He wasn’t so sure that this was something he could bounce back from.  Learning that, after four months of mourning and anguish, his sister had survived the blast, and disappeared without any trace of evidence, was likely to drive him insane.
                  Ben splashed cold water on his face and then dressed in sweats, heading