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

might have to be gone for a while."
    "Are you going after him?" I asked. I wanted to go. To be a part of the action and to find out the truth for myself, but I knew he would never agree to that.
    "Yes. If there's any chance Gregory is still here in the shadow world, I have to try to find him," he said. He looked to the group of guards. "Gather a task force. No less than twenty men. Tell them to pack light and meet me by the front entrance in an hour."
    The three guards bowed, then left the room.
    "Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked when we were alone again. "I feel responsible for all this."
    My father took my hands in his.
    "I've been fighting this war since long before you were born," he said. "None of this is your fault. How could you be responsible for the actions of evil people?"
    I stared down at our hands. "Not fighting back makes me responsible, doesn't it?"
    "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself all the time," he said. "A lot of girls would have been seduced by their glamorous lifestyle and their power, but you refused to give in to all of that. You're a fighter, Harper. Otherwise, you wouldn't even be here. You would be at cheerleading practice, happily following their plan for your future."
    I looked up at him. "I want to bring them down," I said. "They deserve to pay for what they've done to this world."
    "And they will," he said. "Finding the ring was a good start. Over time, we'll be able to do more, but first you need to grow and learn to use your powers more efficiently."
    I nodded. I knew he was right.
    "Promise me you'll stay," he said, squeezing my hands. "Train with my guards. Get to know the castle and the city around you. When I get back, we'll throw you a real welcome home party. Something fit for a princess."
    As much as I wanted to get back to Peachville, I also wanted to stay here and have the chance to finish our conversation. There was still so much I didn't know.
    Besides, maybe he was right. Maybe I needed time to train and learn to use my powers.
    "Okay," I said. "I'll stay. For now."
    He smiled, then kissed my forehead. The intimate gesture brought tears to my eyes.
    "I need to get going." He released my hands and walked to the door of the dining room. Before he left, he turned, his silver eyes gleaming. "It's good to have you home."

I Wasn't Surprised To Hear Her Name
     
    It was weeks before my father returned to the domed city.
    While he was gone, Jackson and I spent our mornings in training and our afternoons exploring the city. We'd met nearly everyone by now and life inside the dome had settled into a schedule.
    There had been no more attacks on the city, but reports of hunters in the outerlands had everyone on edge.
    When the king finally returned, it was with a heavy heart.
    Tuli was the one who told me he was back. I ran to the throne room, wanting to throw my arms around his neck and welcome him home, but the sadness in his eyes held me back.
    "You didn't find Gregory?" I asked.
    He sighed and sat down on the silver throne. "No," he said. "We tracked him all the way to the borderlands, but it seems the hunters passed him off to another witch. She took him into the human world."
    I stepped closer. "Are you going to go after him?"
    My father shook his head. "I told you. I vowed not to interfere in the human world ever again," he said. "Going over there only leads to more problems and more loss. Once someone's been taken by the Order, there's no getting them back."
    I couldn't believe he would abandon his friend like that, but after all the time that had passed, what were the chances Gregory was even still alive? I felt sick just thinking about it.
    "Did you find out what they wanted from him?"
    "We were able to capture one of the hunters who abducted him," my father said. "We questioned her, but all we learned was that Priestess Winter wanted him delivered straight to her in the human world. The hunter didn't know why."
    Priestess Winter. I wasn't surprised to hear her