Ebony Fight (The Guard Duet Book 2) by Natalie Herzer Read Free Book Online Page A

Are the rumors true or not? What I saw last night wasn’t all that encouraging, to be honest.”
    “You went out like a light after one of them nicked you, so how would you know?”
    Stone dished up and set the plate in front of her, taking pleasure in the way her eyes went wide after inhaling deeply. He had yet to see someone not feeling revived simply by the scent of a delicious and hearty breakfast.
    “No, seriously now. What was that yesterday?”
    “Resistance.” She took a moment to sip her coffee and then explained, “Just like among the demons, there is no real unity amongst the Ivorys. Some want the change, others are afraid of it or simply happy with the status quo. There’ll always be the ones happy fighting for fighting’s sake just because it’s the only thing they’ve ever known.”
    “But you won’t let that stop you.”
    “Exactly.” Her will and strength finally peeked through the exhaustion in her eyes like the sun winning against an overcast sky. “I won’t give up at the first sign of trouble.”

SIX
    Abby stepped out of the bathroom tying her thick black braids back and almost bumped into Wes.
    “Damn it, Abby. You ruined my morning fun. Why don’t you take as much time as normal girls in the bath and give me the opportunity to pester you mercilessly while you get ready?”
    “Because I can.” She took a closer look at him, raising a questioning eyebrow. “Where did you go off to yesterday? You look like death warmed over.”
    He slumped his shoulders for about a second as if her words had hurt him before a bright grin illuminated his face. “I had some fun last night.”
    Smiling back at him, Abby didn’t doubt it. Wes, the party animal of Sam’s guard, always made her do that. Well that or shaking her head instead.
    “Anyway.  Since I didn’t manage to glimpse you naked…want some coffee?”
    “Wes, you’re supposed to take a girl out for coffee way before glimpsing naked skin comes into it.”
    He knew she was teasing him. It was always so easy to hang out with Wes. He looked puzzled, as if hearing the concept for the first time and finding it ridiculous. “Oh. I thought it’s for the morning after.”
    Laughing, Abby shook her head and gestured towards the stairs. “Lead the way, you slut.”
    The house was quiet and Abby wasn’t surprised to find the kitchen empty when they walked in. Wes grabbed two mugs out of a top cupboard and poured them a healthy dose of the delicious black liquid.
    “We’re on the porch,” Sam’s voice called out.
    Steaming mugs in hand, Abby and Wes joined the others in the fresh early morning air. It smelled of wet grass. Abby took a deep breath and the cool air awakened her senses faster than the coffee did. Sam and Dave stood near the railing and, pausing in their conversation, looked up. They appeared well-rested and at peace with the silver morning light as their only companion. Abby felt a stab of regret for showing up out of the blue and tossing the rules of their world into chaos.
    “Morning,” both men greeted.
    Sam pointed to Dave and Wes with his coffee mug. “I told them about our plan.”
    Knowing that the changes they had talked about must have come as quite a surprise for the rest of Sam’s guard, Abby was curious. “So…What do you guys say?”
    Dave shrugged, which was quite a reaction coming from him. “It’s a lot to take in, and to be honest it’s not easy to wrap my mind around it.” Other than that, his demeanor was as serious and calm as ever. “We’ve been doing this job for how many years now? Three? The rules set out from the start were simple. Good against evil. What you guys want to do and the stuff you are talking about…I’m not saying it’s-”
    He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence.
    Lillian chose that moment to drop by - literally. A rustle of feathers and a gust of dusty wind stirred by dirty white wings was all the warning they got. Suddenly she was standing right there with them