A Wicked Night (Creatures of Darkness 2): A Coraline Conwell Novel by Kiersten Fay Read Free Book Online Page A

riotous gaze. But after only a few tense heartbeats, her expression fell, and her shoulders slumped. “How long has she been possessed?”
     
    ——
     
    After Mace recounted the story, Sara’s mind went to work. She hadn’t heard of this Sadira before, but then, her thoughts had always drifted during Gran’s impromptu history lessons.
    It didn’t escape her, however, that these vampires could be lying about Sadira’s darkly marked deeds, which they were being very vague about. She could be a mere victim, same as Gran.
    That suspicion alone was what decided Sara’s course of action. To protect her coven from Knox’s threat she would extricate the spirit from Cora’s body, but she would not lock it back in its dimensional cage.
    Where Cora stood in mix, Sara wasn’t sure. She only knew that she aligned herself with vampires and claimed no coven of her own. Though Sara had liked Cora as a person, they shared no fealty toward one another. Worse, Cora had lied about Knox having been imprisoned, and that, Sara could not forgive.
    “I’ll need to go back to my shop for supplies if I’m to do this properly.”
    “I’ll retrieve whatever you need,” Knox offered sharply before Mace could reply.
    Sara spoke only to Mace, refusing to acknowledge Knox any further. “He will not set foot in my shop ever again!”
    “Sara—” Mace started softly.
    Knox interjected. “You’d rather I stay here with you…alone…while Mace fetches your things?” He grinned too wide, displaying those obnoxious fangs again.
    Oh, how she craved to pluck those teeth out in turn with a pair of pliers while he begged for mercy—not that she’d have any to spare. He’d offered none to Gran as he’d ripped her throat open and left her to die in that dirty alleyway.
    The woman in Cora’s body—Sadira—spoke with a salacious inflection. “Oh yes, Mason, do leave her with us.”
    Sara didn’t want to admit there was something dangerous and deadly in her tone that made her shiver. It was most definitely not Cora speaking. Cora was all cotton and feathers and soft edges while whoever this Sadira was seemed to be made of iron and steel and pointed daggers.
    “Fine,” Sara relented, eager to have this done with as soon as possible. “You must get everything I say. Don’t leave anything behind and don’t put your filthy hands on anything else but what I tell you.”
    She listed off the items that she needed, explaining in detail where to locate each, sure that Knox would forget something because he didn’t write anything down.
    When she was finished, she couldn’t help but add in a cutting tone, “Go fetch.”
    Knox replied with a withering glare before disappearing out the door.
    After a while, Mace broke the wake of silence. “I’m almost positive Knox hadn’t been the one to kill your grandmother.”
    “Of course you would be,” she muttered.
    “I didn’t say I was entirely positive. I do have my doubts.”
    She swung her gaze to him. His dark-brown hair hung above his eyebrows and had the slightest wave to it. Dark splotches stained just below his eyes. He looked weary, worried—undoubtedly for Cora.
    “Then allow my coven to try him. A fair trial. And abide by the outcome.”
    “I’m not the head of my clan. I can’t make such promises. And Trent never would. Not for…”
    “Not for one measly witch?” Sara finished for him, venomously.
    “That’s not what a meant. But consider this. Would your coven make the same concession? If a witch had murdered a vampire in cold blood?”
    Sara clenched her teeth. “We would have endeavored to find the truth.”
    “As shall we.”
    Sara humphed.
    Sadira let out a sensual chuckle. “In my day, we bathed in the blood of vampires. Made a fountain of it and danced till it drenched us. Saraphine, child, take back your power. Take your revenge here and now. Kill this wretched vampire who cares nothing for your kin.” She eyed Mace as though he were a maggot, only good for