Heart of the Hunter by Vivi Anna Read Free Book Online

Chapter One
     
    The biting wind blew across Jake Conroy’s back as he sat waiting on the wooden bench. He pulled up the collar on his leather jacket but it wasn’t doing much good. It was damn cold in Calgary in November. He should’ve been more prepared for the hunt than wearing only his thin leather jacket, leather gloves and boots. Thankfully he was wearing wool socks, so at least his feet weren’t freezing.
    He turned as his Canadian contact, Ryan, sat down beside him, handing him a tall, steaming cup. “Here. Timmies. It’ll warm you up.”
     
    Jake took the offered drink. “What’s Timmies?”
     
    “Best coffee ever.”
     
    Jake took a grateful sip and sighed. It was good. He didn’t know if it was the best coffee he’d ever tasted, but on this chilly night, it very well might’ve been. At least it was piping hot. It burned his tongue, but he didn’t care as long as it warmed up his insides.
     
    “Any movement?” Ryan asked.
     
    Jake shook his head, not taking his eyes off the third-floor window of the building across the street. The light was still on and there hadn’t been any change. As far as he could tell the demon son-of-a-bitch was still inside the building.
     
    He’d been sitting on the bench on Stephen Avenue for three hours now, waiting for the demon to make a move. According to his contact, the demon had morphed into the body of one Brian Rose, an accountant, who worked until six, then walked down the block to the pub to have a few drinks and scout out his next victim. Jake had been in the pub and checked it out for exits just in case.
     
    Jake glanced at his watch. It was now six thirty. “You said this guy leaves at six.”
     
    Ryan shrugged. “Maybe he’s working late.”
     
    “Trust me, the demon is not working in there. Do you really think he’s going to assimilate this accountant’s life so he can do taxes all freaking day?”
     
    “What’s he doing then?”
     
    “Planning his next move.”
     
    Jake had made the long trip from San Francisco up to Calgary to hunt this demon. He wanted to say he was doing it for the morality of it, but the fact was he was being paid. Demon hunting wasn’t a lucrative vocation, so once in a while he had to take paying jobs. Sometimes he did bodyguard work, other times he located missing people, but this time he’d been hired by a wealthy family member of one of the demon’s last victims to track it down and kill it. The assignment was right up his alley.
     
    “Do you think he made us?” Ryan asked.
     
    Jake stood and adjusted the harness around his shoulder. He had a 9 mm Beretta holstered there, as well as two silver daggers blessed by a priest with holy water and salt. “Is there a back entrance to the building?”
     
    Ryan shrugged. “There’s an alley.”
     
    “Damn it.” Not waiting for Ryan, Jack jogged down the avenue to the corner, turned it and followed the street until he hit the mouth of the alley.
     
    He peered down the dark lane and saw a shadowy shape walking swiftly away from him. Ryan came up behind Jake. “Is that him?”
     
    “Don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”
     
    Jake started at a slow jog, but as soon as he was halfway down the alleyway, the shadowed shape began to run. He guessed he had his answer.
     
    He chased the spectre down the lane. The demon was fast, faster than a normal human. But Jake was in great shape and had trained for years for this type of activity. He was able to stay up to speed. He’d never outrun the demon, but he could at least see where it was running to.
     
    The demon in the accountant suit, rounded the corner to the left and dashed down the sidewalk. As Jake came around, he nearly ran into an old woman with a walker. She yelled at him but he didn’t have time to stop and make sure she was okay. By the ire in her cracked voice, he didn’t think she was in any immediate danger or pain.
     
    He watched as the demon dashed across the street, jumping over the