Demons Forever (Peachville High Demons #6) by Sarra Cannon Read Free Book Online

I asked, my voice uncertain and weak.
    "I was afraid if the Order found out you were my daughter, it would put your life in greater danger," he said with a heavy sigh. "Of course, it turned out you were in danger anyway, long before they ever found out you were a hybrid. I should have just come for you, but I vowed a long time ago not to interfere in the human world."
    "So they didn't know about my demon side this whole time?" I asked.
    "No one knew," he said. "Until you shifted fighting those hunters, the only people who knew your identity were a few of the guards on my council and my oldest daughter."
    My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat. It was the first time he'd mentioned my half-sister. All I knew about her from my mother's journal was that she was about six years older than me and had jet black hair.
    "She's still in Peachville?" I asked.
    "My daughter?" He raised his eyebrows. "Oh yes, in fact you've already met her."
    I opened my mouth, nearly jumping out of my seat to find out who she was.
    But before I could ask him another question, three guards burst through the door. I wanted to scream in frustration, but as I turned, I saw the fear in their eyes.
    "I'm sorry for interrupting your dinner, sire," one guard said with a sideways glance at me.
    The king pushed back his hair and stood. "Has there been another attack?"
    "It's Gregory, Your Highness," the guard said.
    I recognized the name instantly. He was the guard who had found me right after Jackson and I fought with the hunters a few days ago. He was the one who brought us here to my father's castle.
    "What happened to him?" I asked.
    The guard turned to me. His lower lip trembled slightly. "He's been taken."

The Actions Of Evil People
     
    "I need everyone else to leave the room," the king said.
    I had no idea if that applied to me or not, but I wanted to hear what these guards were going to say. I stayed.
    The servants all rushed out, leaving me, my father and the three guards.
    "Tell me what happened."
    The king paced the room as the head guard filled him in.
    "As you know, Gregory and his men went to the outerlands yesterday to answer to reports of more attacks," he said. "He took six men with him. A few minutes ago, one of these men, Xeran, showed up at the gates of the city, mutilated almost beyond recognition."
    The guard glanced at me nervously, probably wondering if this was an appropriate discussion to have in front of a princess.
    "I must go to him," the king said, moving toward the door. "Maybe I can help him heal."
    The guard stepped in front of him and shook his head. "Xeran is dead, sire. He passed away within minutes of arriving," he said. "It must have taken every last ounce of his life to get back here to tell us what happened."
    The king paused, his muscles grown rigid. "Tell me what he said."
    "He said they never even made it to the outerlands. They were ambushed by a group of hunters along the way. They were grossly outnumbered and taken by surprise," the guard explained. "He said it was a massacre. They killed everyone else, but took Gregory for their prisoner. Unharmed. Xeran pretended to be dead until the hunters had left, then he made his way here."
    "Why would they want Gregory?" I asked, standing.
    "That's the real question, isn't it?" my father asked, pacing again. "As a personal friend of mine and a member of my council, Gregory was privy to many of my secrets, including the fact that you're my daughter."
    "But everyone in the city knows who I am now," I said. "Why take him specifically?"
    "That's what I need to find out," he said. "Did Xeran say where the hunters were taking him? Did they give any clue or mention anything that might lead us to where they're keeping Gregory?"
    The guard shook his head. "No, he didn't mention anything like that," he said. "Only that when they left, they went north toward the borderlands."
    My father sighed. "I'm sorry, Harper, but I'm going to have to cut our dinner short," he said. "In fact, I