Absolution by Susannah Sandlin Read Free Book Online Page A

wall, and take your…friend with you unless you want her torched.” Will peered at the girl. He’d seen homeless women out of the inner city with more spark in their demeanor than this chick. “What’s wrong with her?”
    “I enthralled her—drug withdrawal. Just get moving.” Mirren picked the woman up and laid her on a bench in the back of the cell, then propped himself against the far wall.
    Will pulled out the small gas torch, flicked the starter, and began burning through the silver from the floor up. The bars melted slowly; he’d be out of time if he waited until he cleared enough space for Mirren to walk six foot eight of vampire through. “Think you can crawl out without burning yourself? We’ve gotta get moving.”
    “I’ll manage.” Mirren started toward the small opening, then paused and glanced over his shoulder. “Well, shit.” He returned to the bench and picked up the girl.
    “Leave her here, Mirren. She’s a junkie, and we have enough prob—”
    “She’s coming.”
    Will frowned. “You’re not thinking straight, man. If Matthias has any kind of bond with her, he’ll be able to fnd—”
    “She’s not bonded to him. She’s coming.”
    Mirren put the girl down, stripped off his grimy sweater and laid it on the floor, then laid the girl on it and slid her close to the opening. “Pull her through.”
    Being held captive and starved for a month hadn’t made the man less bossy, even if his ribs were showing beneath those muscles. Will took the edges of the black sweater, wincing as the hot metal from the silver on the floor burned into his fingers, and jerked her through the opening. Mirren followed, sliding on his back but running out of steam halfway under the burned-through bars.
    Will grabbed him under the arms and pulled him clear. “Gotta go now. If my father doesn’t already know I’m here, he will soon. Shelton’s taking a nap on the kitchen tiles.”
    Mirren climbed to his feet, still moving slowly, and propped an arm against the wall to get his balance. “Why didn’t you kill the bastard?”
    Will didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure if he really didn’t want to be like his father or if he didn’t have the killer instinct most vampires seemed to have when they were turned. He’d killed a few times, but always in self-defense, and even then, he hadn’t liked it.
    Mirren didn’t ask again, just leaned over to pick up the girl.
    Will stopped him. “I’ll get her—you start up the stairs, you old bag of bones.”
    That Mirren didn’t curse at him or argue was more proof of what bad shape the big guy was in. Will picked up the girl and threw her over his shoulder in a freman’s carry before heading up the stairs. Mirren didn’t even like women—well, he liked them, but he didn’t like them. Hell, except for Aidan, Mirren didn’t like anybody.
    Will couldn’t wait to hear the story behind the mystery junkie.

CHAPTER 6
     
    “H ey, you…you’re awake. How’re you feeling?”
    The voice came at Glory from somewhere above. A cool cloth on her forehead prompted her to open her eyes and focus. The woman leaning over her was tall, with dark auburn hair pulled into a braid; she had a heart-shaped face and brown eyes that sparked with intelligence.
    Glory blinked, doing a quick self-assessment. She’d been in a haze for so long the ability to take in her surroundings felt heady and liberating. Except, where the heck was she?
    “Hey.” The woman took her hand and squeezed it. “I’m Krys, and I’m a doctor. You’re in Penton, Alabama, at a medical clinic. Can you understand what I’m saying?”
    Glory tried to talk, but her vocal cords didn’t seem to work. Her heart sped at the thought: she was free. She didn’t know how she got out or how she’d gotten to Alabama, but she doubted Sir had anything to do with it.
    Dr. Krys handed her a cup of water, and she sipped the cool liquid, waiting for the nausea and pain to start again. The shakes. The fever. The