Evolution (Demon's Grail Book 2) by Amy Cross Read Free Book Online Page B

where you come from? Where do you come from, anyway?” I pause for a moment, feeling cold rain dribbling down my face and under my clothes. “It's nights like this that make me want a home more than ever,” I whisper. “That dumb drunk fool in the pub was actually right about one thing. I'm tired of living on the road, moving from camp to camp.”
    I wait a moment longer, but Skellig's finger is still pointing into the darkness.
    “What?” I ask, with a hint of frustration. “I don't get it, what am I supposed to be looking at? I don't know what world you come from, but in this world we communicate with words!”
    Again I wait, but of course he gives no answer.
    “Can't you just tell me?” I continue. “I'm not a mind-reader.”
    As I wait for him to speak, the rain starts to fall even more heavily. I never thought that was possible.
    “There is one,” he says finally, his voice heavy and scratched with old age. “Close.”
    “One what?” I ask.
    “One of them .” He pauses, his empty eye-sockets watching the darkness. “A vampire scout was sent several days ago to check on rumors of spider activity in this area. He spent much time searching in all the wrong places, but finally he strayed a little too close to one of the nesting grounds near the fifteenth ridge, and he had to be eliminated. Unfortunately, the process was not quite completed and now he's trying to drag his ravaged carcass back to his friends at Gothos so he can report on our presence.” He pauses again, and this time I can hear the rasping sound of his breath. “I would prefer not to be the one who kills him. I try to exert myself as little as possible these days, so...”
    Suddenly he turns to me, his empty sockets seeming larger than ever.
    “I thought you would enjoy the privilege instead.”
    “A vampire?” I ask.
    He smiles. “A vampire.”
    “How far away is he?” I continue, feeling a knot of anticipation in my chest. I've waited for a moment like this.
    “Can't you sense him already?” he asks.
    Turning again, I look out at the darkness. Just as I'm about to tell him that I can't sense anything out here at all, I realize that there is a presence, albeit one that's faint, one I wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't been brought to my attention. If it's a vampire, he must be far away or weak, or...
    “Dying,” I whisper. “He's dying.”
    “Mortally wounded,” Skellig replies, unable to stifle a smile that bares small, sharp teeth. “Not an easy thing to do to a vampire, but nevertheless, he has only a day or two left. He most likely wouldn't make it back to Gothos to report anyway, but... I would prefer to make certain. I do so hate leaving loose ends.”
    “You want me to kill him?” I ask.
    “You've never killed a vampire before, have you?”
    “I...” Taking a deep breath, I realize that this is a challenge I must face. A challenge and a privilege.
    “Your father will be very proud,” he continues. “I shall report to him when you are done. If I were to tell him that you had killed a vampire, some of his concerns would no doubt be calmed.”
    “What concerns?” I ask, shocked by the idea that Father is still worried.
    “He has yet to see proof that you are strong enough for the challenges ahead.”
    “But I've done so much since leaving New York,” I point out. “I thought by now I'd proved myself to him!”
    “You thought wrong.”
    Feeling a flash of anger, I get to my feet, stepping out of the shelter into the rain. I'm drenched after just a couple of seconds. “I'll kill the vampire,” I mutter darkly. “Not only that, but I'll save his skull and drink wine from it tonight. Then we'll see what Father thinks about my strength and readiness. I'll find that foul vampire and torture him slowly, it'll be practice for when I get my hands on Abby Hart. I'll peel away the wretch's soul and feast on every moment of misery until -”
    Suddenly I feel something cold being pressed into my right hand, and I look